Minimalism with maximum impact. National Architecture Award for FA teachers

This year, 207 projects applied for the award and 50 made it to the final round. After field visits and presentations by the authors, the jury decided to award four honourable mentions. "Most of the finalist projects are in Prague and its surroundings this year. I appreciate that the authors of these works, in addition to the architectural aspect itself, also deal with the principles of sustainable living," says Oleg Haman, chairman of the Association of Architects.

The main prize was awarded to the authors of the Štvanice footbridge, Petr Tej, Marek Blank, Jan Mourek, Aleš Hvízdal and Jan Hendrych. The footbridge, which connects Karlín with Holešovice and the island of Štvanice, was inaugurated in July 2023. Jury chairman Rafi Segal commented on the winning project, "We found the bridge design to have maximum impact with minimal form. The bridge stands out for contributing to the city, encouraging pedestrian activity to promote a healthier life for people and Prague."

The jury awarded the concert and multifunctional hall project in the interior category at the Imperial Spa in Karlovy Vary. The author of the new headquarters of the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, gallery and social centre under one roof is Petr Hájek, together with Martin Stoss and Nicola Slováková. "Our task was to design a new concert and multifunctional hall for the renovated building. We replaced the house's imaginary heart and replaced the spa machine with a music machine," the authors explain the concept.

In the Architectural Design, Small Architecture and Artwork in Architecture category, the project St.Wenceslas Grille of the Entrance to St.Bartholomew's Church in Kolín by Tomáš Hladík, Antonín Hůla and Vojtěch Ertl in collaboration with Martin Janda and Petr Tůma was successful. They designed a grille incorporating the St. Wenceslas chant as part of the church's restoration. For this purpose, they created a unique parametric transcription of the chant's notes and lyrics and translated them into an artistic representation of the art object.

The Architects' Grand Prix has been organised by the Architects' Association since 1993. The jury is composed of five members annually; four are foreign, and one is from the Czech Republic. This year's jury consisted of Rafi Segal, Anne Beim, Pia Kuusiniemi, Martin Jančok, and Michal Gabaš. A complete list of the awarded projects can be found on the competition website.