About atelier

The architectural studio Atelier Štěpán was founded in the year 1997. Since the beginning it‘s been dealing with architecture, public space and design. Over time of its existence the studio has become a company making high quality Czech architecture. That was awarded many times.

Atelier Štěpán has been awarded  few leading Czech architectural prizes, that show the quality of projects and realizations; these prizes are:

Grand Prix of Architects – annual award exhibition of Czech architecture organized by the Society of Czech Architects and the Czech Chamber of Architects; prize from Klub Za starou Prahu; Building of a Year and Interior of a Year.

Church of St. Wenceslas is between The 10 Best buildings of the World.

The core of the Atelier is accompanied by a stable group of colleagues and specialists in both construction and artistic professions.

The Atelier offers conceptual and complex proposals for architectural and urbanistic tasks, never forgetting about details. We create author’s design pieces and art works.

Co-workers:

Marek Štěpán, Vanda Štěpánová, František Brychta, Martin Kopecký, Hana Arletová, Jan Vodička

Former co-worker:

Adriana Palečková, Alžběta Chytková, Pavel Urbánek, Alena

Dvořáčková, Jaroslav Matoušek, Hana Myšková, Lenka Marečková,

Tomáš Jurák, Jan Martínek, Petra Soukalová, Jakub Staník, Katarzyna Pielesz,

Lukáš Svoboda, Jan Vojtíšek, Petr Vltavský, Stanislav Srnec, Vladimír Mikluš,

 Zuzana Morávková, Michaela Kryštofová, Hana Kukletová, Petr Šebestík, David Mikulášek

International design Award IDA 2021 Winner - Interier of Church beatified Restituta in Brno

Title Building of the Year 2020 - Villa Internal landscape. 

Award of the President of the Zlín Region PATRIA NOSTRA 2020 for the project of the  important work of Czech sacral architecture, the Church of St. Wenceslas in Sazovice

ASB magazine award in the competition Building of the Year 2020 - church of beatified Restituta in Brno - Lesná

Award of the Archbishop of Prague and Primate of the Czech PATRIA NOSTRA for exemplary care and creating of conditions for the spiritual life of the Czech countryside in the years 1990-2020

International Prize of Fondazione frate sole 2020 – promotion of sacred art and architecture – finalist of world nomination – St. Wenceslas church in Sazovice

Wooden building of the year 2020, category of wooden interier – second Prize  - St. Cathrine church in Hrabová

European Union Price for contemporary architecture Mies van der Rohe Award 2017 - Czech republic nomination - St. Wenceslas church in Sazovice

Grand Prix 2018 – Czech national award for architecture – prize in category new building – church of St. Wenceslas in Sazovice

Interior of the Year 2017– award public interior – st. Wenceslas church in Sazovice

Award from Klub Za starou Prahu for newbuilding in historical environment 2017 – nomination – church of St. Wenceslas in Sazovice

The 10 Best Buildings of 2017 - Azure - church of St. Wenceslas in Sazovice

Best of realty - Special award of jury - church of St. Wenceslas in Sazovice

Piranesi Award 2017 - nomination - church of St. Wenceslas in Sazovice

Piranesi Award 2017 - nomination - Piaristic church in Litomyšl

Park of the Year 2013 – prize of Dean of Faculty of Horticulture – renewal of urban forest in Brno – Nový Lískovec

Grand Prix 2012 – Czech national award for architecture – prize in category reconstruction – Areal Café fara Klentnice

Grand Prix 2011 – national award for architecture – Honorable Mention in reconstruction category – renewal of Jurkovič House in Brno

Award from Klub Za starou Prahu for newbuilding in historical environment 2010 – main prize – Church of the Holy Spirit in Šumná

Building of Moravian-Silesian Region 2007 – Grand Prix – Church of the Holy Spirit in Ostrava

Czech Interior of the Year 2006 – award from UVU ČR – Church of st. Catherine in Hrabová

Award from Klub Za starou Prahu for newbuilding in historical environment 2005 – nomination – tower of st. Florian church in Kozmice

Czech Interior of the Year 2005 – award from UVU ČR – st. Wenceslas church in Ostrava

Building of Moravian-Silesian Region 2005 – Honourable Mention – Church of st. Catherine in Hrabová

nomination from Design Centre of the Czech Republic for Good design 1999 – Sideboard Slim

Top Design – Profiinteriéry Praha 1999 – Sideboard Noce

Award from Design Centre of the Czech Republic 1995 – Bar Scala in Brno

Interior 1995 – Honorable Mention from Design Centre of the Czech Republic – Silver Gallery Minoral in Brno

Architecture week – st. George monastery, Prague – 2014

Architecture week – Wenceslas square, Prague – 2010

Designstory – Brno Exhibition Ground – Pavilion A, Brno – 2006

Present Czech architecture – Theresian wing of the Prague Castle – 2000

Art and design – Trade Fair Palace in Prague –  2000

Profiinteriéry Praha – opening of the new collection of furniture – 1999

Best of, Mobis Brno /the best of design/ – 1998

Marek Štěpán – Chapel, individual exhibition, gallery by st. Thomas church – 1996

House and Sign, oldest and latest churches in Diocese of Brno, Diocese Museum Brno – 1993

Ing. arch. Marek Jan Štěpán 

*1967 born in Frýdek-Místek, 

1985 – 1991 study on Faculty of Architecture VUT in Brno, specialization on neoplasm in historical environment and theory of architecture by doc. Drápal,

 1987 – 1994 making series of plein air workshops, happenings and erecting experimental buildings in Pražmo in Beskydy Mountains, 

1988 – 1990 member of experimental group named Společenství hluku (Noise Guild), interested in mutual interaction between art and music, 

1991 sculptor school in Zebegény (Hungary) 

1993 co-founder of Salon Peppermint portraits, dealing with photographic portraits and design, with Štěpán Rusín 

1997 starting Atelier Štěpán as his own project, the owner, with wife Vanda Štěpánová 

1997 – 2001 as an assistant in atelier of prof. Ivan Koleček on FA VUT in Brno

 2002 – 2012 school atelier on Faculty of Architecture and Faculty of Civil Engineering VUT in Brno 

2005 maxima a thesis of own architectural theory about decor of structures 

2006 – 2012 adviser of the Chancellor of president about architectural belongings 

2010 showing his conception of minimal living called Freedomek, with Jiří Brosh

The member of the Czech Camber of Architects, number of authorization 02465 link, member of Artistic and Liturgical Commission of Ostrava-Opava See. 

He is Moravian architect, inspired by tradition and modernism. He develops archetypal concept of architecture in his projects. 

Marek focuses on projects of sacred buildings, new buildings and reconstructions, which he solves comprehensively. He designs civil and residential buildings too, he pursues pedagogical and theoretical activity. 

“Mentally, I would set myself into Moravian-Austrian region within Europe. Today postmodern age is crowded by various styles; I turn myself to sort of intimate truth first.” 

Akad. arch. Vanda Štěpánová 

*1970 born in Brno 

1988 - 1990 study on Faculty of Architecture VUT in Brno 

1991 – 1995 study at School of architecture by prof. Emil Přikryl at AVU in Prague 

1994 one month of participation at Summer school of architecture in Salzburg, Austria, under control of arch. Laurids Ortner 

1994 three month of fellowship in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in architectural office 

1996 practice in architectural office Burian&Křivinka 

1997 – 1999 practice in architectural office Tišnovka 

1999 – 2009 realization of 3 beautiful daughters 

Since 2000 she has been establishing company Atelier Štěpán with her husband Marek Štěpán.

Architect Marek Štěpán is an author of Decor structuralism manifest (Decor of Structures or About Divine in Architecture), where he distances himself from statement by Adolf Loos (famous modern architect). Loos declared that ornament was crime in 1908.

With this famed metaphor Loos wanted to demonstrate the weight of decision from modernist architects in early 20th century to design only pure and undecorated buildings.

Marek Štěpán is taking decor-structuralism as a phenomenon of decor, trappings and ornaments in their original, especially antique meaning.

He also refuses using decorating for hiding failings, he only wonders about “decor stemming from the very essence and principle of material and its truest echo on the surface... decor as revealed truth on the surface of the work.” (Etc. MJŠ – Decor of structures or about divine in architecture) Štěpán conceives ornament as a bloom grown from building as from tree or form stem of flower, as a natural part of architectural work. For him, ornament is an essence, substantiality, that is hidden deep inside and with a miracle of artistic intuition it shows on the top: “substantial is long held in secret.” Because of it he puts ornament and decor into context with structure, which he calls “function of the building”. Structure is revealed only during construction, decay or demolition of building: “In the beginning of its own existence, there is a rough exposed building with a mass of bearing walls, rank of holes and flexuous silhouettes of trusses. At the end, similar to the creation, it is also exposed, even though with a little mouldy tint. In these stages, structure reveals its inner built and allows us to read it very well.”

Štěpán brings to mind etymological meaning of originally Latin word structure as a building. For him, structure is a principle, from which – within the artistic process – decorative elements appear intuitively as functional, meaningful ornaments.

 (Petr Čichoň, translated by Magdalena Štěpánová)