The Architect of the Year award was won by Adam Gebrian for promoting architecture

Prague - The Architect of the Year Award has been awarded to architect, critic, and promoter of architecture Adam Gebrian. The award evaluates the extraordinary contribution to architecture over the past five years and is presented as part of the FOR ARCH construction fair. The jury recognized Gebrian for his significant popularization of the topic of architecture. The jury awarded a special recognition to publicist Petr Volf for cultivating the field of architecture. Jana Machková informed ČTK of this today on behalf of the organizers.
    "Adam Gebrian is an exception among Czech architects. He is dedicated to promoting architecture. This includes everything related to improving the state of Czech architecture, namely educating the public about architecture, promoting good architecture, and critiquing poor-quality architecture," the jury stated regarding their selection. Gebrian's publishing and discussion activities in the public space aimed at increasing awareness of architectural culture are, according to the jury, undeniable. "It is as if he is aware that he is the only architect performing this benevolent activity," the jurors added, stating that the award is given "for the necessity and irreplaceability of his actions in today's unwelcoming contemporary architecture."
    The jury included Zdeněk Fránek, Regina Loukotová, Josef Pleskot, Osamu Okamura, and Antonín Novák. Petr Hájek was shortlisted for his pedagogical work and connection of theory with practice, Pavel Hnilička for the preparation of Prague building regulations, Roman Koucký for thirty years of quality professional, publishing, and teaching work, and Ladislav Lábus for socially engaged activities in the role of dean of the Faculty of Architecture at the Czech Technical University in Prague. Gebrian was also a finalist last year, just like Hájek, who had then presented his Krkonošské Center for Environmental Education in Vrchlabí.
    The 36-year-old Adam Gebrian is an architecture enthusiast. He graduated from the Faculty of Art and Architecture of the Technical University in Liberec. He studied and worked in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Prague, Paris, London, and Los Angeles in architectural offices such as Maxwan, Dominique Perrault Architecture, A69, and Bamber & Reddan.
    From 2007 to 2014, he was a member of the editorial board of the magazine ERA21, writes about architecture for newspapers and weeklies, and participates in organizing Pecha Kucha Nights in Prague. Since 2009, he has been the host of his own program Bourání on Radio Wave. From 2009 to 2012, he worked at the Faculty of Architecture in Liberec. Since 2013, he has been teaching at the Prague Institute affiliated with North Carolina State University.