Three Modern Czech Buildings Nominated For The Prestigious Award

According to ÄŒTK announcement three modern Czech buildings – namely The Sluňákov center of environmental education in Horka nad Moravou near Olomouc that won last year the Czech Architects Community's Grand Prix, the new CSOB bank building situated in Prague and Metropol hotel also located in the capital city - have been nominated for the prestigious European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture Mies van der Rohe Award for 2009.

This highly esteemed award named after prominent German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who is according to Wikipedia “widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture”, and is granted by the European Union and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe every two years to reward the quality contemporary architecture and highlight its importance for European culture. The buildings were nominated by the Czech Architects' Chamber.

The jury will choose only two works among the full list of nominees – “one that receives the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture in recognition of its conceptual, technical and constructional qualities, and the other that receives the Emerging Architect Special Mention” (according to official info published on website of the Fundació Mies van der Rohe). The Czech Republic has been taking part in this respected contest since 1997.

Photo: by Zuzana Svobodová (photoextract.com)