Will the stone columns on the bank of the Morava River come to life?

Xella CZ has announced another year of the international competition intended for university students focused on architecture, engineering, or art. Czech and Slovak students can submit designs corresponding to the assignment "Meetingpoint Sandberg" until February of next year. A jury composed of reputable experts will decide the winner among the young talents in the spring of 2010.

After a very successful last year, whose theme was the Pavilion of Man for the Prague Zoo in Troja, it is now Slovakia's turn to host. This year's competition assignment also presents a great challenge for young architects. Not far from Bratislava, on the bank of the Morava River, lies a unique natural formation, Sandberg hill, which is a fossilized coral reef and whose natural wealth adorns several world museums. At the foot of Sandberg hill, the Sandberg Meetingpoint should be created - a center for knowledge, entertainment, and relaxation. “These three concepts define the purpose of the building while leaving students a lot of room for their creative invention. It is up to the competitors how they will interpret this relatively loose and literally 'relaxation' theme for this year's edition. An exhibition hall, relaxation center, café, meditation space, or prayer room – all of this and more could surprise us in the student proposals,” comments the assignment for the 15th edition by PaedDr. Hana Šimánová, secretary of the competition on behalf of the Czech side of Xella. Xella Student Competition is particularly popular among students due to the unconventional and original assignments of each edition, which could be a challenge even for experienced professionals. In the past, students have dealt with topics such as the Pavilion of Man for the Prague Zoo in Troja or the transformation of a quarry into a sports, recreational, and cultural center in the village of Mariánka in Slovakia.

Spatially, this year's competition assignment is defined by four, or possibly two additional adjacent pillars of a former cable car that transported mined sand from Sandberg, as well as by a path and the river. The winning proposal should stem from reflections on the surroundings of Sandberg and the river Morava in broader contexts. “Sandberg is a favorite destination for the residents of Bratislava, who seek escape and rest from otherwise hectic city life. Sandberg lies on a cycling and hiking trail that leads from nearby Devínská Nová Ves to Vysoká na Moravě. The Morava River also forms a natural border between Austria and Slovakia. Next year, construction is set to begin on a pedestrian and cycling bridge that will connect Devínská Nová Ves and the Austrian castle complex Schlosshof. If a social center on Sandberg were to be realized, it would undoubtedly become a sought-after place for rest for both Slovak and Austrian tourists,” says chief architect of the Devínská Nová Ves municipality Ing. arch. Milan Beláček.

The attractive assignment for the beautiful location will again be judged by a representative jury. Renowned Czech and Slovak architects - Milan Beláček, Aleš Brotánek, Ondřej Císler, Ľubomír Králik, Oldřich Kodeda, Ivan Kubík, Emil Makara, Vlado Milunić, Peter Moravčík, Jaromír Veselák, and Lubomír Závodný - will sit on it. The expert jury will assess the solutions of the proposed structures in the context of the entire area, its conceptual solution, the degree of intervention in the specific environment, as well as the architectural, layout, functional solutions of the proposed structures, and the degree of integration of the Ytong building system.

Xella invites promising architects to the prestigious competition for the fifteenth time, and for the seventh time, in addition to students of Czech schools, interested parties from Slovakia can also participate. The aim of the entire project is to support their creative invention and deepen practical knowledge. “We are looking forward to the jubilee 15th edition of the competition and hope that the students will prepare a gift for us for this small anniversary in the form of rich participation and imaginative and original solutions to the new assignment. Last year’s participants set a high bar for their successors with their unique interpretation of the Pavilion of Man theme, but I am not afraid that the students will deprive us of experiences of comparable artistic and technical value in the upcoming competition. The prestige of the Xella student competition is growing year by year, reinforcing our belief that Czech and Slovak architecture has a truly promising future,” adds Hana Šimánová on behalf of Xella CZ at the end.

Xella CZ traditionally supports the authors of the best proposals with financial awards. This year, the three best creators will receive prizes worth 1000, 500, and 300 €. At least three other interesting works will be awarded, regardless of their ranking, with a material gift worth 150 €. The competition is open to all students of "Architecture" and "Civil Engineering" at higher technical and art schools and universities in the Czech and Slovak Republics, who do not hold a master's or engineering degree in any of these fields. The deadline for submitting competition drawings is February 22, 2010, and the ceremonial announcement, including the award presentation, will take place in the spring of 2010.

You can find detailed competition assignments on the website of www.ytong.cz.

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About the competition organizer
Xella International GmbH is one of the leaders in the European and global construction materials market. With approximately 7400 employees worldwide, it has an annual turnover exceeding 1.2 billion euros. The most well-known products of the Xella group include the white aerated concrete brand YTONG. In the Czech Republic, the company Xella CZ operates. Each year, 350 employees in three Czech plants produce over 1,000,000 m³ of this precise building material. Xella CZ also specializes in other silicate products sold under the SILKA brand. In addition to the brands YTONG and SILKA, the international group also includes FERMACELL (gypsum fiberboards), HEBEL (materials for industrial construction), and MULTIPOR (mineral insulation boards).
More information about the organizer and the competition can be found at www.xella.cz, information about the entire group at www.xella.com.