Conference EFAP Conclusions: Application of Architecture Policies

The most important event of the European Forum of Architecture Policy (EFAP) conference, which took place from April 16 to 18 in Prague, was undoubtedly the signing of the Memorandum on Education and Architecture. The three-day forum was attended by two hundred experts from around the world. In addition to educational systems and presentations of foreign educational programs in architecture, attention was also paid to public procurement, cultural heritage protection, examples of sustainable urban development, and the establishment of architecture centers. The next EFAP conference will take place in Sweden.

The main goal of the EFAP conference, organized by the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) in collaboration with the Ministry for Regional Development of the Czech Republic (MMR) as part of the official events related to the Czech EU presidency, was to draw public and governmental attention to the importance of quality architecture for life in society and thereby emphasize the position of architects and their influence on the creation of the built environment.

According to surveys, every citizen spends up to 90% of their time in buildings, so it is important that they meet high demands for functionality, aesthetic appearance, and sustainability while also being related to their environment and its cultural values. Public spaces are closely tied to every building and must be regenerated as sensitively as possible. The quality of the built environment reflects the quality of the whole society at first glance and influences individual opinions and attitudes. To ensure that the environment in which we live exhibits the highest qualities, we must seek the best solutions in its shaping. It is therefore essential to work with professionals trained in a holistic view when commissioning projects and to systematically educate the public, which is a potential client.

The first of three blocks of discussion focused on the topic of education in the field of architecture. Right at the beginning of the meeting, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Ondřej Liška and Chairman of the Czech Chamber of Architects Dalibor Borák signed a key document, a joint memorandum on continuous and holistic education in the field of architecture. The aim of the memorandum is, among other things, to emphasize the importance of architectural education at all levels of schooling, from kindergartens to universities for seniors, and to create a common platform for quality involvement of professionals in the education system in the Czech Republic. Both parties fully realize the existence of a strong link between the quality of the built environment and the level of general education. "The dam of incapacity to correctly and wisely manage the public space and the environment that surrounds us can only be built through educated people who will understand the connections, who will be enlightened and educated," emphasized Ondřej Liška in his speech. “The prerequisite for effective and positive interaction in terms of the quality of our living space is continuous and holistic education in the field of architecture, architectural aesthetics, and ethics,” stated architect Tomáš Jiránek, the author of the concept for this block and a member of the EFAP board. The discussion indicated that it is necessary to educate not only students but also their teachers and at the same time teach architects themselves to communicate with the public. “It is not just about training teachers with architects and vice versa training architects pedagogically, but also about textbooks on architecture, supporting creativity and free thinking, and fostering the individual's desire to positively influence their living environment. In this area, we are just at the beginning in the Czech Republic,” Jiránek added. While shaping the education system, inspiration can be sought abroad. Similar programs already exist in several European countries, and the Irish and French models were presented at the conference. An example of the establishment of a center for educating architects and among others also mediators of architecture towards society was illustrated through the concept of a university for the built environment in Hamburg. Czech architects were represented in the discussion by Professor of Architecture Ladislav Lábus.

The Application of Architecture Policy was not only the subtitle of the conference but also the topic of the second discussion block. Various types of architecture policies have existed in society essentially always, just under different names. They act as a kind of regulation, setting the rules of behavior for residents toward their environment, bringing order and thus preventing potential chaos in uncontrolled construction. Most historical cities, whose urbanism and architectural heritage are valued today, were created precisely based on strict regulations. A certain type of limitation is therefore necessary. However, it is not an easy task to formulate regulations that open space for free creation while also establishing a clear barrier against potential damage. The specific project of the port area in Hamburg, which consists of several hundred different structures, demonstrated the effective use of architecture policy in practice. The number of architectural competitions held throughout the region was particularly emphasized. The Czech professional community and architects themselves also consider assigning public contracts through architectural or urban planning competitions as the most suitable solution, but unfortunately, negative experiences with tendering processes and assigning projects in other ways are currently increasing. “Public contracts significantly influence the space that is used by all citizens and should therefore be tendered with an emphasis on the balance of quality, especially in the cultural sense, innovative design, and sustainability. The main criterion should not only be the lowest project price,” says Dalibor Borák, Chairman of the ČKA and also the author of the concept for the block on the application of policies. Contracting authorities often avoid architectural competitions or ask for their results to be reassessed in a self-protecting manner. Public space managers are often unwilling to take responsibility for their decisions. According to the mayor of the Prague 1 district, Petr Hejma, however, it is not enough just to have responsibility. “If we are to manage cities, we need to have theses in the form of a government-approved document, which would be the architecture policy. We must have a quality legal environment and tools that allow us to enforce this policy,” Petr Hejma said in his discussion contribution. He also pledged support for organizing similar workshops for representatives of cities, regions, and lawmakers.

The third block of the session on the topic of architecture and the public focused primarily on the question of public interest in architecture. Public interest is typically considered to be the interest of the majority. Therefore, discussion with citizens and experts, as well as communication with the media, is important. A good example of inspiration was the non-governmental network of dozens of local architecture centers in the Netherlands, which systematically care for and inform about architecture. Generally, the role of the architect in society is considered important and demanding, given the necessity to convince the surroundings of the suitability of the proposed solution. According to Oldřich Ševčík, architecture is consensual by its very nature – agreement is necessary both during its inception and implementation, as well as afterwards. Petr Velička, Vice-Chairman of the supervisory board of the ČKA and the author of the third block's concept, summarizes: “The level and quality of our cultural environment reflects in the daily lives of society, and this fact implies an undeniable and necessary personal responsibility of the architect towards society. The architect should be a coordinator in shaping our built environment, should always have a holistic approach to the problem, and should be a creator of figurative bridges between people. However, the trust of society should not be blind but based on the honest approach of individual architects.” However, responsibility does not fall solely on the architect. As Václav Cílek stated during the discussion: “In the process ongoing for the last approximately 15 years, alongside the weakening role of the state, the social responsibility of companies, associations, professional and self-governing organizations, including the ČKA, is increasingly coming to the forefront.”

The document titled Architecture Policy has already been approved in several European countries, and education and training related to architecture are always its main components. Another important topic of Architecture Policy is generally the area of public contracts, and the third area is the support for architectural quality in urban and rural environments. The informal network of EFAP, which was established in 2000, brings together most countries in Europe and aims to support architectural policy, namely the aforementioned documents focused on strengthening urban and landscape quality and generally the quality of the environment both at national and European levels.

The declarative document Architecture Policy of the Czech Republic was developed by the Czech Chamber of Architects for the Ministry for Regional Development of the Czech Republic and seeks its acceptance by the government. In his speech at the conference, Minister for Regional Development Cyril Svoboda emphasized that: “the architecture policy will become, upon its adoption, the basic vision for promoting the principle of sustainable development and achieving society's ideas about the quality of urban, rural, landscape, and cultural spaces. Even today, against the backdrop of the current economic crisis, it is a declaration of principles for the path to an educated, cultural, and sustainably developed society.” The architecture policy can thus create space for easier discussion and agreement within society and create conditions for responsible free creation by specific architects, provided it is formally accepted as a document and demanded by society.

> Text of the memorandum and architecture policy in Word format available for download at www.cka.cc

Photo: Zoran Kovačević, CCEA