XXIV. General Assembly of the Czech Chamber of Architects - report
On Saturday, April 22, 2017, the XXIV General Assembly of the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) took place at the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in Prague. A total of 217 members registered for it. One of the main points of the agenda was a discussion on changes to the ČKA Competition Regulations, which governs the rules of architectural competitions, and other internal regulations of the Chamber. The Professional and Ethical Code of the ČKA regarding the responsibility of authorized architects for the performance of the profession and the determination of a reasonable fee also garnered significant attention. Issues regarding dumping prices, fee regulations, and procedures for awarding public contracts in the field of architecture were also discussed.
The Chamber convenes the General Assembly, its highest body, at least once a year. Its main tasks include electing new members to self-governing bodies, approving internal regulations or their amendments, consenting to the budget, and the proposed activities of the ČKA for the upcoming period. The gathering of all authorized architects is also a platform for discussing issues related to the architect's profession and their possible solutions, proposing and potentially approving documents that should be a stimulus for public administration. At the same time, it is possible to assign specific tasks to the ČKA Board in the final resolution of the General Assembly for the following year.
From the gathering of architects, it emerged that in the next year, the Chamber should direct its efforts towards legislation and utilize the opportunities for commenting on laws related to the architect's profession. The General Assembly tasked the board particularly with work on the concept of a new construction law. The Chamber has repeatedly expressed its views on the amendment to the construction law and recommended the creation of an entirely new law.
An annual feature of the General Assembly is the exhibition of the Diploma Work Showcase. Seven works by students were presented, which were awarded by an expert jury in last year's XVII edition. The Czech Architecture Award (ČCA) was also presented at the ČKA General Assembly. Registration for the 2nd year of the competitive showcase was symbolically closed one day before the General Assembly was held. ČKA Chairman Ivan Plicka mentioned that a high number of works – over 240 projects – were submitted for the 2nd year of the Chamber of Architects Award. The projects are already available for viewing in the online gallery on the award's website. We are preparing a separate press release on this topic.
The priority of mutual cooperation remains public contracts and consumer protection
This year's guests at the General Assembly included, for example, the Chairman of the Slovak Chamber of Architects (SKA) Imrich Pleidel, the Director of the Construction and Building Materials Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Petr Serafín, the Director of the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians in Construction (ČKAIT) Radek Hnízdil, the Vice President of the Czech Union of Civil Engineers Adam Vokurka, the Director of the Department of Professional Activities of the Office for Technical Standardization, Metrology, and State Testing (ÚNMZ) Zdeněk Veselý, and the President of the Building Council (SIA ČR) Jan Fibiger.
The representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Petr Serafín, reminded attendees of the key laws that the ministry and the Czech Chamber of Architects participated in preparing. Both organizations, for example, took part in the commenting process or the meetings of the interministerial group led by Minister Šlechtová for the Public Procurement Act. The Director of the Construction and Building Materials Department at the MPO appreciated the activity of the ČKA in this regard, as well as the preparation of methodologies for the new law, which the Chamber plans to publish in collaboration with the Ministry for Regional Development in the spring of this year. The cooperation of both chambers was subsequently highlighted by ČKAIT Director Radek Hnízdil. The ČKA and ČKAIT are currently working on the release of performance standards and fee structures, which are significant protections in the fight against awarding contracts at unreasonably low prices. The first output of this cooperation is an online calculation program for determining the estimated value of project activities. The program is continuously evolving and now provides a standardized price based on individual regions of the Czech Republic.
Zdeněk Veselý from the ÚNMZ also spoke, representing the authority that issues mandatory technical standards. He stated that the most frequently discussed issue is the state of technical standardization as well as its cost. The Supreme Administrative Court ruled in May 2015 on free access to standards. However, the Director of the Department of Professional Activities at the ÚNMZ noted that a technical standard cannot be provided free of charge, as its cost arises from documents of European and worldwide standardization organizations. Nevertheless, the Czech Chamber of Architects has stated in the past that they perceive the charging of standards as a serious problem that architects repeatedly encounter. He simultaneously hinted at the possibility of collaboration between the office and the ČKA regarding the methodology for issuing fee regulations.
Chairman of the Slovak Chamber of Architects Imrich Pleidel recalled the mutually active cooperation in connection with the regular meetings of Visegrad architectural chambers and within the framework of the European Council of Architects (ACE). Both the Slovak and Czech chambers deal with very similar issues regarding, for example, fees, design competitions, legislative matters, etc. The Chairman of the SKA also praised the materials and documentation provided by the ČKA concerning public contracts, architectural competitions, or city architects, which are also frequently used by Slovak architects.
Elections to the Chamber's Bodies
The XXIV General Assembly also held elections for the bodies of the ČKA. Ivan Plicka was re-elected to the board, having been the chairman of the ČKA since 2014. The second architect elected from Prague is Patrik Hoffman, the author of the Coal Mill in Libčice, who was nominated for the Czech Architecture Award 2016. Petr Stolín, the holder of the main award for the Zen-Houses studio and house, was also elected to the board for the region of Bohemia. Stásek Žerava was elected to the board for the Moravia and Silesia region; he has previously served as the city architect of Olomouc and is currently also a member of the ČKA Working Group on Urbanism.
In the supervisory board, Lucie Kadrmanová Chytilová, David Mikulášek, and Václav Zůna retained their mandates. In the elections for the Chamber Court, Luděk Jasiok and Milan Nytra confirmed their mandates. A new member of the Chamber Court is Milan Košař, who previously served on the board of the ČKA.
Elected to the board of the ČKA:
Ivan Plicka (157 votes, region Prague)
Patrik Hoffman (101 votes, region Prague)
Petr Stolín (155 votes, region Bohemia)
Stásek Žerava (139 votes, region Moravia and Silesia)
The following also serve on the board: Karel Cieślar, David Hlouch, Pavel Hnilička, Radek Kolařík, Vojtěch Mencl, Milan Svoboda, Jaroslav Šafer, and Petr Velička.
Elected to the supervisory board of the ČKA:
Lucie Kadrmanová Chytilová (152 votes, region Prague)
David Mikulášek (146 votes, region Moravia and Silesia)
Václav Zůna (136 votes, region Bohemia)
The following also serve on the supervisory board: Michal Hadlač, Miroslav Holubec, Miroslav Kopecký, Josef Patrný, Pavel Rada, and Martin Rusina.
Elected to the Chamber Court:
Luděk Jasiok (137 votes)
Milan Nytra (128 votes)
Milan Košař (104 votes)
The following also serve in the Chamber Court: Karel Doležel, Petr Krejčí, David Mateásko, Václav Šebek, Josef Vrana, and Tomáš Vích.
The chairs and vice-chairs of all ČKA bodies (board, supervisory board, and Chamber Court) will be elected at the nearest meetings according to the Organizational, Electoral, and Procedural Rules of the ČKA. We will inform you of their election through a press release.
More information >
The Chamber convenes the General Assembly, its highest body, at least once a year. Its main tasks include electing new members to self-governing bodies, approving internal regulations or their amendments, consenting to the budget, and the proposed activities of the ČKA for the upcoming period. The gathering of all authorized architects is also a platform for discussing issues related to the architect's profession and their possible solutions, proposing and potentially approving documents that should be a stimulus for public administration. At the same time, it is possible to assign specific tasks to the ČKA Board in the final resolution of the General Assembly for the following year.
From the gathering of architects, it emerged that in the next year, the Chamber should direct its efforts towards legislation and utilize the opportunities for commenting on laws related to the architect's profession. The General Assembly tasked the board particularly with work on the concept of a new construction law. The Chamber has repeatedly expressed its views on the amendment to the construction law and recommended the creation of an entirely new law.
An annual feature of the General Assembly is the exhibition of the Diploma Work Showcase. Seven works by students were presented, which were awarded by an expert jury in last year's XVII edition. The Czech Architecture Award (ČCA) was also presented at the ČKA General Assembly. Registration for the 2nd year of the competitive showcase was symbolically closed one day before the General Assembly was held. ČKA Chairman Ivan Plicka mentioned that a high number of works – over 240 projects – were submitted for the 2nd year of the Chamber of Architects Award. The projects are already available for viewing in the online gallery on the award's website. We are preparing a separate press release on this topic.
The priority of mutual cooperation remains public contracts and consumer protection
This year's guests at the General Assembly included, for example, the Chairman of the Slovak Chamber of Architects (SKA) Imrich Pleidel, the Director of the Construction and Building Materials Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Petr Serafín, the Director of the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians in Construction (ČKAIT) Radek Hnízdil, the Vice President of the Czech Union of Civil Engineers Adam Vokurka, the Director of the Department of Professional Activities of the Office for Technical Standardization, Metrology, and State Testing (ÚNMZ) Zdeněk Veselý, and the President of the Building Council (SIA ČR) Jan Fibiger.
The representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Petr Serafín, reminded attendees of the key laws that the ministry and the Czech Chamber of Architects participated in preparing. Both organizations, for example, took part in the commenting process or the meetings of the interministerial group led by Minister Šlechtová for the Public Procurement Act. The Director of the Construction and Building Materials Department at the MPO appreciated the activity of the ČKA in this regard, as well as the preparation of methodologies for the new law, which the Chamber plans to publish in collaboration with the Ministry for Regional Development in the spring of this year. The cooperation of both chambers was subsequently highlighted by ČKAIT Director Radek Hnízdil. The ČKA and ČKAIT are currently working on the release of performance standards and fee structures, which are significant protections in the fight against awarding contracts at unreasonably low prices. The first output of this cooperation is an online calculation program for determining the estimated value of project activities. The program is continuously evolving and now provides a standardized price based on individual regions of the Czech Republic.
Zdeněk Veselý from the ÚNMZ also spoke, representing the authority that issues mandatory technical standards. He stated that the most frequently discussed issue is the state of technical standardization as well as its cost. The Supreme Administrative Court ruled in May 2015 on free access to standards. However, the Director of the Department of Professional Activities at the ÚNMZ noted that a technical standard cannot be provided free of charge, as its cost arises from documents of European and worldwide standardization organizations. Nevertheless, the Czech Chamber of Architects has stated in the past that they perceive the charging of standards as a serious problem that architects repeatedly encounter. He simultaneously hinted at the possibility of collaboration between the office and the ČKA regarding the methodology for issuing fee regulations.
Chairman of the Slovak Chamber of Architects Imrich Pleidel recalled the mutually active cooperation in connection with the regular meetings of Visegrad architectural chambers and within the framework of the European Council of Architects (ACE). Both the Slovak and Czech chambers deal with very similar issues regarding, for example, fees, design competitions, legislative matters, etc. The Chairman of the SKA also praised the materials and documentation provided by the ČKA concerning public contracts, architectural competitions, or city architects, which are also frequently used by Slovak architects.
Elections to the Chamber's Bodies
The XXIV General Assembly also held elections for the bodies of the ČKA. Ivan Plicka was re-elected to the board, having been the chairman of the ČKA since 2014. The second architect elected from Prague is Patrik Hoffman, the author of the Coal Mill in Libčice, who was nominated for the Czech Architecture Award 2016. Petr Stolín, the holder of the main award for the Zen-Houses studio and house, was also elected to the board for the region of Bohemia. Stásek Žerava was elected to the board for the Moravia and Silesia region; he has previously served as the city architect of Olomouc and is currently also a member of the ČKA Working Group on Urbanism.
In the supervisory board, Lucie Kadrmanová Chytilová, David Mikulášek, and Václav Zůna retained their mandates. In the elections for the Chamber Court, Luděk Jasiok and Milan Nytra confirmed their mandates. A new member of the Chamber Court is Milan Košař, who previously served on the board of the ČKA.
Elected to the board of the ČKA:
Ivan Plicka (157 votes, region Prague)
Patrik Hoffman (101 votes, region Prague)
Petr Stolín (155 votes, region Bohemia)
Stásek Žerava (139 votes, region Moravia and Silesia)
The following also serve on the board: Karel Cieślar, David Hlouch, Pavel Hnilička, Radek Kolařík, Vojtěch Mencl, Milan Svoboda, Jaroslav Šafer, and Petr Velička.
Elected to the supervisory board of the ČKA:
Lucie Kadrmanová Chytilová (152 votes, region Prague)
David Mikulášek (146 votes, region Moravia and Silesia)
Václav Zůna (136 votes, region Bohemia)
The following also serve on the supervisory board: Michal Hadlač, Miroslav Holubec, Miroslav Kopecký, Josef Patrný, Pavel Rada, and Martin Rusina.
Elected to the Chamber Court:
Luděk Jasiok (137 votes)
Milan Nytra (128 votes)
Milan Košař (104 votes)
The following also serve in the Chamber Court: Karel Doležel, Petr Krejčí, David Mateásko, Václav Šebek, Josef Vrana, and Tomáš Vích.
The chairs and vice-chairs of all ČKA bodies (board, supervisory board, and Chamber Court) will be elected at the nearest meetings according to the Organizational, Electoral, and Procedural Rules of the ČKA. We will inform you of their election through a press release.
More information >
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