27 projects advanced to the finals of the competition for emerging architects

Prague - A total of 27 projects have advanced to the finals of this year's Young Architects Award competition. In addition to works by graduates of domestic universities, projects by Belgian and Slovenian architects also made it to the shortlist. The winners of the 3rd year of the Young Architect Award will be decided by a professional jury on September 22. Aleš Povr informed ČTK on behalf of the organizers.
This year, a total of 128 projects were submitted to the architectural competition, with authors coming from 14 countries around the world. Design studios from Mexico, Spain, Turkey, and France, among others, submitted their proposals.
The organizers of the competition focused this year on the issues of contemporary urbanization. The projects addressed how to connect public spaces with existing urban development, natural elements, or completely new buildings. "By the submission deadline of July 7, we received roughly the same number of applications as last year for the third year of the competition. This pleases us greatly, as this year for the first time, participants had to adhere to specific guidelines and did not just submit random topics," said jury member Petr Hrůša.
The professional jury, composed of professional architects and experts, selected proposals for the finals not only from individual architects but also from group projects. One of the finalist projects offers a solution for a public space on the Australian coast, while other proposals present a new vision for Rohanský island or the Chuchle center. "A city is somewhat like a theater, creating backdrops in which the story takes place. Buildings and the space between them should create a scene that allows for a good quality of life in that place," added another jury member, architect Jakub Cigler, on the topic.
The largest representation in the competition of emerging architects comes from the Czech Technical University in Prague, the AAAD (Academy of Art, Architecture and Design), the Brno University of Technology, Brno's Mendel University, the Technical University of Liberec, and the VSB - Technical University of Ostrava. Graduates from these schools submitted a total of 108 projects. All submitted proposals can also be viewed and rated on the competition's website until September 15, allowing the public to select the winner of the public voting.
The competition was announced in the following categories - Conceptual Studies and School Works and Projects and Realizations. Both categories share the same themes: Center and Edges/City and Water. Winners will be announced on September 22 during the For Arch 2011 fair.