ČKA requests the international union to review the competition

Prague - The Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) has submitted a request to the International Union of Architects (UIA) in Paris to verify the legitimacy of the competition for the new National Library building. The Czech Press Agency was informed of this today by the chamber's spokesperson, Markéta Pražanová. The chamber has previously pointed out that the winner of the competition did not comply with one of the requirements, namely to place a large book storage underground.
The competition organizers and jury members, however, argue that a significant portion of the competitors did not meet this requirement; the competition statutes allegedly also allowed for adjustments to the conditions between the first and second rounds of the competition, which occurred. A UIA representative monitored the course of the competition, reminds the director of the National Library, Vlastimil Ježek.
The winning project by the British studio Future Systems, founded by the Czech-born architect Kaplický, plans for the space for preserving the national conservation fund to be underground. According to the chamber, many architects either completely withdrew from the competition or placed the storage in the above-ground part of the building according to the original conditions, which severely limited possible construction solutions.
ČKA now demands that the UIA review the course of the competition, examine the jury's actions, and investigate their representative in the jury, especially his role in deciding on compliance with the competition conditions.
According to previously published opinions from UIA representatives, no rules were violated. "The results of the competition are absolutely fine, and there is no reason for doubt," stated Wolfgang Tochtermann, the director of the UIA competition commission, who oversaw the competition's proceedings.
Vlastimil Ježek is not concerned that ČKA's objections to the competition could diminish the credibility of its winning proposal. "That objection is simply completely off the mark," Ježek told ČTK earlier. "What ČKA writes to Paris is not important, but what the UIA writes to Prague," he added today.
The Czech Chamber of Architects also criticizes the competition organizers for giving the jury too little time to assess the 355 submitted designs.