Open Letter from Architects to the Governor and Representatives of the Plzeň Region

Dear elected representatives of the citizens of the Plzeň Region,

We believe that you share with us, architects, civil engineers, and other professionals in the field, the goal of creating a high-quality environment in Plzeň and thus fulfilling the basic condition for a fulfilling life for the local residents. Ensuring such an environment typically involves a long process. The more transparent and honestly the entire process is conducted, the better and higher quality the result will be. For public buildings, one of the decisive and necessary components is an architectural competition, regardless of which political representation is currently in power. This is also true for the planned adaptation of the former municipal baths into spaces for the West Bohemian Gallery in Plzeň and other organizations. We are convinced that this intention cannot be realized without an architectural competition. Therefore, we have decided to draw attention to the fundamentally erroneous decision of the region not to hold the competition through an open letter. The competition represents a guarantee that the best available solution will be chosen in a transparent process based on expert dialogue, while also ensuring the economical expenditure of public funds. Although the project for the new gallery building in the U Zvonu area was among the highest quality and best-prepared proposals for public buildings in the region and the entire country, we respect the decision of the current leadership of the Plzeň Region to forgo it. At the same time, we support the preservation of the valuable bathhouse building. However, we urge you to act responsibly and as transparently as possible, and we ask you to reconsider your decision not to announce the competition.

Brief summary of the current proceedings

The purchase of the former municipal baths building in Plzeň by the Plzeň Region in the autumn of last year put a definitive end to the intention to construct a new building for the West Bohemian Gallery in Plzeň according to the design by the Kuba & Pilař office that emerged from the architectural competition in 2009. Aware of the quality of this proposal and the exemplary mechanism that led to its creation, we awaited with anticipation the presentation of the next steps for preparing the reconstruction of the dilapidated baths, the preservation of which the current political representation of the Plzeň Region – surely commendably – has set as a goal and intends to adapt for the West Bohemian Gallery and other regional organizations.

In a public debate titled "Quo vadis, municipal baths?", which took place in December 2022, representatives of the region stated that the contractor for the project and the construction itself would be selected through Design & Build (design and build) and that in this context, they were considering a "competitive dialogue." However, at the beginning of 2023, the region's leadership decided to entrust the study of the reconstruction of the cultural monument and a building of extraordinary significance to architect Eva Heyworth. The absence of any competition in the selection of the author of the architectural solution, which will determine the future appearance of the building, and the construction method of Design & Build clearly indicate the primary interest of the Plzeň Region – the speed of construction.

Architectural competitions are a proven tool

In this context, it is worth recalling that the realization of most significant buildings that emerged in Plzeň in the 19th and 20th centuries was preceded by architectural competitions. Indeed, the former municipal baths building was also built based on a competition. Competitions have proven themselves in Plzeň even recently – since the outcome of a public competition, fountains were implemented in náměstí Republiky, and the principles present in another competition form the current urban planning principles of the city. Last year, a competition was also held for the design of a new pool in Borská pole, and the current leadership of Plzeň presented the intention to organize a competition for the overall renewal of the cultural house Peklo. Competitions have also proven themselves in the region – for example, a competition is currently being announced in Klatovy for the adaptation of the Jesuit seminary, prepared according to the regulations of the Czech Chamber of Architects. Sticking to the conversion of municipal baths, a recent competition for the solution of the conversion of municipal baths in Chomutov into a library serves as an example.

As stated by the Czech Chamber of Architects and illustrated by the experience of an increasing number of cities, a transparent architectural competition is the best way to find a quality solution for buildings that will significantly influence our environment for decades. Organizing competitions for public buildings, for urban and landscape spaces is also one of the foundations of a healthy, self-confident society. Thanks to the competition mechanism, the chances of selecting a design that will hold up even in the distant future significantly increase. On the contrary, the absence of a competition poses the risk of implementing an inappropriate and often uneconomical solution in relation to the final qualities. Can our society really afford not to seek the best solution?

Plzeň can do more!

We are convinced that the quality of public buildings and public spaces is a fundamental public interest that must not be sacrificed or completely overshadowed in favor of the fastest construction speed, which is to be used as a tool for political marketing. It is unacceptable that the form of a public building, whose adaptation will, given the cost in the billions of crowns, represent one of the most significant investments of the Plzeň Region, is dictated solely by the will of politicians without expert dialogue in a regular competition. Given the completed or ongoing projects of a similar nature – the conversion of the former slaughterhouse in Ostrava for the PLATO city gallery or the adaptation of the Winternitz Mills in Pardubice for the regional Gočár Gallery and the City Gallery of Pardubice – attention to the realization of this intention will be focused not only on Plzeň and the region but the entire country. Due to the reputation of the West Bohemian Gallery in Plzeň, one of the most significant art museums in the Czech Republic, the form of this building will also send a message about us and our city to an international audience.

We therefore urge you – let us not miss this unique opportunity to realize quality architecture that Plzeň and our society so desperately need!

In Plzeň, April 13, 2023.

The open letter was signed by (in alphabetical order, status as of April 14, 2023):
Ing. Nikola Bindzar
David Cígler dipl. tech.
Ing. arch. Petr Domanický
Ing. arch. Radek Dragoun
Ing. arch. Věra Fišerová
Ing. arch. Zuzana Froňková
Ing. arch. Marcel Hausner
Ing. arch. Šárka Holečková
Ing. Ondřej Janout
Ing. arch. Petr Jehlík
Ing. arch. Jitka Jirásková
Ing. Jan Kakeš
Bc. Filip Kastl
Mgr. Ing. arch. Petr Klíma
Ing. arch. Tomáš Král
Ing. arch. Martin Kondr
Ing. arch. Aleš Kubalík
Bc. Martin Leška
Ing. arch. Marek Marovič
Mgr. Petr Marovič
MSc. Arch. Vladimíra Martinovská
Ing. arch. Kateřina Mašková
Ing. arch. Tereza Nová
Ing. arch. Patrik Novák
Ing. arch. Jiří Opl
Ing. arch. Jan Ret
M Arch Marek Sivák
Ing. Přemysl Spálenský
Ing. Vít Spálenský
Ing. arch. Martin Spěváček
Ing. arch. Bohuslav Strejc
RNDr. Milan Svoboda
Ing. arch. Jakub Sýkora
Ing. arch. Irena Šebová
Ing. arch. Petr Šneberk
Ing. Lucie Tlustá
Ing. arch. Jan Toman
Ing. arch. Jaromír Veselák
Ing. arch. Tomáš Vostatek
Ing. arch. Jiří Zábran