Jan Kaplický

January Kaplický ( born April 18, 1937 in Prague, then Czechoslovakia, † January 14, 2009 in Prague, Czech Republic ) was a beyond the borders of his home country also known architect who emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1968 and there spent a substantial part of his life. He was the lead architect in the architectural firm Future Systems and was probably most known for its futuristic design for the Selfridges Building in Birmingham and the Media Centre at Lord 's Cricket Ground in London known. In February 2007 he won the international architectural competition for the new building of the National Library of the Czech Republic in Prague.

Childhood and early career

Kaplický was born on 18 April 1937 in a family of artists. His mother was Jirina Kaplická artist and the father Josef Kaplický painter, architect and sculptor. As a child he was fascinated by the issues of the magazine Life, which sent him his godfather from the United States. He was particularly impressed by the modern technologies that have been reported therein. This reading had on his later work great influence.

From 1956 to 1962 he studied in Prague at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, where he graduated with a diploma in architecture, from 1964 to 1968, he was self-employed.

During the Prague Spring, he emigrated in September 1968 with little more than his clothes in the UK.

Career

The first architectural firm in the United Kingdom, the hired Kaplický was that of Denys Lasdun and Partners, where he worked 1969-1971, he was hired in 1971 by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, with whom he developed the project, which for the competition could win the built in 1971-1977 Paris Centre Georges Pompidou. As the architectural firm moved to Paris in 1973, he could not go because he had not received at this time no British passport. Later, 1979-1983, he worked for Foster Associates (now Foster and Partners ) operates.

In 1979, together with David Nixon Kaplický his own architectural firm Future Systems. In this company he worked until his death. Amanda Levete joined in 1989 as a partner in the office one.

Although Kaplický was a finalist for the Prince Philip Prize in 1997, but in the first 15 years, the Office received a few orders. The breakthrough achieved Kaplický with the press center at Lord 's Cricket Ground, for which he from the Royal Institute of British Architects ( RIBA ) with the Stirling Prize was awarded in 1999 and two years later with one of the World Architecture Awards in 2001. He himself said about this project:

"I think my favorite work is perhaps the media center. It is something that was revolutionary in several areas - a real technical achievement - but above all, the people working in it have said, 'We love it ' and that's great. "

The next major project by Future Systems, the Selfridges Building in Birmingham won a total of seven awards, including the 2004 RIBA Award for Architecture.

2007 Kaplický won the architectural competition for the new building of the Czech National Library. This project would have been the first major building Kaplický to be in his home country, and in his words, this was the most important event in his life. The design of the building, reminiscent of a green and purple bubble and was nicknamed Octopus of the people of Prague was, however, strongly criticized. Czech President Vaclav Klaus was heard, he would prevent the construction of the building with the use of physical force; his press spokesman later said the remark was not intended for the public and not to be taken seriously. Pavel Bem, Mayor of Prague, had supported the draft during the competition, but then dissociates from it. He stated that the City Council will not authorize the construction, because the design is ruining the city.

In October 2008 Kaplický refused in protest of these operations from the adoption of a price, with whom he wanted to honor the Czech Ministry of Culture - " for the extraordinary architectural life's work, with which he the Czech architecture known at home and abroad " have made. In a letter to Minister of Culture Václav Jehlička Kaplický wrote, be it the " Ministry and the government that the execution of my contribution to Czech culture and architecture " prevented.

In addition to his work as an architect Kaplický was also active teaching. From 1982 to 1988 he taught at the Architectural Association School of Architecture, the oldest independent school of architecture in the UK and in 1992 at the School of Architecture in Bordeaux and at the Technical University of Berlin. In 2000 he was made an honorary member of the RIBA.

Style

Kaplický was a representative of the high -tech architecture; he experimented in the last years of his professional life with organic architecture that was inspired by natural forms. He has collaborated with, among others, Richard Rogers and Norman Foster.

His architectural firm was the only one in the United Kingdom, who worked for NASA. Thus he was able to gain experience with modern materials and technologies. This practice influenced the work of the studio.

Important projects

Hauer - King House Canonbury, London, United Kingdom 1994 completion

• First prize, aluminum Imagination Award ( 1995)
• Geoffrey Gribble Memorial Conservation Award (1995 )
• Civic Trust Award (1996 )

West India Quay Bridge Docklands, London, United Kingdom completion 1996

• British Construction Industry Award (1998)
• Civic Trust Award (1998)
• RIBA Award (1998)

Media Centre, Lord's Cricket Ground London, United Kingdom completion 1999

• BIAT Award for Technical Excellence ( 1999)
• British Construction Industry Award (1999)
• First prize, aluminum Imagination Award ( 1999)
• RIBA Stirling Prize (1999)
• Civic Trust Award (2000)
• World Architecture Awards (2001)

Selfridges Building The Bull Ring, Birmingham, United Kingdom completed in 2003

• Civic Trust Award (2004)
• Destination of the Year, Retail Week Awards ( 2004)
• Institution of Civil Engineers (2004)
• Overall winner, Concrete Society Awards ( 2004)
• RIBA Award for Architecture (2004)
• Royal Fine Art Commission Trust, Retail Innovation ( 2004)
• Structural Steel Design Awards (2004)

Subway station Naples, Italy completion 2008

Ferrari Museum Modena, Italy completion 2012

National Library of the Czech Republic Prague, Czech Republic 2007 awarded; Project stopped later.

Private life

Kaplicky and Amanda Levete had for 15 years a couple. From this relationship, the son of Joseph went out. Kaplický and Levete went privately finally separate ways, but continued to work together. In 2007 he married Eliska Fuchsová. Their daughter was born on 14 January 2009. The newly minted father died about seven hours later of a heart attack when he was on his way to a ceremony marking the birth of his daughter.