The buildings of the year are the center in Velké Poříčí or DRN in Prague

Prague - The Buildings of the Year 2019 are the UPO Educational and Training Center in Velké Poříčí, the DRN building in Prague, the reconstruction and expansion of the wastewater treatment plant on Prague's Císařský Island, the Nová Ruda kindergarten in Vratislavice nad Nisou, the Ayurvedic Pavilion in Počátky, and Corso Pod Lipami in Řevnice. The UPO center in Velké Poříčí also received the Public Award. The title of Foreign Building of the Year was awarded to the lifting bridge over the Martwa Wisla River in the Polish town of Sobieszewo. The results of the 27th year were announced this evening by the Foundation for the Development of Architecture and Construction, which organizes the competition. The title of Personality of Construction was awarded this year to Jan Fibiger.

This year's edition received 53 applications in the domestic buildings category, 11 more than last year. The expert jury nominated 17 of them. They evaluated the quality of construction, architectural design, and user comfort.

The jury usually awards the Building of the Year title to five buildings. This year, for the third time in 27 years, it awarded six titles. "The level this year was very high. It was not possible to maintain the five titles, six is just the lower limit. However, it would not be appropriate to devalue the titles by significantly increasing their number. As usual, the jury was faced with a diverse composition of buildings, including some types that were entirely new. From kindergartens to logistics center halls to railways, dams, and wastewater treatment plants," stated the chairwoman of the jury, Radomíra Sedláková.

In the case of the modernization of the UPO Educational and Training Center in Velké Poříčí in the Náchod region, the jury appreciated the creation of a unique training building with necessary complicated parts, taking into account the high artistic value of the concrete structure. "This is an unusual combination of a reinforced concrete and steel skeleton that meets the demands for maximum universality not only of space but also of component anchoring or securing methods," the jury noted.

The DRN administrative building in Prague's Národní street was awarded for its significant use of green elements and the unique integration of the old and new into one whole. The central wastewater treatment plant on Císařský Island in Prague caught the jury's attention for the creation of a technically and spatially demanding building and for meeting technological requirements.

The Nová Ruda kindergarten in Vratislavice nad Nisou was recognized for creating an unconventional space for children's development with regard to the construction materials used. For the Ayurvedic Pavilion in the Svatá Kateřina Resort in Počátky, the jury praised the sensitive combination of natural materials and modern technologies. The residential complex Corso Pod Lipami in Řevnice received an award, among other things, for the interesting design of commercial spaces by the investor.

The Foreign Building of the Year was announced for the sixth time this year. Buildings realized by Czech firms can be nominated for the title. The jury selected from six candidates. The winning lifting bridge over the Martwa Wisla in the town of Sobieszewo was built by Metrostav. The total length of the bridge is 173 meters, and the width of the supporting structure is nearly 15 meters.

The title could be awarded to new and reconstructed buildings, urban realizations of public spaces, landscape adjustments, land residential and non-residential buildings, transportation and engineering structures, as well as specific construction works. The condition for applying to the competition was completion and commissioning or occupancy approval by the end of this May.

Buildings of the Year 2019:

Building	Author/Designer	Investor	Contractor
UPO Velké Poříčí	Ivo Balcar, Michal Ježek, Aleš Krtička, Pavel Velich	HZS Královéhradeckého kraje	Stylbau Hradec Králové
DRN Prague	Stanislav Fiala	Sebre	Hinton
ÚČOV Prague	Sweco Hydroprojekt	Prague	Association of Companies
Kindergarten Nová Ruda	Petr Stolín, Alena Mičeková	Vratislavice n./N.	Brex
Svatá Kateřina, Počátky	Jakub Tejkl	ŠÉM	ŠÉM
Corso Řevnice	Association of Architects	2Q	Subterra