Mail ČKA 2009: Emil Přikryl

Since 2000, the Czech Chamber of Architects has awarded the ČKA Honor to significant personalities in the field who have made a notable mark on the history of modern Czech architecture through their work and moral standing. This year, the honor rightfully went to Professor Emil Přikryl. The jury, consisting of Ondřej Císler, Ladislav Lábus, Petr Pelčák, Jaroslav Šafer, Oldřich Ševčík, and as a substitute with an advisory vote Karel Doležel, clearly articulated their choice: “Emil Přikryl, through his professional and pedagogical activity and tireless awakening of the awareness of his colleagues, has fundamentally influenced an entire generation of Czech architecture. Undoubtedly, it is because his rigorous thinking is closely linked to the rigor of seeking and posing essential questions. Now is the time for us to express our gratitude and respect for his work by awarding him the ČKA Honor.”
The ceremonial presentation of the award took place on Tuesday, June 29, in the premises of Benedikt Rejt Gallery in Louny, whose unique reconstruction was realized according to the laureate's design in the mid-nineties.

At the award ceremony in Louny, architectural historian and long-time AVU colleague Professor Rostislav Švácha summarized Přikryl's significance and contributions. According to him, Emil Přikryl's career can be divided “symmetrically into two equal halves, each measuring twenty years. The first twenty years, Emil Přikryl spent at Sial in Liberec, in the studio of Karla Hubáčka, during which he primarily focused on design. The second twenty years he dedicated to the School of Architecture at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts. Although he did not forget about design in this second period, (...) for more than the practical work of an architect, Přikryl focused in the last twenty years on teaching and educating younger colleagues.”
Among Přikryl's projects, he mentioned the realization of the villa for Věra Chytilová in Prague-Troja, the design of a museum in Most, the Uran shopping center in Česká Lípa, or the competition project for the completion of the Old Town Hall. However, his work abroad was also significant - competitive designs for the Tegeler Hafen quarter in Berlin, the completion of the Arsenal in Venice, the completion of the museum quarter in Vienna, or the design for the Bastille Opera in Paris - in which he collaborated with friends from Sial. Among the independent works intended for foreign countries are variants for the consulate in Shanghai. “I value them all as results of the author's immense effort to perfect every project. I also appreciate them as expressions of the author's deep faith in architecture. In each of Emil’s projects, the discipline of architecture celebrates its holiday,” Švácha assessed Přikryl's work. In the mid-nineties, “thanks to a client who was clearly aware of the author's great capabilities,” the reconstruction of the Benedikt Rejt Gallery in Louny was realized. This work, which Švácha considers the most significant project in Czech architecture after 1989. “He invested a great deal of his faith in architecture into it. Believers in the faith I speak of view architecture as a creative discipline that can enrich human life and elevate us.”
Švácha also pointed out the last twenty years, during which Přikryl has been intensely engaged in pedagogical activity at the School of Architecture of the Prague AVU. Thanks to him, it has become “the leading institution for our architects in the post-Velvet Revolution era.”

The five-member jury in Louny was represented by Ondřej Císler, co-author of the concept of the catalog published for this occasion and also a graduate of Přikryl's school. Architects Markéta Jurečková and Pavel Joba thanked on behalf of the graduates of the School of Architecture for the personal commitment, energy, and time spent on the students. “You taught us, Emil, to give our maximum and not to be afraid. You didn't tell us how to design, but we felt your constant presence and authority. It was a method to lead us to independence and the ability to work,” the architect stated, among other things.

The ČKA Honor 2009 in the form of a sculpture by sculptor Richard Kočí was presented to Professor Emil Přikryl by the chairman of the Czech Chamber of Architects, Jan Vrana. Dozens of leading personalities from the Czech architectural scene, students, and friends came to congratulate the laureate, including Alica Štefančíková, the director of the Benedikt Rejt Gallery in Louny, who was the initiator of the reconstruction of these unique spaces.
The laureate himself expressed his confusion and thoughts preceding the acceptance of the award. He mentioned that he initially did not want such an event at all, in fact, he occasionally sabotaged its preparation. As a kind of guide on how to deal with such situations that our surroundings impose on us, he cited the book by Thomas Bernhard My Awards. Nevertheless, he admitted to those present that he was ultimately glad to see his colleagues and friends around him in Louny. In his speech, interspersed with thanks to his teachers and friends, he concluded by reading an excerpt from the reflection of Israeli architect Zvi Hecker Architecture Stripped of Its Grand Garb. By choosing this theme, he reminded that the field is closely intertwined with the state of society and ethics. He spoke softly, non-authoritatively, with humility and kindness. Many valuable words thus vanished in the gallery space, remaining unrecorded – confirming the uniqueness and special nature of the Tuesday afternoon.

On the occasion of the award of the ČKA Honor, a publication was issued:

EMIL PŘIKRYL AND HIS SCHOOL — texts written by Mirko Baum, Antonín Kosík, Jiří T. Kotalík, Rostislav Švácha — conceptual work by Ondřej Císler, Markéta Pražanová, Soňa Ryndová, Marcela Steinbachová — editing Lev Pavluch — translation David Brooker — graphic design, typesetting, and layout Marek Jodas — published by Arbor Vitae in cooperation with the Czech Chamber of Architects