-Students from Kadaň dominated the international Modelium 2025 competition. They built the best national pavilion for EXPO
The Modelium International Competition, organized by the HSF System construction group from the PURPOSIA Group holding, recognized the best young building creators for 2025. The first place, awarded with 25,000 Czech crowns, went to the team from SPŠS and OA Kadaň. Second place was taken by the team from SOŠ technická Námestovo II, and third place was won by SPŠ stavební Brno. The Public Choice Award was received by the team from SOŠ technická Námestovo II, which won the voting on Instagram. The Association of Corrugated Cardboard Manufacturers awarded the prize for creative work with corrugated cardboard to the team from SOŠ technická Námestovo I.
The 17th edition of the competition saw a record participation of 83 teams from 40 schools in Czechia and Slovakia. This competition is designed for secondary school students focusing on construction. The task for the contestants was to design and create an original model of a national pavilion for the EXPO world exhibition from corrugated cardboard. The final took place on October 30, 2025, at the City Campus of the University of Ostrava. The expert jury included Tomáš Akerman, Partnership Manager for the Czech participation in EXPO 2025.
“The Modelium competition awakens creativity, technical thinking, and the ability to collaborate in young people. It is fascinating to watch how sophisticated and aesthetically valuable works can be created from a simple material like corrugated cardboard. It is proof that an exceptional result is not born from a large budget, but from a great idea,” said Tomáš Kosa,Director of the international construction group HSF System.
"I have great respect for the work of all the students and their teachers who participated in the Modelium competition. It was inspiring to witness their creativity, attention to detail, and ability to translate an idea into a model with a well-thought-out story. The projects show that the young generation of Czech architects draws from tradition, but at the same time, they are not afraid to seek new paths and experiment with form and material. I am sure that we will hear about some of the names from the competition in the future. I believe that Czech architecture has a great future ahead of it," explained Partnership Manager of the Czech participation in EXPO 2025, Tomáš Akerman.
The winning team of SPŠS and OA Kadaň received a financial reward of 25,000 Czech crowns and the Modelium traveling trophy. Second place and a financial reward of 15,000 Czech crowns went to SOŠ technická Námestovo II. Third place was taken by SPŠ stavební Brno, which received 10,000 Czech crowns. The Public Prize worth 5,000 Czech crowns was awarded to SOŠ technická Námestovo II. The winner was decided by fans of the Modelium competition on Instagram. The prize for creative work with corrugated cardboard, worth 10,000 Czech crowns from the Association of Corrugated Cardboard Manufacturers, was awarded to SOŠ technická Námestovo I.
The international jury evaluated the models based on originality, thoughtfulness of design, internal layout, use of corrugated cardboard, working with scale, and team presentation.
“Modelium inspires me by transforming architectural education into a living dialogue. It brings imagination into contact with social and material reality and shows how architecture can become a common language of thought and creation,” adds Yasumasa Hayashi, a Japanese architect and CEO of ArchTank studio, who was on the jury this year.
The organizer and general partner of the competition is the international construction group HSF System. The main partner is the ANTRACIT development group. Both companies are part of the leading European investment group PURPOSIA Group, which is an official partner of the Czech participation in the World EXPO in Osaka. The product partner of the competition is the Czech Association of Corrugated Cardboard Manufacturers.
About the Modelium Competition
The international Modelium competition is designed for secondary school students from Czechia and Slovakia, focusing on construction. The essence is creating original models of buildings from ecological and sustainable material (corrugated cardboard) on a given theme, such as Floating City, The Tallest Skyscraper in Europe, House on Mars, National Library of Czechia, or School of Dreams. Throughout its history, almost 400 models of various buildings have been constructed. In the first round, contestants send photos of their models. An expert jury selects six from each country. These advance to the Czech and Slovak national finals. From both national rounds, eight super-finalists emerge. The best will share over 100,000 Czech crowns. The winner takes home 25,000 Czech crowns and a traveling trophy. The final rounds are held in interesting places such as the main train station in Prague, Štefánik Observatory, Dolní Vítkovice, Vodní dílo Šance, or Klementinum. The Modelium project won 2nd place in the Czechoslovak communication competition Golden Semicolon 2024 in Czechia and 3rd place in the PROKOP 2025 communication competition in Slovakia.
