Lukeš: The library competition could be the largest in history

Prague - A number of international architectural competitions have taken place in the Czech Republic, but it can be expected that the competition for the design of the new building of the National Library in Prague in Letná will be the largest in history. Architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš said this to ČTK today. According to him, the competition could achieve a very high standard. However, it should not be taken to mean that the winning design will be better than if it had been directly commissioned to one of the architectural firms.
Lukeš pointed out that the most significant world architects almost fundamentally do not participate in competitions. "I am not saying that all of them do, and I am not saying that all competitions do," he stated.
For example, architects such as Jean Nouvel, Richard Meier, and Frank Gehry, according to Lukeš, are only willing to participate in competitions for invited studios. Usually, he said, they do not have time and are also concerned about the possible loss of prestige if they fail. "In some cases, the organizers try to make a limited competition," noted Lukeš.
The competition will be announced for the first time in the Czech Republic according to the rules of the International Union of Architects (UIA). This will happen on Tuesday. According to earlier estimates from this organization, up to three hundred architects could participate.
The Union claims that competitions announced under its conditions are often attended by the best creators. Only authors who have completed a cultural project worth at least 20 million euros (over half a billion crowns) can submit their proposals.
In Prague, according to Lukeš, there have been international competitions for solutions for the northern forecourt of the Castle, for the buildings of Hypobank at Republic Square, and for the Four Seasons hotel. It is true that international competitions are mostly called by foreign investors.
In the past, competitions were not announced according to UIA rules for practical reasons, because high fees have to be paid, noted Lukeš. Given the attractiveness of the topic, the international competition for the library will undoubtedly be the largest ever held in the Czech Republic, he added.
According to the chairwoman of the Club For Old Prague, Kateřina Bečková, it will depend on the jury whether the building will be architecturally quality. "There is a risk that the authors will compete in controversial or very original themes. It is their right. It will be up to the jury what they choose," she told ČTK.
On the contrary, architect Jakub Cigler believes that the design will be good. However, according to him, it is a question of whether the building will be constructed according to the winning proposal. It often happens in competitions that the contract ultimately goes to someone else. "This is a general problem of Czech architectural competitions. Between the result and realization, there is still a very thorny path," Cigler told ČTK.
According to Cigler, Letná is suitable for the library building, and according to Lukeš, it is even the best possible place. Construction is allowed there, there is good transportation connectivity, and it is close to the historical center and the university area in Dejvice, Lukeš listed. However, Cigler points out that the city has no concept for Letná, which is not urbanistically closed. Adding individual buildings may not lead to a good outcome, he noted.
Bečková has doubts about Letná. "It is questionable whether this still vacant place is suitable for development, whether it is not more valuable to keep it as open space," she said. The club discussed the idea that the area of Masaryk Station, where commercial buildings are planned, might be a better choice, she added.
Cigler's studio will apply for the architectural competition for the library design. "It is a very prestigious matter, and I think that every architectural office should occasionally test its strengths in a competition, ideally international, and somehow find out where it stands," he stated. The announced names of the jury members, which include one of the best contemporary architects in the world, Zaha Hadid, and Eva Jiřičná, are said to be a guarantee of quality evaluation.
Construction in Letná is expected to begin in 2008, with costs estimated at around two billion crowns.