The Partnerství Foundation won the jury prize in the Office of the Year survey

Prague - The Partnership Foundation received a Special Jury Award at the sixth edition of the Office of the Year survey. The organizing consulting company Prochazka & Partners announced the winners of ten other categories at today's ceremonial evening in Prague at Žofín, none of which was designated as the main award. Seventy offices entered the competition.

The Jury Award is given across all registered projects, and a six-member jury recognizes contributions to architecture and design. The space for the environmental Partnership Foundation based in Brno was designed by Projektil architekti. This year, two new categories were introduced - the Hybrid Office category was won by ČSOB bank, and the Innovative Office award was received by Allen & Overy.

Among other awards, Zebra Technologies was named the regional office, Zásilkovna claimed the 21st Century Office title, and the lottery company Sazka has the friendliest office for employees.

"Despite the jury's initial concerns, this year's edition was just as strong as the previous ones and featured a high quality of implementations. I am pleased that the trend of good offices remains strong despite negative economic developments. Being an attractive company for employees means having quality offices," said Radek Procházka, founder of the Office of the Year competition and managing partner of Prochazka & Partners.

The jury assessed the interiors in terms of uniqueness and design of the spaces, innovation (technological, material, practical), atmosphere, and quality of the working environment. Across all categories, the attractiveness of the work environment and how comfortable it is to work in were evaluated.

"A major theme of this year's edition was so-called hybrid offices, where the trend of remote work has been accelerated by the ongoing pandemic. From the perspective of function, design, and equipment of the offices, a greater number of meeting spaces are being created. Employees expect these spaces to resemble a stylish living room or a favorite café in terms of their furnishings. On the other hand, the number of workspaces is decreasing by ten to twenty percent," said Jiří Zavadil, jury member and CEO of Vitra.

In addition to the creativity of the offices, three trends appeared in the competition. The first is technological gadgets, followed by an increase in greenery and greater consideration for the disabled in terms of overall design. "Large companies are thus adjusting not only restrooms but also the overall furnishings, including kitchens. The differences are made by small details such as a nook under the kitchen sink, allowing the sink to be comfortably used by someone in a wheelchair," stated Oleg Haman, chair of the Architects' Association, on behalf of the jury.

Winners of individual categories:

Category	Winner
Hybrid Offices	ČSOB
IT Offices	Adastra
Offices over 5000 m2	WPP
Innovative Offices	Allen & Overy
21st Century Offices	Zásilkovna
Shared Offices	Clubco
Regional Offices	Zebra Technologies
Employee-Friendly Offices	Sazka
Start-up Offices	Socialsharks
Small Offices	Poetizer
Special Jury Award	Partnership Foundation