Hradec Králové Region is preparing a center for architecture, which will offer assistance to municipalities as well

Hradec Králové - The leadership of the Hradec Králové Region will increasingly assign its construction investments through architectural competitions. It is preparing the establishment of a center for architecture and will also offer methodological assistance to cities and municipalities. This was reported today by representatives of the regional government to ČTK. The Hradec Králové Region and the Czech Chamber of Architects have signed an agreement that strengthens cooperation in promoting architecture and implementing building designs in public procurement.

"I am aware that not every contract has ideal conditions, i.e., secured financing and time for thorough preparation. This means that we will not change things overnight; we will maintain the procedures we are used to so far, but in cases where it is possible and conditions are met, we will use architectural competitions," said Governor Martin Červíček (ODS).

The Hradec Králové Region acts as a coordinator of significant projects. It has developed a Strategy for the Development of Culture, Cultural Heritage, and Cultural and Creative Sectors in the region for the years 2022 to 2030, in which it commits to supporting the emergence of quality architecture in public spaces, which also considers sustainable development.

"We do not want to pursue this path only as a region, but we will promote architectural competition as a method of public procurement. We will offer methodological assistance to municipalities and cities in the assignment process. We are also preparing the establishment of a regional architectural center, which will be a significant support in this initiative," said Deputy Governor for Culture and Tourism Martina Berdychová (Východočeši).

According to her, cooperation with the Czech Chamber of Architects is a logical step on the way to quality and functional architecture in the region.

An architectural competition is a method of assigning a public contract that complies with the public procurement law. At the same time, it allows the contracting authority to not decide solely based on finances but to also consider the overall quality of the solution. Competitors submit specific proposals, and the jury selects the best solution for the given task. The jury members include representatives of the contracting authority and professional architects, as stated in the press release from the regional government.

In the past, the regional office has used the architectural competition method for public procurement several times. The first time was in 2019, when it sought a designer for the construction of a sports hall for three schools in Nová Paka. The competition was successfully evaluated the following year. In October 2022, the second architectural competition ended, during which the region acquired plans for the construction of supportive housing in Nová Paka, which will consist of four single-story houses, with their connected yards creating a space for meetings and offering sufficient privacy.