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Pavel Burian

September 9, 2020 Celebrity

Zdeněk Fránek named Architect of the Year

Zdeněk Fránek named Architect of the Year - Czech Points

Czech architect and pedagogue Zdeněk Fránek received the 2020 Architect of the Year award for his extraordinary contributions to architecture. The jury selected him from five finalists, and the representative of the organic current of Czech architecture has repeatedly been nominated for the award. ABF gives the Architect of the Year award.

The award was presented at the Center for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP) in Prague. The Brno civic association 4 AM, received an honorable mention for its experimental approach and activities focused on architecture, urban space, and contemporary art.

Fránek’s work draws on architectural and artistic, and natural sources, which he transforms into an original, very distinctive form. “He is one of the most important representatives of the organic current of Czech architecture. His buildings are characterized by sculptural qualities, at the same time, especially in the last decade, reflect his interest in ecology. It included architects Petr Hájek, Adam Gebrian, Marcela Steinbachová, artist Kateřina Šedá and the winner of last year’s competition, architect Stanislav Fiala.
In addition to designing family houses, museums, sacral or industrial buildings, Zdeněk Fránek is engaged in pedagogical activities, author exhibitions, and promoting Czech architecture at home and abroad. His work has been versatile, intense, and, above all, inspiring for 30 years, the jurors said.

Some of Fránek’s most notable buildings are the chateau in Velké Opatovice (2007), the church of the fraternal church in Litomyšl (2010), the church of the fraternal church in Prague (2010), the energy exchange no. 6 Ostrava-Vítkovice (2012), CCC- Czech China Contemporary Gallery Beijing (2013), family house in Croatia (2014) or Liko-Noe Research Center and Liko-Vo Hall in Slavkov u Brna (2015-2019). The public may also know his name as the author of a hitherto unrealized house in the Old Town of Prague, nicknamed Marshmallow.

The Architect of the Year competition also includes the Architect to the Municipality award granted by the Ministry of Regional Development and the Union of Towns and Municipalities. The competition aims to award the architect – municipality tandem and highlight their roles in the construction process. This year, the award was given to the architect Jaromír Kročák for his work as an architect and support of quality architecture.