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In the regional round of the Village of the Year 2025 competition in the Olomouc Region, the clay columbarium at the cemetery in Mořice, created under the guidance of architects from the Faculty of Architecture at Brno University of Technology (FA BUT), received the prestigious Golden Brick award. This award is given to exemplary buildings realized in the spirit of the Rural Renewal Program – particularly for the restoration or reconstruction of heritage-protected objects and buildings of local significance.The columbarium made of rammed clay by architects from FA BUT succeeded in the Village of the Year competition. | Author: Tomáš BerkaThe columbarium was built by FA BUT architects together with the municipality and volunteers during summer schools and workshops. They used the traditional rammed clay technique – processing the local material themselves to create a double-sided columbarium with thirty niches. The design, construction management, preparation, and building process were spread over four years, mainly due to integration with teaching, research projects, and community collaboration. Extending the construction period allowed the involvement of several student cohorts (without conflicting with FA courses) and also helped distribute costs over a longer period. Without breaks, the actual ramming of the structural frame would have taken only about two weeks.As part of the unconventional design, theoretical insights gained from individual research projects were applied and further developed during summer schools and participatory workshops. | Author: FA BUT archiveThe design was created by student Jan Peřina, who developed the columbarium under faculty supervision. “A major theme was to distinguish it from the cemetery wall. To ensure the columbarium does not appear as part of the wall, it rises above it and remains unplastered, creating a strong contrast with the white wall,” explains the architectural intent and design logic of Peřina.For its comprehensive approach with respect for tradition, the columbarium was awarded the Golden Brick. | Author: Tomáš BerkaThe columbarium was developed as part of the Clay for People project, which demonstrated that it is not only possible but also beneficial to collaborate with diverse groups – in terms of gender, age, language, and culture – to collectively create sustainable architecture with broader impact. Environmentally friendly technologies were used in construction, considering both ecological and technical aspects. The project contributed to raising awareness of environmentally friendly building materials and the potential of community-driven construction. Feedback and experiences were also incorporated into student theses and teaching. The columbarium has now also succeeded in the Village of the Year competition, where its comprehensive approach with respect for tradition earned the Golden Brick award.
“I see the result as recognition of the third role of the university and the concept of the engaged university – a university that is not closed in on itself but actively contributes to addressing societal challenges,” adds Zdeněk Vejpustek, the project’s principal investigator.