Petrkov Castle Restoration Wins Břetislav Štorm Award

The competition has been organized since 2009 by the Institute of Heritage Care, Faculty of Architecture and Technology, Tomáš Bistřický, and the Czech National Committee ICOMOS. The aim is to promote the interest of students in the field of conservation and to increase their level of readiness for practice in the field of cultural heritage care. The competition aims to reward the best conceptual studies and projects of students who carry out their semester, bachelor, and diploma theses in the studios of the Institute of Heritage Conservation of the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in Prague.

The author of the winning project of the 16th year is Šimon Kříž, who designed the monument restoration of the castle area in Petrkov. The castle is a cultural monument managed by the Memorial of National Literature and has survived exceptionally intact. There are plans to open it to the public as a Czech-French center. During the restoration and conversion for cultural and museum purposes, Šimon Kříž adapted the premises for permanent exhibitions, occasional exhibitions, concerts, and possibly workshops or conferences. He also considered the cultural value associated with the life of the important painter and poet Bohuslav Reynek.

"We appreciated the responsible architectural and historical survey, the heritage assessment, and the sensitive design of the chamber restoration where Reynek and his wife Suzanne Renaud lived and worked. The restoration solution creates the prerequisite for preserving the still awe-inspiring atmosphere of the rare site in the form of the Hausmuseum. We also appreciated the preservation of the rooftop greenhouse, which was part of Reynek's studio," said the chairman of the jury, architect Miloslav Hanzl.

The second place went to Barbora Katarína Tomášiková for her design for the revitalization of the House of Culture in Banská Bystrica. The project involves the renovation of the entire building of the House of Culture in the city center, which is currently closed, unused, and dilapidated. "The author has proposed a professional revitalization of Slovak post-war modern architecture from the period of normalization, which brings remarkable suggestions for its involvement in contemporary life. We also appreciated the sensitive approach to the environment, which favors the use of the existing mass of the building instead of replacing it with a new one," the jury said.

The third place went to the studio work Jestřábí Boudy by student Josefina Jandáková. She designed a partial restoration of the now-extinct group of mountain huts under the Krkonoše peak Vrbatova vrchší in the Semily district. "The proposal appealed with its inventive yet compassionate reminder of five Krkonoše mountain huts from pre-war. And a sensitively conceived approach to a rare natural site," added Hanzl. The essence of the design is the use of the original torsos embedded in the terrain; the two lower huts recall their existence by restoring the perimeter walls. The upper two huts provide facilities for observation rooms. The atypical hut by the old road is the only one to be restored and offers facilities for visitor infrastructure with the possibility of exhibition space.

Mario Barra received an honorable mention with his project Speranza: vision for Jezeri. It presents an alternative option for restoring the CSA quarry area in the North Bohemian brown coal basin below Jezeří Castle in the Most district. "The concept involves extensive landscaping, working with a moderately reduced water area that will not take a thousand years to fill. It uses the freed space to rebuild nine defunct villages in a contemporary way. The presentation of the disused mine excavator as a technical exhibit, including its adaptation as part of the accessibility, is also positively evaluated," the jury said.

The Public Award went to student Kvido Kryštof Klawe for his project, The Fifth Tower. The project is a design of a new residential building filling the corner gap of Weyrova and Hraše streets near Masaryk Square. Klawe designed a moderate pavilion apartment building combining pitched and gabled roofs adjacent to the urban development. „The design respects the atmosphere of the place in its historical context. The corner building, made up of three masses and accentuated by a gable, responds to the historic environment, whose picturesque character it reinforces," adds Miloslav Hanzl.

The award ceremony took place on Thursday, June 27, 2024. Photos from the ceremony are in the gallery Life at FA.