Projektil architects are exhibiting in ČB

How do the users of architecture that is acclaimed by professionals perceive it themselves? And what answers can contemporary architectural creation provide to the problems faced by residents of a developing Czech city? All this, plus an original approach, is offered by the exhibition of the studio Projektil architekti, which will take place at the House of Art in České Budějovice from November 30, 2011, to January 1, 2012. The office Projektil architekti is known particularly for its projects such as the National Technical Library in Prague, the Eco-Educational Center Sluňákov, and the Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové.

The exhibition titled "Projektil - from the lives of people and houses" engages on one hand with the reflection of the general public and, consequently, the users of the studio's completed projects, while on the other hand, it seeks to initiate interest in the use of public space in the South Bohemian metropolis - both real and mental - through analysis and discussion. In the installation prepared under the curation of Vít Havránek, both approaches are mixed and complement each other. "We are interested in the way our buildings are used," says one of the members of Projektil, architect Petr Lešek.

The first part of the exhibition relies especially on photographs from the public representing often very intimate experiences of the photographers with the studio's realizations. "We received over nine hundred photographs, in which our buildings play a certain role," describes architect Adam Halíř the origin of the exhibition. Architect Roman Brychta adds: "The exhibition is interactive in that anyone who has seen, used, or heard about a building can present the result of our work." "It is about the real life of our buildings and the real life of people in the city of České Budějovice," confirms Petr Lešek. An artistic reflection of Projektil's work is also the documentary film Memory - Symphony of the Construction of NTK. Director Vít Janáček filmed a time-lapse documentary about the construction process, an image symphony to the music of the group Midi lidi.

In addition to the artistic representation of their existing work, the authors also dealt with the analysis of specific problems faced by city residents, such as transportation or the general handling of public spaces and the ways in which residents respond to these issues. Ondřej Hofmeister seeks to answer the question in his contribution: How far are we able to go in adoration of automobile transportation? "I have long felt that there is less space for the person walking through the city," says another figure from Projektil, "From this perspective, I looked at the central part of České Budějovice. I was interested in whether this process is more reflected on a mental level (perception of danger, noise, dust, fumes), or if it is caused by a real physical reduction of space.

Petr Lešek analyzes the city from a different angle: "A simple map shows how much area of the city the city itself owns. Dividing by the number of residents of České Budějovice results in the area that ideally belongs to each of its residents from the common space. Its size is imaginable. It is even conceivable how much care for it would cost. This simple number is meant to bring a sense of co-responsibility. The city is not an indefinite public, but its specific residents."

The studio Projektil with its exhibition will expand the ranks of contemporary architects whose work the curator of the House of Art, Michal Škoda, has been mapping for a long time. "We appreciate the work that curator Michal Škoda does for the city, which is why we accepted his invitation to create a presentation of our own work in the House of Art without hesitation," says Roman Brychta. "We consider the South Bohemian Gallery to be of very high quality, and we are happy to join the good company of people who have exhibited in the gallery."

The exhibition opening will take place on Wednesday, November 30, 2011, at 6 PM. Part of the opening will be a lecture by the studio Projektil Architekti. The exhibition project will also include a discussion evening with Projektil and its guests on the topic "Projektil - from the lives of people and houses, public space in České Budějovice." The discussion on Thursday, December 15, 2011, at 5 PM in Club Horká vana will be introduced and moderated by Adam Gebrian.
A publication titled Projektil 02 will be released with the exhibition, continuing the successful and critically acclaimed "orange" publication published on the occasion of the exhibition in the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery in Prague in 2008, which was graphically designed by Petr Babák and Jaromír Skácel from Laboratoř.

Projektil architekti ranks among the leading Czech studios with a stable position in the architectural scene. The studio was founded in 2002 by young architects: Roman Brychta (AVU School of Architecture 1995), Adam Halíř (FA ČVUT 2001), Ondřej Hofmeister (FSt ČVUT 1995), and Petr Lešek (FA ČVUT 1999). The combination of these personalities led to the creation of significant Czech buildings in recent years.
The first major acclaimed realization is the Center for Ecological Activities in Horka nad Moravou near Olomouc. The so-called "Sluňákov" received the Grand Prix of Architects for 2007 and the Minister of the Environment Award in 2007. A pivotal defining moment for the studio was the realization of the National Technical Library, which the architects began designing in collaboration with Václav Králíček as AK Architekti. The winning design from the architectural competition in 2000 was realized only in 2009. Today, the NTK is an integral part of the Dejvice university campus, and Projektil received the National Architecture Award - Grand Prix of Architects in 2010 for it, as well as the award from the Club for Old Prague for new construction in a historic environment and the State Environmental Fund Award in 2009. The library was also nominated by the Czech Chamber of Architects for the prestigious competitive showcase of the best European realizations, the Mies van der Rohe Award 2011, just like Sluňákov two years earlier.
The quality of Projektil was confirmed by winning the competition for another public building - the Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové. The subsequent realization won the main award in the new construction category at the Grand Prix of Architects 2009. Among the studio's newest realizations are the Astronomy exhibition at the National Technical Museum in Prague and the reconstruction of St. Joseph's Church in Chrudim into a Museum of Baroque Sculptures, including the spaces of the original monastery gardens.
An important aspect of the work of the architects in this studio is also their frequent collaboration with designers, graphic artists, visual artists, and theorists of contemporary art. Thanks to this openness, the studio participated in the reconstruction of two significant artistic spaces in the center of Prague presenting contemporary art - the Václav Špála Gallery and the exhibition space TranzitDisplay. Projektil strives for the complexity of the work from the proposal stage and for the full-fledged inclusion of the artistic component, including the corporate identity of its buildings.
A current success for the studio is winning the competition for the realization of a permanent exhibition on the history of Germans in the Czech lands. This permanent exhibition is being prepared by the Collegium Bohemicum in cooperation with the Institute for Saxon History and Ethnography in Dresden for the building of the reconstructed Museum in Ústí nad Labem.

Projektil - from the lives of people and houses.
December 1, 2011 - January 1, 2012, open daily except Mondays 10-13/13:30-18
House of Art, nám. Přemysla Otakara II 38, České Budějovice 370 01
tel.: +420 386 360 539, fax: +420 386 352 021, e-mail: adoks@centrum.cz

Gallery curator: Michal Škoda, House of Art České Budějovice
Concept of the exhibition and catalog: Vít Havránek, Projektil Architekti, Petr Babák, Adam Gebrian
Graphic design: Laboratoř (Petr Babák and Jaromír Skácel)
Public relations: Matej Šišolák, Renata Šagátová

Exhibiting with us and appearing in the publication:
Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové, Michal Bartoš Sluňákov, Petr Lešek Sluňákov, Ondřej Hofmeister Sluňákov, Monastery Gardens Chrudim, Lukáš Novotný Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové and NTK, Tomáš Vaněk NTK, Eliška Janečková and Veronika Veselá NTK, National Technical Museum Astronomy Exhibition, Lenka Novotná Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové, Rostislav Zapletal NTK, Kateřina Zemanová Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové, Martin Škoda NTK, Hana Benová Monastery Gardens in Chrudim, Lea Luxemburgová NTK, Michal Fišer Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové, Barbora Indráková Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové, Jitka Hovorková Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové and NTK, Eliška Vrbová NTK, Hana Vinšová NTK, Ondřej Chorý Sluňákov, René Volfík NTK, Adéla Studená and ZŠ 1. máje - Hranice Sluňákov, Klára Paterová NTK, Dalibor Dzurilla NTK and Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové, Petra Krickova Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové, Adam Gebrian NTK, City of Chrudim, Andrea Lhotáková Astronomy, Barbora Přibylová SUPŠ HNN HK Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové, Ondřej Lalák SUPŠ HNN HK Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové, various authors Study and Scientific Library in Hradec Králové, ABF, a.s. NTK, Vít Janeček NTK and Sluňákov, Nikola, Domča, Barča, Michaela, Ája Sluňákov, Veronika Izáková, Zdeněk Bača, Vendula Křivánková Sluňákov, googled by Kateřina Kulanová.