Non-traditional creation of a pragmatic architect

Jan Komrska

SUMMARY

The author describes a situation when a respected architect and university professor Vladimír Karfík involuntarily left the Faculty of Architecture in Bratislava and began working in an urbanistic studio of a state project organisation with some of his students spanning several generations as one of them. In those ten years that he worked there, he dealt with prognostic urban visions, urban architectonical studie, urban and architectonical studies of industrial zones, normative works and architectonical projects. Emeritus university professor with incredible vitality entered the professional area which, even though related to his previous field of work, was nevertheless different in many respects. Professor Karfík excelled in working teams through his professional and personal authority, even though in most of the tasks he was only a member of a team and not its leader. He personalised a well-known thesis that the greatness of an authority does not depend on the place in hierarchy.

Keywords: urban design, authority, professor emeritus, creation, Vladimír Karfík, pragmatist, pension