Od ledna 2017 střídá Zuzanu Morávkovou na pozici šéfredaktora časopisu ERA21 architekt a dlouholetý spolupracovník redakce Filip Landa. 

Recently, there has been a building surge of new, so-called community centers, and not just in our country. One competition is followed by another. Local administrative representatives compete in who is going to have a more beautiful and more useful building for general purposes. Where does this phenomenon come from when the word “community” still sounds strange in our country?

A giant steel-wooden structure inspired by the shape of an airship was built on the roof of the DOX Center for Contemporary Art in Prague at the end of this year. The idea of this parasitic structure contrasting with the stark architecture of DOX reflects the belief that things can be done differently even in today’s globalized world, where it stands that what you can’t count, evaluate, or forecast isn’t worth the risk. The shape of an airship was chosen as it is symbolic of how the first airships represented an optimistic ideal of unprecedented technological progress. They continued to fascinate whole generations with their remarkable monumentality and mesmerizing dignity long after they had disappeared from the sky. Airships embodied the perpetual human desire to fly and a certain utopian ideal. This space will serve for encounters of contemporary art and literature, and the program will expand the exhibitions in DOX characterized by critical reflection of today’s world.

One of the oldest municipal mills in Horažďovice was brought back to life after many years of decay. The Czech-German Center for Environmental Education, PROUD, was established here. The building is located on the left bank of the Otava River, at the edge of the historical center, and is characterized by two sides – one facing the city, the second facing the river and beyond. Inside, the main common space is a dining hall spread across two floors that serves as a lecture room and a study hall, as well. During the reconstruction, the neglected building was stripped down to a skeleton structure, therefore it kept its historic volume and spatial arrangement, but all the surfaces, openings and the roof are new. The interiors are dominated by wood, the exterior façade shines in a combination of green plaster and blue window frames.

We have had the topic of municipal architect on our minds for a long time. The most recent impulse was this year when in our hometown, Brno, the discussion about the restoration of the architect’s department culminated, and when our long-time colleague Marek Kuchta left the editorial office and became the municipal architect in Hranice.