The five finalists for the 2017 Mies van der Rohe Award announced
Five finalists have been announced for the biannual European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award. Championing creativity and collaboration in architecture across the EU, the prize, run by the European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, celebrates excellence in European architecture across the areas of conception, design and construction.
The judges whittled down a shortlist of 40 nominees, selecting: deFlat Kleiburg in Amsterdam by NL Architects and XVW Architectuur; Ely Court in London by Alison Brooks Architects; Kannikegården in Ribe by Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects; Katyn Museum in Warsaw by Jan Belina Brzozowski and Konrad Grabowiecki with BBGK Architekci; and Rivesaltes Memorial Museum by Rudy Ricciotti.
On the selection of the finalists, architect and chairman of the jury Stephen Bates said, ‘Our instincts could be summed up by the words of Peter Smithson: “Things need to be ordinary and heroic at the same time”. We were looking for an ordinariness whose understated lyricism is full of potential.’
Whether located at the heart of a town, submerged into a landscape or found in the suburbs of a city, the five selected buildings show a range of styles and purposes, yet also many structural similarities and also a mutual interest in community, suggesting the shared cultural and social values of the EU countries. The prize is a credit to the industry of architecture, which is at the forefront of successful economic and creative exchange across borders, communities and continents.
The Jury will visit the buildings in April and then the winner and the emerging architect winner will be announced in Brussels in May, with the award ceremony taking place at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the EU Mies Award website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
Remembering Richard Serra (1938-2024), American art’s man of steel
American artist Richard Serra, whose vast sculptures transformed landscapes around the world, has died aged 85
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Architectural gardens around the world to soothe the soul
From small domestic gardens, to nature reserves, urban interventions and local parks, here are some of the finest green projects that place nature at their heart
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Corfu hotel Domes Miramare redefines beachfront bliss
Make like Jackie O at Corfu hotel Domes Miramare, a property with contemporary luxury and echoes of 1960s glamour in spades
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Riken Yamamoto wins 2024 Pritzker Architecture Prize
Riken Yamamoto has been announced as the winner of the 2024 Pritzker Architecture Prize
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Prix Claude Parent launches as an award promoting architectural experimentation
The late architect’s imagination and innovation inspired Prix Claude Parent, the new design award launching this year to promote ‘transgressive’ architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize 2024 goes to Argentina’s Casa sobre el Arroyo
The World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize 2024 is scooped by the Ministerios de Cultura y de Obras Públicas y Municipalidad de Mar del Plata, for its restoration of Argentina’s Casa sobre el Arroyo
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
2024 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture celebrates Lesley Lokko
The 2024 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture will be presented to Lesley Lokko for her contributions to the field, the RIBA announced
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Green House crowned RIBA House of the Year 2023
RIBA House of the Year 2023 has been awarded to Green House in London by Hayhurst & Co
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Chinese landscape architect Kongjian Yu honoured with 2023 Oberlander Prize
Chinese landscape architect Kongjian Yu has been awarded the 2023 Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
2023 Obel Award celebrates Kate Orff’s ecosystem-driven designs
Scape and its founder Kate Orff have scooped the 2023 Obel Award, which celebrates the landscape studio’s Living Breakwaters project
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
2024 Charlotte Perriand award winner: architect Frida Escobedo
Frida Escobedo scoops the 2024 Charlotte Perriand award, which honours ‘trailblazers in architecture and design’
By Ellie Stathaki Published