The architect of the Neratovice church has become the Architect of the Year 2020.

Behind the design of the Neratovice church stands a prominent figure: architect and educator Zdeněk Fránek. This year,he received the Award for Extraordinary Contribution to Architecture over the last five years – the Architect of the Year 2020 award. The award for this "representative of the organic trend in Czech architecture" was ceremoniously presented on September 8, 2020, at the Center for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning (CAMP) in Prague.

If you want to see another work by this significant personality built—one that will also provide a very lively parish and community with facilities for noble activities—support the construction of the Neratovice church via the transparent account 5746203309 / 0800.

From the architectroku.cz website, we select:

The Architect of the Year award was announced for the twelfth time by the company ABF, a. s., with the aim of highlighting the significance and importance of architecture and its creators for our lives and the cultural development of society, and to support quality as well as professional and civic engagement in the field of architecture. The main Architect of the Year award is given to a person or persons who have made a significant contribution to architecture in the Czech Republic through their approach over the past five years. It thus points to specific creative or organizational achievements leading to the creation of high-quality construction, whether it involves building design, theoretical,educational, promotional, publishing, or popularization activities.

In its selection, the jury aimed for a comprehensive evaluation of individual personalities and finally decided to recommend for the award the architect and educator ZDENĚK FRÁNEK (*1961), who had been repeatedly nominated for the prestigious Architect of the Year award.

During the presentation of the Architect of the Year 2020 award, Zdeněk Fránek, when asked by the moderator if he still enjoys designing, confided: "You cannot stop in the design process. It is a kind of urge that drives you forward, whether someone puts obstacles in your way or not."

ZDENĚK FRÁNEK

The former dean of the Faculty of Arts and Architecture at the Technical University of Liberec (2012-2018) graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the Brno University of Technology, then worked at the ÚHA in Blansko, and in 1989 founded the company Fránek Architects. Currently, he is involved in design, publishing, exhibition, and teaching activities at home and abroad. He habilitated in 2008 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague and completed his professorship process at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague in 2011. His most significant buildings include the Castle in Velké Opatovice (2007), the Church of the Brethren in Litomyšl (2010), the Church of the Brethren in Prague (2010), Power Station No. 6 Ostrava-Vítkovice (2012), CCC – Czech China Contemporary Gallery Beijing (2013), a family house in Croatia (2014), the Liko-Noe Research Center and Liko-Vo hall in Slavkov u Brna (2015-2019),etc.

Jury's justification: The work of Professor Zdeněk Fránek draws from architectural (Czech Baroque), artistic (Paul Klee),and natural sources (botany), which he transforms into an original, very distinctive form. He is one of the most important representatives of the organic stream of Czech architecture. His buildings are characterized by sculptural qualities, while simultaneously, especially in the last decade, reflecting his interest in ecology. They enter the given environment sensitively, becoming its enriching phenomenon. Simply put, they are beautiful without being subservient. Besides designing family houses, museums,