Publication date: 
2023/05/23
The competition design created at the Project Marathon succeeded in the 43rd edition of the prestigious World Architecture Award. Each year, the best of the projects are selected in the Architecture or Interior Design category. And the ICWD project - a facility for orphans in Congo - was awarded in the Student Projects category.

A project by Zaha Hadid Architects is among the winners, a global studio known for its bold organic architecture. We are showing that the quality of architecture is not always based on the size of capital, but that, based on context and opportunity, with modest resources, valuable architecture can be created that can have a much greater impact and make a fundamental difference in the lives of many people.

Visit the project here: https://worldarchitecture.org/architecture-projects/hmgmn/orphanage-farm-niolo-project-pages.html

In addition, the Orphanage is among the finalists for the European-Asian Architecture Prize, where a public vote for the award is currently underway.

https://eurasian-prize.com/public-voting/entry/48

The project proposal was developed at the 5th Project Marathon organized by the Centre for International Development Projects of CTU (ICWD). Project marathons are creative and educational meetings that focus on creating projects for developing areas of the world. We have already created projects for Praga Haiti, Czech Hospital in Pakistan, Namaste Nepal, Our Children in Congo and Humanitas Africa in Ghana. Participants in Project Marathons gain valuable experience in creating a project for climatically and culturally different conditions, and the organization involved receives a finished project. The next project marathon will be held on 15-17 September and anyone interested in development projects can take part.

The student team of Jirka Petrželka, Anita Černá and Tomáš Roletzki, led by Dr. Jan Tilinger and assisted by Petr Čanda, together with representatives of Our Children in Congo organisation, created an elaborate study and technical solution for the orphanage over the weekend.

The first positive response came directly from Congo from Father Jean-Martin, the director of the orphanage: "You cannot imagine how impressed we are with your excellent work. Thousands of kilometres away, you have done the work as if you were right here on the spot. If I'm honest, these drawings and visualizations match what we envisioned for our property and we can't wait to see them come to fruition. Thank you so much and we wish you all and each of you individually every success in your studies and practice. May God, the Lord of all architects, bless you and continue to give you inspiration."

The International Center for World Development (ICWD) is a multidisciplinary platform for promoting education and interdisciplinary cooperation in the field of international development projects. The main objective of the Centre is to improve the quality of international development projects carried out by Czech organisations abroad and to link the cooperation of experts from different disciplines.

The Centre offers opportunities for education of students and professionals in the field of development cooperation and non-traditional technologies, and the related expansion of their employment opportunities. It creates a basic awareness of working in the context of other cultures and environments, and of issues related to development and humanitarian projects. The Centre provides advice on the implementation of international development projects and facilitates cooperation between professionals, teachers and students from different disciplines. The Centre initiates cooperation with other inter-university development studies programmes and develops other activities that will lead to a wider awareness of development activities. The aim is to promote interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance the quality of projects. In the long term, the Centre aims to create a degree programme focusing on the technical aspects of development projects (development engineering).

This year, in addition to the 4th Summer School (11-15 September), a meeting of students from different disciplines, two more Project Marathons and five Development Centres will be held. Last but not least, we are preparing a website that will introduce the world of foreign development and humanitarian projects and their technical aspects to the public.

Photos and project visualizations can be downloaded here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2HzWn9bXCdANMoY88

The project was supported by a grant from the Czech Development Agency from the funds of the Czech Foreign Development Cooperation.