The jury of the architectural competition ModulArch has selected the winner

On June 14, 2016, an international jury for the architectural concept student competition ModulArch convened in Prague, supported by the Faculty of Civil Engineering of CTU, to address the modular construction of the South Bohemian Philharmonic in České Budějovice.

According to the organizers, the goal of the architectural competition was to bring interesting conceptual solutions for the design of a new multipurpose building for the Philharmonic in České Budějovice. The competition's theme was to design a modular complex for the South Bohemian Chamber Philharmonic with a variable hall for up to 1,000 spectators combined with an open stage for outdoor concerts, along with essential comfortable facilities for both performers and future visitors to the cultural venue of the South Bohemian Chamber Philharmonic.

The basic construction system was determined to be the KOMA modular system, which was used to build, for example, the Czech pavilion at EXPO 2015 in Milan. This pavilion won third prize for architecture at the World Expo, which is still the only award of this kind in the history of the Czech Republic. But how did the competitors cope with the fact that a project named "Ray" by the world-renowned architect of Czech origin, Jan Kaplický, had been created for České Budějovice and has not yet been realized in the Czech Republic? And is the KOMA modular construction system capable of architecturally and technologically quality realizing such a demanding building as a multipurpose cultural complex, including a hall for the Philharmonic? Some of the competition projects, a total of 30 were submitted from countries across the globe, could potentially answer these questions.

"The aim of the competition is, from our perspective, to uncover the possibilities of modular architecture, which are increasingly advancing," briefly explains Martin Hart, a jury member nominated by KOMA Modular. According to another juror and the chief architect of České Budějovice, Jan Němec, it would be good if the winning design were independent and could spark a discussion not only among the political representation of the city but also among the general public. "I believe the competition will not only reveal 'utopian' solutions but will realistically offer studies that the residents of the city and the political representation of České Budějovice and the South Bohemian Region will contemplate." adds Martin Hart, complementing his colleague from the jury.

In the first round of selection, each jury member selected what they considered to be the 5 best proposals. 14 projects were eliminated mainly due to a lack of consideration for construction technology, poor layout solutions, or disregard for the urban context. In the second round of selection, the jurors discussed the positive aspects of the studies and whether the projects would stand out among the other solutions that advanced to the second round. Subsequently, the jury members focused on the detailed solutions, particularly in terms of the sophistication of the designs. After long discussions, 7 proposals advanced to the third round.

In the final round, the jury rigorously focused on 4 main principles for evaluating the projects. These were the criteria: modularity, functionality, attractiveness, and urbanism, and each juror emphasized whether all principles were consistently adhered to or not. A scale of 7 points was then established, and each juror assigned a number of points to each project at their discretion. Due to various perspectives, the jury selected 7 finalists.

After opening the envelopes containing the project identifications, it was revealed that among the finalists, there were three home proposals, with one entry each from Japan, Poland, Chile, and Iran. Martin Hart from KOMA commented on the finalists: "The range of participating countries pleasantly surprised us. The fact that projects from such distant locations as Iran, Japan, or Chile made it to the finals is very positive. I believe that the conceptual designs will appeal not only to the professional community but also to the wider public."

We will find out who among these projects wins the main awards at the planned ceremonial presentation, which will take place directly in České Budějovice.