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Awards

(1) MUNICIPALITY ARCHITECT AWARD (CZECHIA)

The Municipality Architect Award acknowledges the cooperation between a municipality (local government) and an architect or an architectural studio in Czechia. The result is not a single winner – the award is always given to an architect in conjunction with a municipality and as a result prompts long-term cooperation between the two stakeholders. The results are widely accepted and well-liked by the general public. This example of awarding to multiple stakeholders greatly helps to promote good cooperation between the involved, especially regarding the interplay between public commissioners and designers.

Soběslav, Czechia. The 2020 Municipality Architect Award (case study 2 – ‘Architekt obci’) was presented to architect Jaromír Kročák for his many years of professional work as an architect and his support for quality architecture in the region. Courtesy of the Architect of the Year archive

Soběslav, Czechia. The 2020 Municipality Architect Award (‘Architekt obci’) was presented to architect Jaromír Kročák for his many years of professional work as an architect and his support for quality architecture in the region. Courtesy of the Architect of the Year archive

(2) THE PUBLIC CONTRACTING AUTHORITY AWARD (FRENCH-SPEAKING BELGIUM)

Awarded to public clients by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, the Public Contracting Authority Award (Prix de la Maîtrise d’Ouvrage Publique) aims to recognise the quality of a building or a place but, most of all, the quality of the process that led to the success of the project. It focuses on practices, collaborations and also difficulties that were part of the story of the project, seeking out improved, more relevant practices for planning and building. This award scheme takes a similar approach as the Dutch Gouden Piramide (Golden Pyramid) award (1), a state prize awarded biennially for excellence in commissioning work in architecture, urban design, landscape architecture, infrastructure and planning. Every building client in the Netherlands is eligible for the award. The prize is open to municipalities, private individuals, companies, organisations and specialised building clients among others.

Findings and observations – why good awards make all the difference

  • Awards are very important in raising awareness of the importance of quality in architecture and spatial planning.
  • Award schemes should focus on the needs of society, promote all-encompassing views of the built environment and help meet actual societal challenges in spatial planning.
  • Awards and prizes should also reward clients and thereby promote good approaches to inspire other building clients.
  • Awards and prizes should be integrated into wide-reaching national programmes to promote awareness of the general public through campaigns and education about spatial quality and about the role local authorities and construction companies play.
  • Awards and prizes should take sustainability, the reuse of buildings and the recyclability of materials as well as the concept of the carbon footprint on board.

(1) Further information: https://www.goudenpiramide.nl/english-summary/gouden-piramide