Eva Jiřičná Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Prof. Eva Jiřičná
Eva Jiřičná (2019)
Born	(1939-03-03) March 3, 1939 (age 86) Zlín, Czechoslovakia
Nationality	Czech
Alma mater	Czech Technical University in Prague, Academy of Fine Arts, Prague
Occupation	Architect
Awards	CBE, Jane Drew Prize, Honorary Silver Medal of Jan Masaryk

Practice	Eva Jiricna Architects, AI DESIGN

Eva Jiřičná CBE RA (born March 3, 1939) is a famous Czech architect and designer. She works in both London and Prague. She started her own architecture firm, Eva Jiricna Architects, in Britain. She also co-founded AI DESIGN in Prague with Petr Vágner. Eva Jiřičná is known for her amazing attention to detail and her modern designs. She is especially famous for her unique glass staircases.

Since 1996, she has led the Architecture Department at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. In 2007, she was the head of a special group that chose the design for a new National Library building in Prague.

Eva Jiřičná's Life Story
Her Unique Design Style
Amazing Projects
Awards and Honors
Fun Facts About Eva Jiřičná
Images for kids
See also

Eva Jiřičná's Life Story

Early Life and Education

Eva Jiřičná was born on March 3, 1939, in Zlín, which was then part of Czechoslovakia. Her family moved to Prague when she was four years old. She loved studying architecture! She went to the Czech Technical University in Prague until 1962. Then, she continued her studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, earning her master's degree in 1963.

Moving to Great Britain

In 1968, Eva got a chance to work in London as an architect. She was helping with social housing projects. But then, a big event happened in Czechoslovakia (the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia). Because of this, she couldn't go back home. So, she decided to stay in the United Kingdom and became a British citizen a few years later.

She worked on big projects like the Brighton Marina. Later, she started her own design company. She became well-known for her interior designs, especially for shops and homes. She designed several stores for fashion designer Joseph Ettedgui and even his apartment. Her work on the inside of the Lloyd's Headquarters building in London really made people notice her talent. She was even asked by Steve Jobs (the co-founder of Apple) to help with ideas for Apple stores, but they didn't end up working together.

In 1985, her company became Eva Jiřičná Architects. Her team of ten people works on all kinds of projects, from designing buildings to interiors and even furniture.

Working in the Czech Republic Again

After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, Eva could finally work on projects back in the Czech Republic. She designed new buildings for the Tomas Bata University in her hometown of Zlín. She also created many new designs in Prague. These include the main hall of Komerční banka and the rebuilding of St. Anna Church.

More recently, her company AI DESIGN won a competition to rebuild the Věžák Tower in Ostrava. Eva Jiřičná continues to be a very active and important architect in both the UK and the Czech Republic.

Her Unique Design Style

Eva Jiřičná is famous for how she uses industrial materials in her designs, especially in shops and offices. She cleverly combines her knowledge of engineering and architecture with interior design. She loves to use light and different materials to make spaces look bigger and more interesting.

She's great at taking old, tricky buildings in London and turning them into useful and beautiful spaces. Even though she started with big building projects, her store designs really helped her career. She showed that designing a shop can be just as important and artistic as designing a whole building. A fun fact about her style is that she doesn't like wood or cushions in her designs!

She was friends with another famous architect, Zaha Hadid. But Eva once said that Zaha's buildings were "like statues" that cared mostly about how they looked from the outside.

Amazing Projects

Here are some of the cool projects Eva Jiřičná has worked on:

Projects in Great Britain

Kenzo design store, London 1982
Interior design of Lloyd's Headquarters, London 1984
Boutiques in Harrods department store, London 1985
Legends nightclub, London 1987
Renovation of Joseph boutique on Sloan Street, London 1989
Reception of Design Council, London 1991
North Woolwich footbridge, London 1991
Lockmeadow Pedestrian footbridge, Kent 1991
Royal Victoria dock, London 1991
Browns nightclub, London 1991
Museum of sir John Soane, London 1993
Joan & David shop on New Bond Street, London 1994
De Montfort University Library, Leicester 1996
Canada Water Bus Terminal, London 1999
Royal Academy of Art shop, London 2001
Boodles store, Liverpool 2004
Harrods Fine Jewellery store, London 2006
Bollinger Jewelry Gallery of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London 2008
Boodles Jewellery store, London 2008
Greenwich Hotel, London 2008
Staircase in Somerset House, London 2014

Projects in the Czech Republic

Andersen Consulting Offices in Dancing House, Prague 1996
Karel Schwarzenberg's flat, Prague 1997
Reconstruction of Komerční banka's main hall, Wenceslaus Square, Prague 1998
New Orangery at Prague Castle, Prague 1998
Pedestrian bridge over Koliště Street, Brno 1998
The British Council, Prague 2003
Reconstruction of St. Anna Church, Old Town, Prague 2004
Reconstruction of Hotel Maximilian, Prague 2005
U Tří Čápů Hotel, Prague 2006
University Centre of the Tomas Bata University, Zlín 2008
Spa House Sněžka, Mariánské Lázně 2010
Zlín Congress Centre, Zlín 2011 – this center is also home to the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmony
Café B. Braun at I. P. Pavlov Square, Prague 2011
SIKO Showroom, Prague 2013
Renovation of Hotel Josef, Prague 2015
Facade of housing project Sky Barrandov, Prague 2016
Beltissimo shops, Prague 2016
Faculty of Humanities of the Tomas Bata University, Zlín 2017
Luděk Sekyra's Family Villa, Prague 2018
New building of the General Faculty Hospital in Prague, New Town, Prague (still being built in 2021)
Three residential towers replacing the old Central Telelecommunication Building near Žižkov freight railway station, Prague (this project is still being approved as of 2021)
Reconstruction of Věžák Tower in Ostčilova Street, Ostrava (construction is planned to start in 2023)

Projects in Other Countries

Remodeling of the Alex Boutique, Florence 1989
Joan & David store on Fifth Avenue, New York 1990
Bergdorf Goodman Building fifth floor renovation, New York 1992
Joan & David design store, Paris 1994
Hugo Boss design store, Tokyo 1995
Tiffany Gallery at the New-York Historical Society Museum & Library, New York 2017

Awards and Honors

Eva Jiřičná has received many important awards for her work:

1991 Royal Designer for Industry
1994 Awarded CBE (a special honor from the British Queen)
1997 Elected as Academician to The Royal Academy of Arts
2008 Honorary Doctor of Philosophy, University of Nottingham and London Metropolitan University
2013 Jane Drew Prize
2013 Honorary Doctorate, Royal College of Art
2018 Honorary Silver Medal of Jan Masaryk
2018 Lifetime Achievement Medal at the London Design Festival
2024 Commanders of the Order of the White Lion

Fun Facts About Eva Jiřičná

When she was studying architecture, one of her classmates was Pavel Bobek, who later became a famous Czech singer!
She was partners with another well-known Czech architect, Jan Kaplický, for 10 years.
She is a vegetarian.