Jan Kaplický

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Jan Kaplický (born April 18, 1937 in Prague , then Czechoslovakia ; † January 14, 2009 in Prague, Czech Republic ) was an architect well-known beyond the borders of his home country , who emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1968 and spent a significant part of his life there. He was the lead architect at Future Systems architecture firm and was best known for his futuristic design for the Selfridges Building in Birmingham and for the media center at Lord's Cricket Ground in London . 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 professional life

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

From 1956 to 1962 he studied in Prague at the Academy for Art, Architecture and Design Prague , from which he graduated with an architecture diploma. 1964–1968 he was self-employed.

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

Career

The first architecture firm in the UK that Kaplický hired was Denys Lasdun and Partners, where he worked from 1969–1971, then in 1971 he was hired by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers , with whom he worked on the project that the competition was for the Center Georges Pompidou , built in Paris from 1971 to 1977 , was able to win. When the architecture firm moved to Paris in 1973, he could not go with them because he had not yet received a British passport at the time . He later worked for Foster Associates (now Foster and Partners ) from 1979–1983 .

In 1979 Kaplický founded his own architecture company Future Systems together with David Nixon . He worked in this company until his death. Amanda Levete joined the office as a partner in 1989.

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

“I think my favorite work might be the media center. It's something that has been revolutionary in several areas - a real technical achievement - but most of all, the people who work in it have said, 'We love it' and that's great. "

Selfridges Shopping Center in Birmingham

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

In 2007 Kaplický won the architectural competition for the new building of the Czech National Library. This project should have been Kaplický's first major building in his home country, and he said it was the most important event in his life. The design of the structure, which is reminiscent of a green and purple bubble and was nicknamed Octopus by the Prague residents , was heavily criticized. The Czech President Václav Klaus announced that he would use physical violence to prevent the building from being built; his spokesman later said the comment was not intended for the public and should not be taken seriously. Pavel Bém , the Lord Mayor of Prague, supported the design during the competition, but then distanced himself from it. He said the city council would not approve the construction because the design was ruining the cityscape.

In October 2008, Kaplický refused to accept a prize with which the Czech Ministry of Culture wanted to honor him in protest against these events - "for the extraordinary architectural life's work with which he made Czech architecture known at home and abroad". In a letter to Minister of Culture Václav Jehlička , Kaplický wrote that it was his “ministry and the government that prevented my contribution to Czech culture and architecture”.

In addition to his work as an architect, Kaplický also taught. From 1982 to 1988 he taught at the Architectural Association School of Architecture , the oldest independent school of architecture in the United Kingdom, 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 RIBA.

style

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

His architectural practice was the only one in the UK that worked for NASA . This enabled him to gain experience with the most modern materials and technologies. This practice influenced the work of the studio.

Important projects

image object Prices
Hauer King House

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

  • First Prize, Aluminum Imagination Award (1995)
  • Geoffrey Gribble Memorial Conservation Award (1995)
  • Civic Trust Award (1996)
West India Quay Bridge

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

  • British Construction Industry Award (1998)
  • Civic Trust Award (1998)
  • RIBA Award (1998)
Media center at Lord's Cricket Ground

Media Center, Lord's Cricket Ground
London, UK
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

Selfridges Building
The Bull Ring , Birmingham , United Kingdom
Completion 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)


Naples Metro Station , Italy
Completion 2008

Ferrari Museum

Ferrari Museum
Modena , Italy
Completion 2012

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

Private life

Kaplický and Amanda Levete were a couple for 15 years. From this relationship the son Joseph emerged. Kaplický and Levete eventually went their separate ways privately, but continued to work together. In 2007 he married Eliška Fuchsová. Their daughter was born on January 14, 2009. The new father died of heart failure about seven hours later while on his way to a celebration to mark the birth of his daughter.

literature

Works by Jan Kaplický

  • Jan Kaplický: For Inspiration Only . Academy Editions, Chichester 1996, ISBN 1854904787 .
  • Jan Kaplický: More for Inspiration Only . Academy Editions, Chichester 1999, ISBN 0471987700 .
  • Jan Kaplický: Confessions . Wiley Academy, Chichester 2002, ISBN 0471495417 .
  • Jana Tichá, Jan Kaplický, Ivan Margolius (eds.): Future Systems . Zlatý řez, Prague 2002, ISBN 8090156266 .
  • Jan Kaplický, Ivan Margolius: Česká Inspirace - Czech Inspiration . Fraktály Publishers, Prague 2005, ISBN 8086627098 .

About Jan Kaplický and his work

  • Martin Pawley: Future Systems: The Story of Tomorrow . Phaidon, London 1993, ISBN 0714827673 .
  • Martin Pawley: Hauer-King House: Future Systems . Phaidon, London 1997, ISBN 0714836303 .
  • Marcus Field: Future Systems . Phaidon, London 1999, ISBN 0714838314 .
  • Future Systems: Unique Building (Lord's Media Center) . Wiley Academy, Chichester 2001, ISBN 0471985120 .
  • Philipp Sturm, Peter Cachola Schmal: Yesterday's Future - Visionary Designs by Future Systems and Archigram , Munich 2016, ISBN 9783791355757 .

References and comments

  1. architect Kaplický si Tajne vzal filmovou producentku ( Czech ) Mladá fronta Dnes . October 15, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
  2. ^ A b Ellis Woodman: The Library has Landed (English) , The Daily Telegraph . March 31, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2009. 
  3. ^ V Praze zemřel architect Jan Kaplický . Mostecký deník. January 14, 2009. Retrieved on January 15, 2009.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Toter Link / mostecky.denik.cz  
  4. a b In Maria Paggetti: The Shape of Things to Come: Architect Jan Kaplický on Europe's keenness for New Exciting Solutions to Building Designs , Business Week . November.  is called the year 1979. The Daily Telegraph states the year 1982 in its article.
  5. Kate Mikhail: Jan Kaplicky: 65, Architect Best Known for the Media Center at Lord's Cricket Ground (English) , The Observer (Magazine). September 22, 2002. Retrieved January 15, 2009. “ I think perhaps my favorite creation is the Media Center. It is something which was revolutionary in many areas - a real technical achievement - but above all, the people operating inside it have said: 'We love it,' and that's great. " 
  6. Lenka Petaková: National Library to have new building by Jan Kaplicky ( English ) Radio Prague . March 5, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
  7. ^ Rob Cameron: Row continues over Kaplicky's "Octopus" design for the National Library . Radio Prague . May 9, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
  8. ^ Rob Cameron: 'Octopus' skewered on political harpoon as Kaplicky, Bem square up for TV clash . Radio Prague . October 18, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  9. Kaplický odmítl cenu od ministerstva ( Czech ) Lidové noviny . October 21, 2008. Archived from the original on January 19, 2009. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 15, 2009. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.lidovky.cz
  10. Associated Press : Britain's Future Systems Wins Design Competition for Building Czech National Library , International Herald Tribune . July 26, 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2009. 
  11. ^ Marcus Fairs: Future Systems Uncovered , Icon. April 2003. Archived from the original on March 29, 2007 Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.icon-magazine.co.uk 

Web links

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