President Ivan Gašparovič and his spouse visited the event Construction of the Year 2011

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On 19 October 2011 in the P. O. Hviezdoslav Theatre in Bratislava were for the 17th time granted awards Construction of the Year 2011. The event, which takes part in Slovakia for several years and has its tradition, was held under the auspice of the Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič.

Source: ABF Slovakia

Mr. President in his speech thanked the architects and builders for their work. "You deserve thanks from us. I am very proud when I hear about you abroad. You are the ones who really represent us very well. When I was at the EXPO in Shanghai, a film about the architect Hudec was screened. He was a Slovak who was the first skyscraper builder in Asia. And people have asked me – and he was really Slovak?" Ivan Gašparovič also said that he loves builders. "I love them at least for 47 years that I´m married, because my wife is a civil engineer."

For the third time could also the public vote the best construction. For five weeks were also citizens the jurors, who by their votes decided about the winner in the category Public Prize 2011. History of this prize launched three years ago the First Lady Silvia Gašparovičová. This year’s winner became the multi-purpose complex River Park, a newly building on the bank of the river Danube in Bratislava.

Even this year it was not easy for the jury to select the winners. Construction of the Year 2011 finally became the project of completion of the University Library of the Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, which won over better-known reconstructions or new constructions.

For the first time in history of the competition the expert jury awarded also the Special Prize. It got the completion of wineries complex Mrva & Stanko in Trnava. The experts appreciated the sensitive link between building design and interior design.

For the prestigious awards competed 30 objects, of which 16 were in Bratislava and 14 from other regions of Slovakia. The expert jury awarded 13 works in various categories. "Twenty-eight projects competed in the category Building and two in the category Civil Engineering. In eight cases it was a reconstruction, of which four are well known as national cultural heritage," said Mária Brichtová, ABF Slovakia President.

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