The Gregor Varga Smatanová Vertical Studio FAD STU in Bratislava won a significant award at the prestigious European Cultural Centre Awards (ECC Awards) 2025. In the University Project category, they succeeded with their research and art project Manor Houses and Small Noble Houses in Slovakia, presented in the Palazzo Mora premises as part of the ECC biennial exhibitions. The ECC Awards, awarded since 2010, are among the most important awards in the field of architecture, design and art. Every year, they highlight projects that bring new perspectives on space, people, materials or cultural heritage and that, through their invention, move these disciplines towards a more sustainable and thoughtful future. The expert jury evaluates originality, quality of execution, ability to tell a story and relevance to current topics.
The project Manor Houses and Small Noble Houses in Slovakia has attracted considerable attention with its interdisciplinary approach and sensitive approach to the theme of cultural heritage. Students and teachers of the studio are exploring forgotten noble residences across Slovakia – their architectural layers, historical stories and potential for new forms of life in the 21st century. The research is carried out in cooperation with local communities, non-governmental organisations and the Monuments Authority of the Slovak Republic. The team is dedicated to documenting the objects, analysing their cultural and landscape context, possibilities for adaptive reuse and ecological revitalisation. The result is a spatial narrative that connects the past and the present and reveals these objects as “silent witnesses of time, resilience and transformation”. The success of the studio represents significant international recognition for Slovak architecture and for the FAD STU, which has long supported the themes of cultural heritage, regional identity and sustainable renewal.
The jury, composed of industry experts, included Ivan Blasi, Director of the EUmies Awards; Amit Gupta, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of STIRworld; Christele Harrouk, Editor-in-Chief of ArchDaily; Ursula Schwitalla, BDA ao, Honorary Senator of the University of Tübingen; and Martha Thorne, writer, curator, consultant and urban planner. ECC jury member Amit Gupta praised the project, saying: “An artistic expression that reflects the lateral thinking of the students and faculty while also speaking to the simple concept of adaptive reuse, heritage and conservation.”
For more information, visit the official website: https://timespaceexistence.com/ecc-awards/
