1968 – 1990
In the context of the modern history of Czech architecture, SIAL is a unique and undoubtedly unrepeatable phenomenon. Its origin can be considered as a direct consequence of the temporary melting of socio-political ice in the 1960s, and the subsequent long-lasting prolific period, among other things, as a reflection of the lack of other opportunities for architectural individuals. In addition to the symbiotic relationship between the two professions, the Liberec Association of Engineers and Architects also benefited from the active involvement of young graduates in the so-called SIAL Kindergarten, a kind of postgraduate study or an incubator of young and promising, working on studies and solving competition assignments. In this environment, the architectural generation, both established and emerging, could enrich each other with valuable experience, either from practice or from internships abroad. The graduates of the Kindergarten later became important architects and academics and for decades influenced the development of Czech architecture.
The Association of Engineers and Architects in Liberec (SIAL) was founded in 1968 by Karel Hubáček (* 1924, Liberec) together with Miroslav Masák (* 1932, Úvaly) and Otakar Binar (* 1931, Jaroměř). The tempting collaboration with the authors of the famous television transmitter and the mountain hotel Ještěd (1970), which was awarded the Perret Prize, has long attracted the most talented graduates of architectural schools to the studio. Between 1971 and 1989, SIAL was involuntarily incorporated into the state office Stavoprojekt Liberec, but despite it the iconic buildings such as the Máj Department Store (1974), the Jumping Bridges in Harrachov (1977), the Tesco Department Store in Liberec (1977) or the Concert Hall and Colonnade in Teplice (1986) were designed in this period.
1991 - present
After the fall of the communist regime, the SIAL architects and engineers company was established as a successor to the original SIAL, to which most of the team, including Karel Hubáček and Otakar Binar, joined.
The office still exists successfully today, its core currently consists of eight partners (František Bielik, Jiří Buček, Petr Dolenský, Zdeněk Dřevěný, Josef Franc, Michal Hušek, Martin Mašek and Jiří Tauš). The office, true to the legacy of the original SIAL, continues to support interdisciplinary dialogue on the axis of architectural design - building solutions - statics and is based on the close cooperation of all participating professions.
In the period from 1991 to the present, the office has designed dozens of civil, cultural and housing projects, as well as industrial and sports buildings.
These include e.g. the completion of the reconstruction of the Trade Fair Palace in Prague (1993), the Česká pojišťovna building in Liberec (1997), the Syner Palace in Liberec (1998), the Theatre Disk in Prague (1999 - the last realized project of Karel Hubáček), the State Scientific Library in Liberec (2000), the Ambassador`s residence of the Czech Republic in Budapest (2000), the shopping and administrative center Palladium in Prague (2007), the university library and multifunctional center UJEP in Ústí nad Labem (2012), the conversion of the historic Municipal Spa in Liberec into art gallery (2013), the development and administrative center ACL Technology in Liberec (2015), the Stromovka multifunctional center in Prague (2018), the Nexen production and development complex (2019) or the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Prague (2021).