Koucký criticizes the attitude of conservationists towards architecture in his book

Prague (ČTK) - A significant architect Roman Koucký criticizes in his new book The Office of the Creator of Heritage Conservation that they decide on contemporary architecture and thus hinder its development. According to him, heritage conservators should not comment on architecture but only on historical values. At today's press conference held appropriately in the Pankrác skyscraper, Koucký presented his vision of dividing the powers of conservators and architects.
"I propose that the existing historical monuments that need to be protected be clearly defined, and the remaining space would fall under the office of the so-called creator, which would support new construction and architecture in general," Koucký explained his vision. According to him, the Czech heritage law does not respect that newly created values also belong to cultural heritage.
However, in addition to conservators, sometimes the broader public protests against bold architectural plans; for example, petitions were written against skyscrapers in Pankrác. Citizens often dislike that the modern look disrupts the original character of the place. "Preserving the original appearance essentially means turning cities into open-air museums. The lay public should not comment on such professional matters,” Koucký said. "In petitions, people also protest due to a lack of public services and civic amenities in newly emerging buildings; however, this is not a matter for the architect, but for the investor of the building,” he added.
Roman Koucký (1959) is the holder of many professional architectural awards and a professor at the Czech Technical University. He is known for his promotion of contemporary architecture and efforts to combine it with historical heritage. The Office of the Creator is his fourth book.

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Press release:

Roman Koucký: The Office of the Creator

“...to amend the traditional definition of heritage, which today must be understood as a set of natural and cultural elements, both tangible and intangible, inherited or newly created. It is precisely through these elements that social groups recognize their identity and their commitment to pass it on to future generations in a better and enriched form...”
(citing the third point of the third goal of the Action Plan for Cultural Policies for Development, adopted in Stockholm in spring 1998 by the Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural Policies for Development)

“Most international documents speak of cultural heritage as not only inherited but also newly created. Most of such documents have been part of our legal order for several years. Even in the 'old continent', in most European countries, amazing contemporary buildings are emerging in close proximity to historic buildings. These buildings push new definitions of cultural heritage into the future. Unfortunately, this is not yet the case with us for many reasons.”
My greatest criticism has been, is, and remains the simple phrase: “heritage conservators decide on contemporary architecture.” This state encodes the impossibility of achieving a satisfactory result. I am deeply convinced that this is one of the primary reasons why Czech architecture is largely so provincial and why quality architecture is fundamentally unsuccessful in being promoted, supported, and ultimately realized to the necessary extent.
For example, the Convention for the Protection of Architectural Heritage in Europe, which has been part of the Czech legal order since 01-06-2002, explicitly states in part European Coordination of Conservation Policy in Article 17: “The parties undertake to exchange information about their conservation policy in matters such as: ...point 4. methods of supporting architectural creativity as a contribution of our time to European heritage.”
The deplorable state of our architecture, especially that which arises from public contracts, clearly speaks of the exact opposite. Support for contemporary architecture does not exist in our country, so there is nothing to inform about. And as stated in the book, even several bright exceptions cannot refute this state.
If the new Czech heritage law does not include the relationship to contemporary architecture in its paragraphs, it will be in obvious contradiction with the international documents of which we are signatories.
That is why the text “The Office of the Creator” was created. As an appeal for possible improvement of the unhappy state. As a potential alternative to the inertia in perceiving the history, present, and future of our architecture.

(says architect Roman Koucký about the relationship between new architecture and heritage conservation)

Architect Roman Koucký is one of the most prominent figures of contemporary Czech architecture. He heads a renowned architectural office that he founded in 1991 and is a multiple laureate of the Grand Prix of the Architects' Association. He is an associate professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University, where he has led his studio for more than ten years. Roman Koucký is known as an tireless promoter of contemporary architecture, advocating for the creation of conditions for the emergence of quality contemporary architecture in an equal dialogue with historical heritage.

The book provocatively entitled The Office of the Creator is a summary of Roman Koucký's views on the relationship between contemporary architecture and heritage conservation. After years of experience designing buildings in historic environments and participating in several professional institutions, Roman Koucký proposes a possible solution to this sensitive issue. He suggests the establishment of the Office of National Cultural Heritage with two "sub-offices" that he colloquially calls conservator and creator. The conservator's role is to define values in a specific area and the means to preserve them, while the creator's role is to seek the potential of the area and support the formation of a quality layer of contemporary architecture. Simply put, the conservator looks to the past and preserves existing values, whereas the creator looks to the future and creates conditions for the emergence of new values.

In addition to the main section “The Office of the Creator,” the publication reprints other significant texts by Koucký on the discussed topic from 1993 to 2005: the lectures Crimes Against Urbanity (I and II), The Present is Part of History, and an extensive interview with Jan Macháček.

The foreword to the book was written by Jiří T. Kotalík, art historian and the historically first general director of the National Heritage Institute:

“The Office of the Creator represents the opinion of an architect with long-standing creative practice and experience. Roman Koucký strives to create opportunities and conditions for the emergence of quality contemporary architecture, doing so for a long time, with vehemence, spectacular openness, and criticality that is characteristic of him.”…

“The proposal essentially pursues the rehabilitation of heritage conservators, referring them to the sphere of their specialization, also rehabilitating the unfortunate term office by attributing it creative potential, and above all rehabilitating contemporary architecture and its role in the context of today's time.”…

“Protection and development are interrelated vessels of one process, just as our present is an integral part of our past and future. Cultural and landscape values that we have inherited from our ancestors should unequivocally become a subject of public interest, and a similarly conceived office built on the partnership between the conservator and the creator could become its guarantor or protector.”

book 6: The Office of the Creator
Authors of the texts: Roman Koucký, Šárka Malá, Jan Macháček, Jiří T. Kotalík
Publisher: Zlatý řez, Prague 2008

Format 155 x 155 mm, 84 pages, paperback.
ISBN 978-80-87068-04-5