{"id":762398,"date":"2024-11-04T08:24:08","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T08:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=762398"},"modified":"2024-11-07T14:34:24","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T14:34:24","slug":"eva-jiricna-awarded-highest-czech-republic-honour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/eva-jiricna-awarded-highest-czech-republic-honour","title":{"rendered":"Eva Ji\u0159i\u010dn\u00e1 awarded major state honour"},"content":{"rendered":"

At a ceremony marking Czechoslovak Independence Day last week (October 28) and hosted by Czech president Petr Pavel, the London-based architect was among more than 50 people decorated for outstanding services to the state, including soldiers decorated in memoriam, athletes and artists.<\/p>\n

Ji\u0159i\u010dn\u00e1 was born in what was then Czechoslovakia in March 1939, just days before Germany invaded the country. She has spent most of her working life in the UK. \u00a0She was honoured by the Czech state for her architecture in the UK and the Czech Republic and her services to the cultural sector.<\/p>\n

Addressing an audience of 700 guests in the historic Vladislav Hall of Prague Castle, President Pavel spoke of the fragility of democracy and how it requires protection and nurturing, highlighting the need for personalities who deal with real problems and have visions and plans to lead the country.<\/p>\n

Ji\u0159i\u010dn\u00e1, who fused her engineering and architecture background with interior design to great acclaim, is particularly well-known for her clever use of space in high-end restaurants and retailers, and for her innovative use of industrial materials and elegant glass staircases.<\/p>\n

Her best-known projects in Britain include West End restaurant Le Caprice (1982), interiors for Richard Rogers\u2019 Lloyd\u2019s of London (1984), a library for De Montfort University (1996), Canada Water Bus Terminal (1999) and Miles Stair for Somerset House (2014).<\/p>\n

In the Czech Republic, notable projects include the remodelling of the Hotel Josef in Prague\u2019s Old Town (2002) and two projects in the city of her birth, Zl\u00edn, the city\u2019s Congress Centre (2011) and a library for the newly established Tomas Bata University (2009).<\/p>\n

In the UK, Ji\u0159i\u010dn\u00e1 was awarded a CBE in 1994 and, three years later, became the first female architect to be inducted as a Royal Academician. In recent years she has been a judge for the AJ Architecture Awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ji\u0159i\u010dn\u00e1 won the 2013 Jane Drew Prize as part of the Women in Architecture Awards (now the W Awards), organised by the AJ. At the time, juror Ivan Harbour commented: \u2018If you walk into any Apple store today, in the end, they all started with Eva.\u2019<\/p>\n

Comments<\/h3>\n

Ivan Harbour, senior design partner, RSHP<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I worked very briefly with Eva at the outset of my career on Lloyd\u2019s of London, I revered her as an exceptionally talented and sensitive designer. Over the subsequent 40 years, without compromising her beliefs, this talent has been consistent across all her work. By awarding her the Order of the White Lion, the Czech Republic not only celebrates the artistic and cultural contribution she has made to her country of birth but also gives recognition to Eva as a vanguard for architects, globally.<\/p>\n

Peter Murray, co-founder of New London Architecture (NLA)<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the light of the political turmoil we see around us today, this is such a wonderful tale of hope and a fantastic tribute to Eva\u2019s indomitable spirit and talent. She lived through the Nazi occupation of her home town of Zlin during the Second World War, tearing sheets to make bandages for wounded soldiers. Then the Russians came. She left Czechoslovakia after the Prague Spring of Alexander Dub\u010dek was cruelly quashed in 1968 and fled penniless to London where her talent was recognised by the likes of Sir Paul Reilly, Louis de Soissons and Richard Rogers. She worked on the Lloyd\u2019s building and then set up her own practice. After the Velvet Revolution, President V\u00e1clav Havel welcomed her back and she built the Orangery in Prague Castle. She still lives in London but the Czech side of the practice has grown to deliver a catalogue of fine buildings. One of her first solo jobs forty years ago was the design of the Caprice restaurant in St James\u2019 for Joseph Ettedgui. I lunched there with Eva last week. Now The Arlington<\/em>, owned by Jeremy King, it has had a wash and brush up, but the interior remains unchanged. It has a timeless quality that reflects \u00a0Eva\u2019s life, work and struggle that has now been recognised at the highest level.<\/p>\n

Melodie Leung, director, Zaha Hadid Architects\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a fantastic recognition of Eva\u2019s pioneering career! Her ground-breaking projects exploring new possibilities in materials and structure unlocked innovations and ideas that helped shape our industry\u2019s future. It\u2019s somehow ironic that Eva shattered glass ceilings in architecture when many of her masterful works have been immaculately crafted in glass. She has been a great mentor and generous supporter for so many of us in the field. Our deepest congratulations Eva \u2013 a thoroughly well-deserved honour to one of architecture\u2019s truly original thinkers who drives us all forward.<\/p>\n

Ondrej Chybik, founding partner, Chybik + Kristof Architects <\/strong><\/p>\n

I am delighted for Eva Ji\u0159i\u010dn\u00e1 on receiving the Order of the White Lion, the highest award in Czech! This is a significant honour, not only for her but also for the field of architecture. It elevates our profession alongside many other highly esteemed industries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At a ceremony marking Czechoslovak Independence Day last week (October 28) and hosted by Czech president Petr Pavel, the London-based architect was among more than 50 people decorated for outstanding services to the state, including soldiers decorated in memoriam, athletes and artists. Ji\u0159i\u010dn\u00e1 was born in what was then Czechoslovakia in March 1939, just days …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81280,"featured_media":762478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[681],"tags":[5368,2954,1223,2042],"yoast_head":"\nEva Ji\u0159i\u010dn\u00e1 awarded major state honour<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Architect Eva Ji\u0159i\u010dn\u00e1 has been awarded the highest honour bestowed by the Czech Republic, the Order of the White Lion\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/eva-jiricna-awarded-highest-czech-republic-honour\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" 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