XXVI. general assembly of the Czech Chamber of Architects

On Saturday, April 13, 2019, the XXVI General Assembly of the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) took place at the Faculty of Business and Economics of Mendel University in Brno. A total of 156 members registered for participation. An integral part of the program was the presentation of reports on the activities of the Chamber's self-governing bodies, an agreement on program priorities for 2019, and the voting on the budget. Candidates also elected new members of the board, the supervisory board, and the Chamber Court. As usual, there was a discussion on amendments to the Chamber's internal regulations, followed by a vote on the changes.

The Chamber calls its highest body, the General Assembly, at least once a year. Its main tasks include electing new members to self-governing bodies, approving internal regulations or their amendments, ratifying the budget, and proposing activities for the ČKA for the upcoming period. The meeting, to which all authorized architects are invited, is also a platform for discussing issues related to the architecture profession and their possible solutions, proposing and potentially approving documents that should serve as a stimulus for public administration. Additionally, specific tasks for the next year can be assigned to the ČKA board in the final resolution of the General Assembly.

Program priorities for this year

The assembly of architects concluded that this year the Chamber should continue to focus on four main areas – providing services to its members, promoting the architecture profession and quality architecture, protecting public interests and caring for the quality of the built environment, and collaborating within the Czech Republic as well as internationally. A key ongoing theme is the recodification of public building law. It was also decided that the board would intensively negotiate with the relevant bodies of state administration (DOSS), particularly conservation and environmental protection authorities, and owners and managers of infrastructure, or their founders, regarding pre-discussed rules for expressing opinions and assessing construction projects.

Resignation of the Chairman

The current chairman of the ČKA, Ivan Plicka, announced his resignation from this position at the General Assembly. He will remain a member of the board. A new chairman of the Chamber will be elected
at the next board meeting.

First increase in membership fees in 21 years

The General Assembly approved a proposal from the floor to increase membership fees, which will take effect from next year. This is the first increase in fees, which are the primary source of funding for the Chamber's activities, since 1998. The increase in membership fees reflects inflationary trends.

Elections to the Chamber's bodies

Elections for self-governing bodies took place at the XXVI General Assembly.
David Hlouch, the current 2nd Vice-Chairman of the ČKA, was re-elected to the board for a three-year term (for the region of Bohemia). The newly strengthened board includes Hana Zachová, Jaromír Hainc (both for the Prague region), and Zdeněk Trefil (for the Moravia and Silesia region).

In the supervisory board, Michal Hadlač and Miroslav Kopecký retained their mandates for another three years, and the board will be newly complemented by Ondřej Tuček. In the elections for the Chamber Court, the participants of the General Assembly re-elected the current Vice-Chairman Václav Šebek, and Josef Vrana and Petr Krejčí also retained their mandates. The Chamber Court confirmed David Mateásko as chairman and Václav Šebek as vice-chairman at its first joint meeting on April 16, 2019.

The following members were elected to the ČKA board:
Jaromír Hainc (48 votes, Prague region)
David Hlouch (105 votes, Bohemia region)
Zdeněk Trefil (32 votes, Moravia and Silesia region)
Hana Zachová (57 votes, Prague region)

The board also includes: Patrik Hoffman, Jan Kasl, Jiří Michálek, Ivan Plicka, Petr Stolín, Milan Svoboda, Petr Velička, and Stašek Žerava.

The following members were elected to the ČKA supervisory board:
Michal Hadlač (113 votes, Moravia and Silesia region)
Miroslav Kopecký (75 votes, Bohemia region)
Ondřej Tuček (88 votes, Prague region)

The supervisory board also includes: Miroslav Holubec, Lucie Kadrmanová Chytilová, Mirko Lev, David Mikulášek, Josef Patrný, and Václav Zůna.

The following members were elected to the Chamber Court:
Petr Krejčí (100 votes)
Václav Šebek (126 votes)
Josef Vrana (109 votes)

The Chamber Court also includes: Luděk Jasiok, Martin Kloda, Milan Kopeček, Milan Košař, David Mateásko, and Milan Nytra.

The chairs and vice-chairs of all ČKA bodies will be elected at the next meetings according to the ČKA’s Organizational, Electoral, and Procedural Rules. We will inform you about their election through a press release.

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ABOUT THE CZECH CHAMBER OF ARCHITECTS
The ČKA is a self-governing professional organization with delegated powers of state administration, established by Act No. 360/1992 Coll., on the exercise of the profession of authorized architects and on the exercise of the profession of authorized engineers and technicians active in construction. The ČKA is responsible for the professional, expert, and ethical performance of the architecture profession in the Czech Republic. Since the beginning of 2015, the Chamber has been an official consultation body for laws, regulations, and provisions relating to the architecture profession. Since January 2016, it has been the organizer of the competitive exhibition Czech Architecture Award. The Chamber also organizes a Thesis Exhibition and a number of other events.