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Background information Prize

The selection process for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture — the Mies Van der Rohe Award 2005 — began in Barcelona in January with the first meeting of the jury, chaired by the 2003 award winner Zaha Hadid.

Ms Hadid and the eight other jury members* are assessing some 242 projects from 30 countries that were chosen by a group of independent international experts and European architects’ associations.

The sheer number of candidates for the Award reflects both the extraordinary vitality and cultural dynamism of current European architecture and the talent of its practitioners.

Ján Figel’, European Commissioner in charge of Education and Culture, and the Mayor of Barcelona, Joan Clos, will announce the prize winners on 11 April 2005 in the presence of the winners themselves and members of jury and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe.

Two prizes will be awarded: the € 50,000 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture (the Mies van der Rohe Award) and the € 10,000 Emerging Architect Special Mention for professionals under 40 whose works demonstrate their creative abilities and capacity for generating new ideas.

The award ceremony will take place on the same day at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, Barcelona, Spain.
This prestigious distinction is granted to works built between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2004. The award celebrates not only the excellence of the selected works, but also their avant-garde character and their contribution to the development of new architectural and technological concepts.

The 2003 edition singled out Zaha Hadid for the Car Park and Terminus Hoenheim North in Strasbourg, France, and Jürgen Mayer H. for the Scharnhauser Park Town Hall in Ostfildern, Germany.

The Fundació Mies van der Rohe will later publish a catalogue of a selection of the projects that are being considered for the prizes. It will also organise an exhibition, featuring panels with photographs and drawings as well as scale models and descriptive texts of the works. The exhibition will then travel to a number of European cities, so that Europe’s heritage can be brought closer to the general public, showing us all how these works configure our immediate surroundings.

* Zaha Hadid – president, Aaron Betsky, Stefano Boeri, Eduard Bru, Robert Collovà, Mohsen Mostafavi, Suha Özkan, Francis Rambert y Kazuyo Sejima

04/04/05
European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture
Mies van der Rohe Award 2005


Finalists works

30 St Mary Axe (Swiss Re Headquarters)
London, United Kingdom
Foster and Partners / Norman Foster

Selfridges & Co Department Store
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Future Systems / Jan Kaplicky, Amanda Levete

Forum 2004 Esplanade and Photovoltaic Plant
Barcelona, Spain
Martínez Lapeña - Torres Arquitectos / José Antonio Martínez Lapeña, Elías Torres Tur

Netherlands Embassy Berlin
Berlin, Germany
Office for Metropolitan Architecture / Rem Koolhaas, Ellen van Loon

Braga Municipal Stadium
Braga, Portugal
Souto Moura – Arquitectos / Eduardo Souto de Moura

Works selected for exhibition and catalogue

T-Center St. Marx
Viena, Austria
Architektur Consult ZT / Günther Domenig, Hermann isenköck, Herfried Peyker

EFAFLEX Door Systems
Baden, Austria
ARTEC Architects / Bettina Götz, Richard Manahl

Ardennes Leather Tannery and Factory
Ardennes, France
Berger Anziutti Architectes / Patrick Berger, Jacques Anziutti

Museum of World Culture
Gothenburg, Sweden
Brisac Gonzalez Architects / Cécile Brisac, Edgar Gonzalez Kunsthaus Graz, Graz, Austria
Cook Fournier Architects / Peter Cook, Colin Fournier

Pedestrian Bridge and Capitania Building
Barcelona, Spain
Domingo i Ferré Arquitectes / Mamen Domingo, Ernest Ferré, A.C. Aparicio

The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
EMBT Arquitectes Associats / Enric Miralles, Benedetta Tagliabue;
RMJM Scotland Ltd. / M.A. Duncan, T.B. Stewart

Minicity Model Park
Antalya, Turkey
Emre Arolat Architects / Emre Arolat, Gezin Evren, Elif Karaelmas, Cagri Yilmaz

Museum for Children
Graz, Austria
Fasch&Fuchs / Hemma Fasch, Jakob Fuchs

Southeast Coastal Park, Barcelona, Spain
Foreign Office Architects / Farshid Moussavi, Alejandro Zaera Polo, Lluís Viú Rebes, Pablo Ros, Sergio López-Pineiro, Daniel Valle

Millau Viaduct
Millau, France
Foster and Partners + Michel Virlogeux / Norman Foster, Michel Virlogeux

Ministry of Culture and Communication - Ilôt des Bons Enfants
Paris, France
Francis Soler Architectes / Francis Soler, Frédéric Druot

One-Family House ‘Living Room’
Gelnhausen, Germany
Freeie Architekten / Gabriela Seifert, Götz Stoeckmann

Solenn’ House
Paris, France
Ibos & Vitart Architectes / Jean-Marc Ibos, Myrto Vitart

Restoration of the Martos Mill and Urban Development ofthe Balcón del Guadalquivir
Córdoba, Spain
Juan Navarro Baldeweg Arquitectos / Juan Navarro Baldeweg

Social Housing (14 dwellings in Cité Manifeste operation)
Mulhouse, France
Lacaton & Vassal Architectes / Anne Lacaton, Jean-Philippe Vassal

Kärsämäki Church
Kärsämäki, Finland
Lassila & Hirvilammi Architects / Anssi Lassila

International Convention Centre of Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
MAP Arquitectes / Josep Lluís Mateo

Ferrari Product Development Centre
Maranello, Italy
Massimiliano Fuksas Architetto / Massimiliano Fuksas

Sphinxes
Huizen, The Netherlands
Neutelings Riedijk Architecten / Willem Jan Neutelings, Michiel Riedijk

BasketBar
Utrecht, The Netherlands
NL Architects / Pieter Bannenberg, Walter van Dijk, Kamiel Klaasse, Mark Linnemann

Art Centre - Casa das Mudas
Calheta, Madeira, Portugal Paulo David Arquitecto / Paulo David Andrade

Monastery of Our Lady of Novy Dvur
Tepla u Touzime, Czech Republic
Pawson Architects / John Pawson

Maritime Youth House
Copenhagen, Denmark
PLOT / Bjarke Ingels, Julien de Smedt

Town Hall Hennigsdorf
Hennigsdorf, Germany
sauerbruch hutton architekten / Matthias Sauerbruch, Louisa Hutton, Jens Ludloff, Juan Lucas Young

Vista
Dungeness, United Kingdom
Simon Conder Associates / Simon Conder

An Turas Ferry Shelter
Isle of Tiree, United Kingdom
Sutherland Hussey Architects / Charlie Sutherland, Charlie Hussey

UBU - University Library Utrecht
Utrecht, The Netherlands
Wiel Arets Architect & Associates / Wiel Arets

11/04/05
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The Netherlands Embassy Berlin by OMA / Rem Koolhaas & Ellen van Loon Wins European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award 2005

In a press conference held today at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, Ján Figel’, the European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism and Joan Clos, Mayor of Barcelona and President of the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, have announced that the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 2005 has been granted to the Netherlands Embassy Berlin, Germany, by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) / Rem Koolhaas and Ellen van Loon.

The jury, chaired by Zaha Hadid*, unanimously singled out two projects for their final deliberation: OMA’s Netherlands Embassy in Berlin, Germany and the Braga Municipal Stadium, Portugal, by Eduardo Souto de Moura. Both projects were praised for the extraordinary relationships established with their respective surroundings – the reunified city of Berlin in the former case and the hilly landscape of Braga in the latter.

In making their decision to award the Netherlands Embassy Berlin, the jury commended the “quality of the urban reflection and intelligence of the concept implemented, especially as regards the unprecedented concept of ‘trajectory’ and the new potential it brings to this project of great complexity”.

The Emerging Architect Special Mention goes to NL Architects for their BasketBar at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. This Mies van der Rohe Award 2005, with two prize-winning works by Dutch architects, confirms the success of the policy in the Netherlands in support of contemporary architecture and young architects.

Commissioner Figel’ and Mayor Clos will present the winners with their awards at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, Barcelona at 19:30h today. Prior to that, at 17:00h, Rem Koolhaas of OMA will give a lecture about the Netherlands Embassy in Berlin.

* Jury members: Zaha Hadid (chair), Aaron Betsky, Stefano Boeri (1st meeting), Eduard Bru, Roberto Collovà, Mohsen Mostafavi, Suha Özkan, Francis Rambert and Kazuyo Sejima

04/04/05
European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture
Mies van der Rohe Award 2005
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.doc format

The jury of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 2005, chaired by architect Zaha Hadid and formed by Aaron Betsky, Stefano Boeri (first meeting), Eduard Bru, Roberto Collovà, Mohsen Mostafavi, Suha Özkan, Francis Rambert, Kazuyo Sejima and Lluís Hortet as secretary, has selected five finalist works as candidates for the Award, one of the most important and prestigious on the international architecture scene. Furthermore, the selection is a faithful reflection of the principal objective underlying the Award, namely to acknowledge excellent and innovative projects characterised by high-quality construction.

30 St Mary Axe (Swiss Re Headquarters), London, United Kingdom
Foster and Partners / Norman Foster
Commissioned by the insurance company Swiss Re, 30 St. Mary Axe is London’s first ecological tall building and is an instantly recognizable addition to the city’s skyline. Based on a radical approach – technically, architecturally, socially and spatially – the design for the tower developed ideas previously explored in Foster & Partners’ Commerzbank building of Frankfurt, especially with respect to energy efficiency. Its singular profile responds to the constraints of the site and its diagonally braced structural envelope allows for column-free floor space and a fully glazed facade, opening up the building to light and views.

1967 Foster and Partners established in London
Norman Foster
1935 Born in Manchester, United Kingdom
1961 Diploma in Architecture and Certificate of Town Planning, Manchester University
1962 Master of Architecture, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Major Works
1990 Stansted Airport, Stansted, London
1992 Collserola Communications Tower, Barcelona
1997 Commerzbank Headquarters, Frankfurt
1999 German Parliament, Reichstag, Berlin
2000 Great Court, British Museum, London

Selfridges & Co Department Store, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Future Systems / Jan Kaplicky and Amanda Levete
The brief for this building was two-fold: to design a state of the art department store and to create an architectural landmark for Birmingham so that the building itself would become a genuine catalyst for urban regeneration. Here the notion of a department store is reinterpreted both in form and appearance as well as in terms of the social function that such a building now plays in our society. The fluid shape and shimmering skin composed of thousands of aluminum disks provide an ethereal backdrop to nearby St. Martin’s church and the key elements of the interior are the dramatic roof-lit atrium criss-crossed by white sculpted escalators.

1989 Office of Future Systems established in London
Jan Kaplicky
1937 Born in Prague
1962 Diploma in Architecture, College of Applied Arts and Architecture, Prague
Amanda Levete
1955 Born in Bridgend, United Kingdom
1982 Diploma in Architecture, Architectural Association, London
Major Works
1994 Hauer-King House, London
1994 House in Wales, Pembrokeshire, UK
1998 Comme des Garçons Store, New York
1999 Floating Bridge, London
1999 NatWest Media Centre at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London

Forum 2004 Esplanade and Photovoltaic Plant, Barcelona, Spain
Martínez Lapeña - Torres Arquitectos / José Antonio Martínez Lapeña, Elías Torres Tur
The Forum esplanade is an extension of Avinguda Diagonal in the form of a hand with fingers outstretched that covers most of the recently extended water purification plant. Chimneys and service facilities related to the purifier emerge from the esplanade, on which shade-providing pergolas and two hypostyle halls have been built. The fingers rise in such a way that their tips become cliffs overlooking the nautical sports harbour, while the interstices accommodate stairways and ramps providing access to the port area below. The photovoltaic pergola – sloping 35º and oriented southwards – captures sunlight, produces energy and provides reed-like shade.

1968 The office of Martínez Lapeña - Torres Arquitectos established in Barcelona
José Antonio Martínez Lapeña
1941 Born in Tarragona, Spain
1962 Diploma in Technical Architecture, Escola Tècnica d’Aparelladors, Barcelona
1968 Diploma in Architecture, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona (ETSAB)
Since 1983 Professor, ETSAV, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Elías Torres Tur
1944 Born in Ibiza, Spain
1962 Diploma in Technical Architecture, Escola Tècnica d’Aparelladors, Barcelona
1968 Diploma in Architecture, ETSAB
1996 Doctorate in Architecture, ETSAB
Since 1996 Professor, ETSAB
Major Works
1991 Olympic Village Housing, Barcelona
1992 Kumamoto Museum annex, Japan (with R. Yagi, Daiwa Architects)
2000 La Granja Escalator, Toledo, Spain
2003 Centre for University Studies, Terrassa, Barcelona
2003 Restoration of Walls, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

The Netherlands Embassy in Berlin, Germany
Office for Metropolitan Architecture / Rem Koolhaas, Ellen van Loon
For its embassy in the new government district of Berlin, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested a solitary building that integrated elements of conventional civil service security with Dutch openness. A continuous trajectory extending through the eight floors of the cube shapes the building’s internal communication, with the workspaces situated along the façade. The trajectory exploits the relationship with the context: Spree River, ‘Fernsehturm’ (television tower), park and wall of embassy residences. The access road between the ‘cube’ and ‘residential wall’ acts as a courtyard open to one side allowing a panoramic view over the river and park.

1975 Office for Metropolitan Architecture established in London
Since 1978 in Rotterdam
Rem Koolhaas
1944 Born in Rotterdam
1972 Degree in Architecture, Architectural Association (AA), London
1975 Visiting Fellow, Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies, New York
1976 Visiting Professor, AA
Since 1995 Professor, Harvard University, Cambridge

Ellen van Loon
1963 Born in Rotterdam
1991 Degree in Architecture, Technische Universiteit Delft
Major Works
1992 Kunsthal, Rotterdam
1998 Maison à Bordeaux, France (with Maarten van Severen)
2003 Illinois Institute of Technology Campus Center, Chicago
2004 Seattle Central Library, Seattle, Washington
2004 Prada Epicenter, Los Angeles

Braga Municipal Stadium, Braga, Portugal
Souto Moura – Arquitectos / Eduardo Souto de Moura
As part of the plan to construct or renovate ten stadiums throughout Portugal for the celebration of the 2004 UEFA championship games, the stadium is located in the Dume Sports Park on the northern slope of Monte Crasto. The site was chosen to avoid building a dam along the water’s edge in the valley and the stadium will serve as an anchor point for any future development in the area as the city expands towards the north. The brief called for covered seating for 30,000 on either side of the field and the design consists of two squares with the same degree of slope.

1993 Souto Moura – Arquitectos established in Oporto
Eduardo Souto Moura
1952 Born in Oporto
1980 Diploma in Architecture, Escola Superior de Belas Artes do Porto
Major Works
1991 Cultural Centre for SEC, Oporto
1994 Departament of Geosciences, Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal
1997 Reconversion of Santa Maria do Bouro Convent (for a state-run inn), Amares, Portugal
1999 Courtyard Houses in Matosinhos, Portugal
2002 Oporto Metro
The jury has also singled out a further twenty-eight works that, by virtue of their exceptional quality, will be included in the exhibition and catalogue about the 2005 Award. The jury has selected works from Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Turkey and the United Kingdom. A total of 240 projects from thirty European countries finished between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2004 were proposed by a sizable group of independent international experts and the national associations of architects.

On April 11, Ján Figel’, European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism, and Joan Clos, Barcelona Mayor and President of the Fundació Mies van der Rohe will preside over the granting ceremony to take place at 19:30 in the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona. The Award winner will receive a cash prize of 50,000 euros, while the Emerging Architect Special Mention is endowed with the sum of 10,000 euros. At 12:00, Commissioner Figel’ and Ferran Mascarell, Regidor de Cultura at the Barcelona City Hall, representing the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, will announce the winner of the Award as well as the Emerging Architect Special Mention. The press conference will be attended by the prize-winning architects, members of the jury and the director of the Foundation. The granting ceremony will take place at the Pavilion on the afternoon of the same day.

Zaha Hadid was winner of the 2003 Award with her Terminus Hoenheim-Nord, Strasbourg, France, while the Emerging Architect Special mention went to Jürgen Mayer H. for his Town Hall in Scharnhauser Park, Ostfildern, Germany.