Architects wants to extend anticorruption package

Prague - The Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) has urged the government to supplement the upcoming anti-corruption package with support for architectural competitions. This was stated to journalists by ČKA board member Jan Sapák. According to ČKA, architectural competitions can prevent non-transparent awarding of public contracts. Thanks to competitions, it can also be known from the beginning how much individual constructions will cost, thereby preventing later overpricing.
    According to ČKA, too few architectural competitions are announced in the Czech Republic compared to neighboring countries. While approximately 100 to 300 architectural competitions are held annually in Austria and Germany, in the Czech Republic, there are only about ten to 20. ČKA believes that around 60 to 100 projects should be eligible for competition in the Czech Republic each year.
    "The awarding of most project works is done through selection procedures with a narrow circle of participants, sometimes even directly by hand, which is a pity and a detriment to the public interest," architects claim.
    According to the chamber, an architectural competition should be held for the construction of certain court buildings, as evidenced by the case of the Justice Palace in Brno. Its construction has become more than twice as expensive compared to the original plans. Similarly, according to Sapák, a competition should be held for the planned television studio in Brno.
    ČKA representatives have previously sent letters to representatives of 20 political parties, informing them about the situation in public contracts. Five parties responded to their call, but according to Sapák, all responses were too vague.
    According to ČKA, an architectural competition is a proven tool to mobilize the best human abilities and prevent corruption and clientelism. They also emphasize its long-standing tradition dating back to the 15th century, when a previously unknown creator, Filippo Brunelleschi, won the contract for the doors and dome of the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence in a competition.
    In the Czech Republic, for example, the construction of the Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové was realized thanks to an architectural competition. Similarly, a number of embassy buildings abroad were created, and a public competition is currently announced for a building in Washington. In the world, thanks to competition proposals, the Sydney Opera House and the Centre Pompidou in Paris were created.