The organizers will award the Architect of the Year for outstanding contribution today

Prague - The results of the Architect of the Year 2019 competition will be announced in Prague this afternoon. The award is granted for an exceptional contribution to architecture in the last five years. It is presented as part of the For Arch construction fair, emphasizing the close professional connection between the builder and the architect. Last year's holder is architect and educator Petr Hájek, and today the decision will be made among five nominated architects or studios. They are studio Ellement, Stanislav Fiala, Zdeněk Fránek, Petr Všetečka, and the studio of architect Petr Stolín.

Studio Ellement operates in Zlín, where it strives to popularize local architecture, among other things, through the association aArchitektura. It focuses on Baťa-style houses, operates an infopoint, publishes books, and organizes exhibitions and lectures. Their notable award-winning project, the renovation of Gahurova Prospect, was also created in this city.

Architect Stanislav Fiala recently completed the DRN Palace in the center of Prague on Národní street, and the completion of the Špork Palace near the Republic Square is approaching. According to the jury, he has an extraordinary ability to improvise on site and is willing to engage with craftsmen and "embark together on a journey into the unknown, unexpected, and unpredictable."

Fránek is also a prominent figure in the Czech architectural scene. "His perception of architecture is aimed at artistic freedom and creativity, at works that he purposefully intends to transcend the pragmatic dimension of architecture," the jury justified his nomination. Fránek's ecclesiastical buildings are considered by the judges to be among the best created in the Czech Republic since 1989, and his interest in ecological concepts of buildings is also significant.

Petr Stolín works in a team with Alena Mičeková, and their architecture, according to the jury, gains a strong aesthetic charge through the refined use of common building materials. Všetečka, who previously also worked as a heritage conservationist, is dedicated to urbanism and landscape design. The organizers remind that an important part of the architects' work also includes renovations, adaptations, extensions, conversions, and modifications of already existing structures. This year, Všetečka significantly contributed to the reopening of the Tomáš Baťa Memorial in Zlín.