Results of the 22nd annual Xella student competition

At the beginning of March, a jury convened at the Moravian Gallery in Brno, which selected from 48 competitive proposals submitted for the 22nd year of the international student competition organized by Xella. Students from Czech and Slovak architecture schools in this year focused on a plot of land neighboring the Governor’s Palace of the Moravian Gallery in Brno, where they were to design a new building for contemporary art collections.

Winning Projects

1st Prize + Director's Prize of the Moravian Gallery
Proposal No. 10 code 102 897

Author: Luděk Šimoník


Faculty of Architecture VUT Brno

2nd Prize
Proposal No. 45 code 811 043

Authors: Branislav Stojkov, Ivan Kanich 


Faculty of Architecture STU Bratislava

2nd Prize
Proposal No. 46 code 528 491

Author: Maroš Mitro 


Faculty of Arts TU Košice

3rd Prize
Proposal No. 18 code 130 216

Author: Jakub Vašek 


Faculty of Civil Engineering ČVUT Prague

Reward
Proposal No. 12 code 160 716
Author: Bc. Tatiana Kuva 


Faculty of Architecture STU Bratislava

Reward + Prize from ARCH and EUROSTAV magazines
Proposal No. 27 code 184 192
Author: Veronika Tvrdá


Faculty of Architecture VUT Brno

Prize from ARCH and EUROSTAV magazines
Proposal No. 14 code 473 534
Author: Michaela Jandeková 


Faculty of Architecture ČVUT Prague

Chairman's Prize
Proposal No. 25 code 342 028
Authors: Ivo Stejskal, Kryštof Foltýn 


Faculty of Architecture VUT Brno

All prizes and awards, including those from the media, will be presented in the Senate of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic in Prague as part of an exhibition of projects in the Corridor of Vice-Chairs from May 9 to 22, 2017. The exact date of the awards ceremony will be confirmed.

Theme
Moravian Gallery in Brno – Governor's Palace, new building for contemporary art collections. An excellent work of art requires presentation in an excellent architectural work.

Motto
“A little courage is worth more than a ton of caution.”

(Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States)

Justification
Brno can be classified among cities where a strong artistic tradition is evident. It is not only about traditional artistic movements but also about modern art. In the northeastern part of the historical city center, we can discover an unusual concentration of activities of almost all forms of art:
 Moravian Gallery in Brno – visual arts;
 Janáček Theatre – opera and ballet production;
 university cinema Scala - film art production;
 Bolek Polívka Theatre – experimental theatre production;
 Ambrosiana – gallery of contemporary art. Utilizing one of the urbanistically most significant vacant lots in the historic center of the city for expanding the artistic potential of the “Brno Art District” is certainly a great challenge not only for students but also for professional architects.

Intent
To follow the artistic tradition in Brno by creating an urbanistically and architecturally interesting center for the placement of contemporary visual art collections and the organization of art projects of city, regional, and international significance. The emphasis should particularly be placed on the sensitive integration of the modern complex into the historically valuable area, the design of a dignified venue for the placement of collections and exhibitions of contemporary visual art, and the creation of a pleasant urban public space that would attract residents and visitors of the city of Brno to visit.

Content
The new center for the placement of collections and exhibition projects of contemporary visual art of the Moravian Gallery in Brno will include appropriate spaces for organizing long-term and short-term exhibition projects of city, regional, and international significance, spaces for accompanying programs, and relevant operational and technical facilities. The new complex together with the historical building of the National Gallery in Brno should directly connect to the newly modified outdoor urban space for residents and visitors of the city. At the same time, there must be an urbanistic enhancement of the entire affected area without diminishing the significance of architecturally valuable objects in the immediate vicinity.

Means
The application of modern architectural elements and progressive systems in a historical environment. Achieving a dynamic expression of contemporary buildings through the use of unconventional architectural ideas, enabling an interesting symbiosis of various architectural styles.

Goal
To create a beautiful structure for beautiful art and to elevate a somewhat forgotten place into an attractive urban space that will connect and enhance emotions and experiences from visual art, architecture, and the interesting urban environment of the “Brno Art District.”

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