Young architects were awarded in the Young Architect Award competition

The Young Architect Award competition offers young students and emerging architects under the age of 33 the opportunity to showcase their talents and spur discussions about sustainable development in the environment. This year’s theme was focused on “A New Life for Old Places”. “We were most intrigued by projects that attempted to open a more universally relevant topic that perhaps lacks attention, is not discussed, or is completely ignored. We could study a truly wide range of projects and approaches to very diverse themes. Under the banner of A New Life for Old Places, we were able to see a showcase of renovations, adaptations, conversions, as well as extensions, new constructions, and proposals for extensive areas and neighborhoods,” says the Chairman of the expert jury, Adam Gebrian. The promising young architects are also evaluated very positively by Libor Brož from Beton Brož: “Youth is passionate, innovative, and still untainted by the environment. They are not afraid to stand by their dreams, fantasies, and goals; they simply follow their own path, and that is what resonates with the spirit of our company.”

The jury decided to award the following projects:

Title Beton Brož Young Architect Award 2015
S58 / Railway – A Variable Space
Author: Ing. arch. Kristýna Smržová
School: FA VUT in Brno
Studio: Diploma project (studio leader: Ing. arch. Jan Mléčka, Ph.D.)

Jury's justification: Among the finalists, there were almost unanimously projects that opened a more general topic. A topic that most residents of the Czech Republic encounter daily; yet, or perhaps precisely because of that, it remains invisible to us. From this perspective, the author opens a topic that is fundamental, significant, and truly ignored. The railway and the adjacent spaces to it. She presents several solutions in selected locations that vary in size, scale, approach, and quality. The jury recommends that the author continue to pursue this topic (possibly in the form of a doctoral study). It is so fundamental that it deserves a deeper exploration of opportunities. The analytical phase of the project, as it was presented, is not very persuasive. Nonetheless, the jury came to the conclusion that in terms of fulfilling the evaluation criteria, this was the most successful project in the competition.

Description: Utilization of existing railway lines, which have proven to be one of the most effective means for transporting oversized or heavy cargo, and thus carry potential. / Verification of the possibility of incorporating the railway into today's hectic human life. / Design of modular units and modifiable structures. Use of new technologies. / Demonstration of design on typical examples of railway infrastructure and its surroundings. Utilization of the railway bed, rail accessories, unused train stations, adjacent brownfields, their sidings, etc. Task description: New possibilities for using railway lines and adjacent unused areas. Design of modular structures tailored to selected locations. Use of new technologies.

CPI Award (CPI Property Group decided to support young architects and award a project that, with an exceptionally sensitive approach, conducted only a minimal number of minor interventions from a physical perspective in the selected location, which can be crucial for the new use of the locality.)
S10 / WWWWERK
Authors: Bc. Adam Cigler, Bc. Petr Vacek
School: FUA TU in Liberec
Studio: Atelier Zdeněk Fránek and Dana Raková

Jury's justification: Conversion of a deteriorating complex in Prague's Holešovice. The jury appreciated the straightforward reconstruction and creative character of the new use - the authors designed multifunctional spaces for a public workshop, co-working offices, experimental architecture workshops, as well as apartments and studios. It creates a space for personal meetings, creative work, knowledge transfer, and sharing. An idea that can revive other neglected corners of Czech cities in various forms.

Description: The story of WWWWERK is best expressed by the following sequence of events: You find out - you come - you learn - you design - you buy materials - you produce - you eat - you drink - you meet - you establish a studio - you exhibit - you sell - you find accommodation - you teach others. All these activities, however, are framed by one important principle - YOU WORK. Before WWWWERK, there was the abandoned B. H. Hellmann factory. Old workshops, mysterious cellars, storages, an alley, a run-down apartment building, a dormitory, a nail studio, a grocery store, junk, a huge gap, walls on the verge of collapse, a “sieve-like” roof, and pervasive rot. All of this is now located in Prague's Holešovice at Tusarova 31. We propose a conversion and meaningful utilization of the entire complex. A shared public workshop, materials store, co-working offices, experimental architecture workshop, apartments, rentable studios, or workshops, and a showroom with a café will be created here. Thus, WWWWERK is born with a unique and pure concept: to transform a workshop into a workshop.

Josef Hlávka Architect Award
S13 / Arthive
Author: Ing. arch. Tereza Komárková
School: FA ČVUT in Prague
Studio: Hájek + Hulín
 


Jury's justification: Utilizing and building on vacant land within the historic environment of the city has always been a challenging architectural task. This is especially true today, which has expanded the expressive, functional, and technical possibilities of architectural creation while simultaneously shortening the preparation and realization time for buildings. The study opens the possibility for temporary use and for addressing vacant land in a historic urban block until suitable and permanent use and architectural solutions are found.

Description: I found a vacant piece of land. The owner does not care; trash is piling up behind the wall. Before a new building stands here, the abandoned gap does not have to be just a nuisance to the surroundings. It is possible to awaken its free space to life, temporarily inflating a hive of artistic activity between the walls. The palette of uses will be rich, the structure simple, with the only focus being on the art. This is feasible thanks to the willingness of three parties - the owner, who lacks the means to utilize the space in another way; the city, which is dissatisfied with the current state; and potential artists who seize the opportunity.

Rector of CTU Award for school work
S30 / Searching for a Hospital (Revitalization of the Hospital Complex in Dačice)
Author: Bc. Adam Lacina
School: FUA TU in Liberec
Studio: Atelier Hendrych/Janďourek
 


Jury's justification: A convincingly articulated story with a clear and positive ending. The proposed rehabilitation pavilion offers order, calmness, safety, a chance to touch clay walls, enjoy the space, light, and views. This is favorable for successful healing from the patient's perspective. In this case, architecture serves as another method of healing. The jury recommends this type of treatment be utilized more often.

Description: I was born here, in Dačice on the slopes beneath which the Moravská Dyje flows. After years, I looked for the hospital once designed by Bedřich Rozehnal. I only found its remnants mired in time. I dusted it off, cleaned it, and straightened it up. I demolished unnecessary extensions from the era of the previous regime, so the functionalist buildings could breathe again. I complemented the polyclinic, the long-term care facility, the old-age home, and their background with a new rehabilitation building. A house like a lump of clay hidden in the greenery of the slopes above the Moravská Dyje. A house as solid as the patients should be healed. Partially underground, a wet world with a pool supported by columns and rehabilitation “cells” is hidden. On the ground floor, there is a dry part with a café and gym. And finally, on the first floor, a peaceful accommodation with a green atrium. A house of concrete and tempered red clay, a house that is both healthy and solid at the same time.

Rector of TUL Award for school work
S14 / Club for Prague at Křižovnické náměstí
Author: Bc. Monika Jasioková
School: AVU in Prague
Studio: School of Architecture Emil Přikryl

Jury's justification: The jury perceives this work as very provocative. It addresses the very core of historic Prague with a revision of spatial relationships that everyone considers complete, valid, and immutable, highlighting problems we have become accustomed to accepting as facts. It also seeks to uncover new potentials that few suspect. At first glance, the striking architectural gesture of the new building is astounding. Moreover, it serves as the headquarters of an institution opposing the conservative view embodied by the Club for Old Prague, located "on the opposite bank." Upon closer examination, we discover that it is not a self-serving provocation but a thoughtful result of an investigative and critical approach to a site that is, for many, a sacred icon. Such a perspective may provoke many, but it can also inspire them.

Description: The purpose of this work was to respond to the currently poorly addressed area of Křižovnické náměstí, whose modifications over the last centuries do not correspond to its importance and to find the form of a strategically located object for the Club for Prague on the opposite bank from the Club for Old Prague in Malá Strana. The proposal includes a descending staircase ending above the river level, replacing the current volume between Charles Bridge and the museum. The stepped surface creates a barrier dividing the busy Křižovnická street from the riverbank. The stairs are separated from the bridge by a wedge – the building of the club. The position of the club corresponds to the location of the original customs office standing on the first pillar of Charles Bridge and defines the axis that opens the view from Karlova street. The building's ground floor partially transforms into a permeable arcade that frees up the space in front of the bridge. From the square, the existence of the club is only marked by a door and a window of the club president's office. Next to the main entrance from the square, access is possible through a stairway around the exposed pillar into the main hall. This is indirectly illuminated by an arched skylight directed towards Hradčany.

Modern Magazine Award for contributions to strengthening community bonds among the residents of the locality

S32 / Reconstruction of the Varšava Cinema in Liberec
Authors: Ing. arch. Jiří Žid, Ing. arch. Zuzana Koňasová, Ing. arch. Ondřej Pleštil, Ph.D.
Company: Association to Save Varšava Cinema

Jury's justification: There was no doubt that this project and its partial realization would earn the Modern Magazine Award, in whose subtitle it reads (for contributions to strengthening community bonds among the residents of the locality). Liberec has really suffered quite a bit in recent years, and so a project born from the tremendous efforts of authors from the ground up, in contrast to the efforts to commercially exploit any square meter, deserves recognition. Especially as the authors chose to rehabilitate a once beautiful building of a cinema in a complicated but simultaneously inspiring terrain situation. All their steps reveal a willingness to submit to the original great building, not to harm it, to make slight additions, and to reuse it. The jury fully supports them in this endeavor.

Description: The work deals with the reconstruction of the oldest stone cinema in Liberec into a multifunctional space for music, dance, film, and theater. It also presents the already realized part – the reconstruction of the foyer into a cinema café. Due to the salvation of the dilapidated art deco cinema building from 1922, designed by Liberec architects Effenberger and Noppes, the Association to Save Varšava Cinema was formed in 2012. It prepared a study for the reconstruction of the former cinema into a multifunctional hall for EU support, which could not be realized due to the desperate financial situation of the city despite all the efforts of the association. Therefore, in collaboration with the city of Liberec, the association prepared the reconstruction of the foyer, where the cinema café was opened in spring 2015. The design and construction work was carried out with wide support from the local population and companies that provided building materials as sponsorship. The opening of the café is the first step toward a future major reconstruction of the former cinema into a multifunctional city hall.

ARCHITEKT Magazine Award for an innovative and sensitive approach to solutions
S22 / The Ruin and the Mall
Author: Ing. arch. Tadeáš Říha
School: FA, Technische Universiteit Delft, Netherlands
Studio: Explore Lab

Jury's justification: In this case, the jury appreciated particularly the precision of the submission form, which clearly references its retro conception to a number of utopian projects from the early 1970s. In this case, it is not about utopia, nor is it a pragmatic solution. The dichotomy between these two extremes permeates the entire work, but the jury is not convinced that the author is aware of it. Nevertheless, the jury appreciated the author's effort to create a connection between several seemingly contradictory phenomena, even though reality has already shown that this may not be possible in this location.

Description: This project attempts to reconcile the modernist past of southwestern London with its pragmatic developmental future. Demolition is not necessary. There is room for both – the utopian housing estate from the 1960s and the proposed shopping center. The Ruin and the Mall. What is necessary is a third - an infrastructural element that would connect and separate these two worlds at the same time. A formal element that allows them to retain their autonomous qualities while balancing out their notorious flaws. A grid of walls. Their peaks recreate that utopian world. Closed, an island, torn from the context of the city. The aesthetic of the grid strengthens the abstract scale of modernist slabs. Together they create a park. Below is a completely different world. Through a series of openings and exceptions, the unbroken grid crumbles into a warped labyrinth of the shopping center. An endless two-way enfilade of commercial spaces.

ERA21 Magazine Award for quality presentation of the selected architectural idea, not in an eye-catching graphic form but in the sense of communicability, persuasiveness, and understandability to both professional and lay audiences
S36 / No space – Strategy for the Gradual Utilization of Gaps
Author: Ing. arch. Eva Horáková
School: FA VUT in Brno
Studio: Institute of Design, Modular Seminar

Jury's justification: The work represents, rather than a specific architectural design, a method. A method of investigating potentials in urban structures. At a time when cities experience extensive development, it comes with the effort to review the internal reserves and potentials of already urbanized land. In addition to inventory and balance, the proposal also offers a strategy for initiating this sleeping potential. Very sympathetic about the proposal is that it does not see the revitalization of forgotten places as a necessary building but offers gradual steps, varying in investment demand. The proposed strategy is communicated in a form that professionals might find excessively stylized and pop-like, but which may, due to that, be understandable even to lay people. And that is an important positive in the time of emancipation of self-governments, increasing civic engagement, and participation.

Description: The work focuses on introducing the issue of gaps in contemporary cities, specifically on gaps in the broader center of Brno. The work is divided into three sections - analysis, strategy, and design part. The analytical part focuses on gaps in the broader center of Brno and their categorization using a general typology created for this purpose, which categorizes the gaps and may help in the actual design. The typology is followed by a strategy for possible uses of the potential of the gaps during their gradual transformation into public spaces before potential building. This is described in the form of a kind of “first aid kit” containing individual phases of place recovery that can connect or become a final phase. For comparison, the phases are labeled as pain pills, disinfection, resuscitation, bandage, and operation. The design part implements the methods of the “first aid kit” on three selected typological gaps in Brno, located in the city center, along the ring road, and outside.

Public Award (voting by the public on the competition portal www.yaa.cz)
S44 / Gallery Café Torzo
Author: Bc. František Novák
School: FAST VUT in Brno, ARC
Studio: Monument Restoration



Description: It was a significantly dilapidated building in the historic center of Znojmo. The café is corner-located, yet unobtrusive in the densely built-up part of the city. From a historically valuable standpoint, only the ground floor parts of the Gothic masonry along with the stone portals have been preserved from the originally two-story building. My intention was to “clean” this masonry and to exhibit it to the surroundings as if it were an artifact. Thanks to glazed walls that are inserted into the original structure, the stone masonry can be admired even inside the café. After dark, the illuminated Gothic ruins become a revitalizing element for the entire building and street. Upon entering the gallery, the viewer can perceive a different atmosphere within the building. The entire mass of the 2nd floor, resembling a cast from a single piece of concrete, almost “lies” on the glazed 1st floor, appearing to levitate. In reality, it is supported by steel columns. The whole building, both in height and mass, fits into its surroundings, and the modern materials used respectfully complement the traditional craftsmanship of our ancestors.

The expert jury worked under the leadership of jury chairman Adam Gebrian, a promoter and critic of architecture, composed of: Jaroslav Wertig, A69 - architects, Marie Petrová, member of the Committee for Municipalities of the Council for Sustainable Development, Ministry of the Environment, Marek Kopeć, Ondřej Dušek Architects, and Josef Pechar, Foundation “Nadání J., M. a Z. Hlávkových”.

General partner: Beton Brož
Main partner: CPI Property Group
Partners: Foundation “Nadání J., M. a Z. Hlávkových”, FOR ARCH, Center for Computer Graphics Support CR, SPYRON
Patronage: Czech Chamber of Architects, Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians, SMO CR, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Regional Development, Capital City of Prague, statutory cities: Brno, Ostrava, Liberec
Partner schools: CTU in Prague, FUA TU in Liberec, FA VUT in Brno, FAST VŠB-TU Ostrava, ZF Mendel University in Brno, VŠUP in Prague, ARCHIP, FA STU in Bratislava
Main media partners: Moderní obec, archiweb.cz
Media partners: ARCHITEKT - KABINET publishing, ERA21, ASB, Střechy-Fasády-Izolace, Stavitel, EARCH, PROPAMÁTKY

The project is implemented with financial support from the capital city of Prague, the State Fund for Culture of the Czech Republic, the statutory city of Ostrava, and the Fund for Support and Development of Education of the statutory city of Liberec.

More information can be found at www.yaa.cz.