On Wednesday, five finalists were chosen for the European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe’s biennial European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture—Mies van der Rohe Award, which highlights the significance of diversity in European architectural expression.
The finalists were selected from a shortlist of 40 projects, and on May 16 in Brussels one of these projects will receive the EU Mies Award for its “conceptual, technical and constructional qualities.” A list of selected works, chosen by the jury, will also be comprised to be included in the award catalog and for an exhibition.
The five finalists for the EU Mies Award are listed below.
Katyn Museum by BBGK Architekci
Anders Sune Berg
Kannikegården in Ribe, Denmark
Kannikegården by Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects
Kévin Dolmaire
Rivesaltes Memorial Museum in Rivesaltes, France
Rivesaltes Memorial Museum by Rudy Ricciotti
Stijn Poelstra | Stijnstijl Fotografie
DeFlat Kleiburg in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
DeFlat Kleiburg by NL Architects and XVW Architectuur
Paul Riddle
Ely Court in London
Ely Court by Alison Brooks Architects
“Our instincts could be summed up by the words of Peter Smithson: ‘Things need to be ordinary and heroic at the same time,’ ” said Stephen Bates, chairman of the jury, in a press release. “We were looking for an ordinariness whose understated lyricism is full of potential.”
The award was created by European commissioner Carlo Ripa di Meana and Barcelona Mayor Pasqual Maragall in 1988. In 2001, after the Fundació Mies van der Rohe suggested a new model for the award, it became the official architecture prize of the European Union.
Between May 20 and 28, the winning project and the projects of the four finalists will be open to the public to visit. On May 26, an award ceremony will be held at the Mies van der Rohe’s Pavilion in Barcelona.
