The Building of the Year 2021 in the Ústí nad Labem Region is the new swimming hall in Louny.

Ústí nad Labem – The Building of the Year 2021 in the Ústí Region is the new swimming hall in Louny. Martin Volf, the spokesman for the region, told ČTK. The work made it among the ten best construction projects in the entire Czech Republic. Visitors are also satisfied with the building, and their numbers are growing, said Pavel Janda (For Better Louny), the mayor of Louny, to ČTK.

The hall was designed by architect David Kudla and his collaborators, while the construction was provided by Metrostav. "I am pleased that we completed the construction on time and within budget. The award we received is a wonderful cherry on the cake," said the mayor. "We are proud of it, but mainly we appreciate that the hall attracts swimmers, whose numbers are increasing," he added.

The building, costing 219 million crowns, opened to the public on September 11, 2020. After 28 days of operation, it had to close due to government regulations related to the coronavirus pandemic. "The start-up was complicated, but we firmly believe that something similar will not happen again," Janda stated. Louny saw a noticeable increase in visitor numbers during the Christmas holidays, with 500 to 600 people coming daily. The hall features a 25-meter pool, a slide, a sauna, a whirlpool, and a gym.

The hall resembles a slanted black crystal; the authors utilized the sloping land with a terrain break and oriented it to maximize sunlight exposure. "They very well connected this space with a skillfully managed combination of elements, of which the glazed ground floor with the pool and the precisely executed geometrically wavy facade curve certainly captured the jury's attention," the jurors stated in their evaluation of the regional competition. The reconstruction of the cultural center in Chlumec near Ústí took second place, while the Green House, a five-story apartment building in Louny with a new square, placed third. The jury appreciated that the house is designed to be environmentally and energetically very efficient while striving for the highest comfort for tenants.