Six buildings are vying for the award for respect for the historical environment

Multi-functional building on Minská Street, Brno, Makovský&partners, photo: Club for Old Prague

Prague - Six buildings outside of Prague are nominated for the Club for Old Prague Award for the best new construction in a historic environment, two of which are located in Brno. The results of the 13th edition of the competition will be announced on February 13. The nominees include several urban houses with various functions, a primary school, a community center with a museum, and a reconstructed historical tower.

The Club for Old Prague aims, among other things, to contribute to the dialogue between heritage protectors and architects, whose efforts sometimes seem to contradict each other according to a generally shared opinion. The club appreciates buildings that, in its view, do not disrupt the historic environment, excel in valuable architecture, and enhance their surroundings.

This year, two buildings in Brno are nominated. One of them is a multi-functional house on Minská Street by the atelier Makovský&partners. The row house in the Žabovřesky district was built on a very narrow plot typical of the local construction. The maximum building coverage was made possible by spatial division into two objects, street-facing and internal, connected by a light and communication atrium.

The multi-functional building on Údolní Street in Brno was designed by architects from the studio Projektil, the authors of the National Technical Library, which received the Club for Old Prague Award a few years ago. The building at the foot of Špilberk provides spaces for several ecological non-profit organizations. It is surrounded by an open garden, where school and educational activities are also intended to take place.

The modifications and extension of the Hovorčovice primary school is the work of architect Ondřej Tuček. Tuček restored the historic building from about the mid-19th century to its original appearance, while the extension deliberately differs in shape and color of the façade. The reconstruction of the White Tower in Hradec Králové, worked on by the studio Chmelík&partners, won the Grand Prix of Architects last year and is now nominated for the Club for Old Prague. A contemporary element—a metal staircase, landings, exhibition, and interactive elements with educational programs—has been inserted into the cleaned historic space of the 16th-century tower.

The Caolinum Centre was designed by Jakub Chvojka and Radek Dragoun, aiming to be a museum of unique kaolin mining in Nevřeň and also a community and cultural center for the municipality. The architecturally generously conceived building was inspired by the tunnels in the Nevřeň underground. The list of nominees concludes with a multi-functional house in Uherské Hradiště by Pavel Stojanov.

Last year, the Club for Old Prague Award went to the extension of the Dusík Theatre in Čáslav by the atelier Burian-Křivinka. Once again, there are no Prague buildings among this year's nominations. According to the organizers, in the capital city, quantity prevails over quality, as money and the ideas of developers seeking the highest possible profit from a given site win. There are almost no architectural commissions in Prague awarded by public institutions. The club cites discouraging examples of new constructions such as Myslbek Na Příkopech, the nearby Palladium, Quadrio on Národní Street, or Florentinum on Poříčí.