<title>Open Letter: Complaint about the Presentation of Competition Proposals NK</title> Open Letter: Complaint about the Presentation of Competition Proposals NK

Competition Secretary
National Library of the Czech Republic
Ing. Lili Langová, Investment Department of the National Library of the Czech Republic
Klementinum 190, 110 00 Prague 1

Prague, April 4, 2007


Dear Ms. Engineer,

We must admit that we are very disturbed by the manner of presentation of the designs submitted for the architectural competition “New Building of the National Library of the Czech Republic in Prague”.
Our competition project /i.č.438592AC/ is displayed at the ongoing exhibition with the label: “identification not provided and model damaged”. In contrast, a foreign design is labeled as authored by 4a architects!
We assure you that we submitted an undamaged model in a secured box along with the competition panels and identification details personally at the Klementinum building. We absolutely do not understand how it is possible to damage a model and confuse the identification details with those of a different design? We have serious doubts as to whether our model was available during the evaluation of the proposals. Was it destroyed before the evaluation or only after? Due to your “inaccuracies”, a foreign proposal has also been exhibited and presented in the press as the work of 4a architects (see MF DNES March 31, 2007).
Your approach is highly unprofessional and, according to our findings, we are far from being the only ones harmed in this way. It cannot be understood
otherwise than as a disrespect to the efforts made by all competitors.

We hereby request immediate rectification of the stated facts and the return of the model in the submitted undamaged condition.


Sincerely,

Jan Schindler

4a architects
Na Valech 2
CZ-16000 Prague 6
T: +420233350720
www.architekti4a.cz