The competition for the barracks in Jičín was won by Cuboid Architects

Jičín - The architect competition for the design of new construction in the eight-hectare area of the former barracks in Jičín was won by the Prague architectural office Cuboid Architekti. The city hall expects that the company will develop its proposal into a territorial study applicable for zoning proceedings, said city hall spokeswoman Magdaléna Doležalová today. In an attractive location near the city center, a new residential neighborhood is expected to begin to emerge in a few years.
    The study by Cuboid Architekti primarily envisions family houses and, to a lesser extent, residential buildings on the site of the barracks. In the center of the area, the architects proposed a kindergarten. The jury particularly appreciated the simplicity of the design and the fact that it does not create an alien urban structure in the area. "The scale and height level of the proposed buildings are derived from the site and the possibilities of potential investors," stated the jury.
    According to Mayor Jiří Liška (ODS), the architectural competition fulfilled the expectations of the city hall. "We now have a clearer idea of what this valuable area for Jičín will look like in the future," Liška said.
    The competition was held in two rounds and the city announced it this April. Out of six registered studios, the evaluation committee selected four candidates, who developed their proposals and presented them to the city again at the beginning of October.
    The jury did not award a second place. Joint third place was taken by the Prague architectural firms Hlaváček - architekti and MS plan. The winning firm Cuboid Architekti will receive a reward of 100,000 crowns from the city, which will be subsequently deducted from the upcoming contract for the development of the territorial study. The reward for third place will be 50,000 crowns. The last participant in the second round, architect Michal Potůček, will receive a reward of 25,000 crowns. The winning proposals will now be presented to the public at an exhibition at the city hall.
    The architects' proposals had to comply with the urban plan and the already approved housing development in the neighboring first-republic villa district of Čeřovka. The study also had to take into account future city investments in infrastructure of up to a maximum of 30 million crowns. After the networks are built, the city intends to offer the area to private investors. The city hall estimates this could occur as early as 2016.
    Last year, Jičín had most of the barracks buildings demolished. This year, the city hall also had the longest building along the famous linden alley and the rear section next to the smaller adjacent building demolished. Two outer buildings of the barracks facing away from the center will remain, and the city will seek their utilization.
    Originally, private investors were supposed to redevelop the barracks area. However, neither of the two attempts to transfer the barracks to private hands materialized, and in 2011 the city ultimately decided to continue the revitalization on its own.