Two projects in Madrid and Barcelona, finalists for the Mies Van Der Rohe Contemporary Architecture Award

The European Commission and the Mies van der Rohe Foundation will announce the seven finalists who will compete for the 2024 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Awards.

There will be five in the architecture category and two in the emerging category.

• After shortlisting 40 works, the international jury of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture/Mies van der Rohe Awards (EUmies Awards) has chosen five works to visit in March before deciding who will be the winner in the architecture category:
• Plato Contemporary Art Gallery in Ostrava (Moravia-Silesia, Czech Republic), by KWK Promes (Katowice, Poland);
• Study pavilion on the campus of the Technical University of Braunschweig (Lower Saxony, Germany) by Gustav Düsing & Max Hacke (Berlin, Germany);
• Reggio School in Madrid (Comunidad de Madrid, Spain), by ANDRES JAQUE/OFFICE FOR POLITICAL INNOVATION (Madrid, Spain);
• Renovation of the Saint-François Convent in Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano/Saint-Lucia de Tallà (Corsica, France) by Amelia Tavella Architectes (Aix en Provence, France);
• Häge in Lund (Scania County, Sweden), by Brendeland & Kristoffersen Architects (Oslo, Norway).

In addition, the Gabriel García Márquez Library in Barcelona by SUMA arquitectura (Madrid, Spain) and the Piódão Square and Tourist Office in Piódão, Portugal, by Branco del Río (Coimbra, Portugal) have been selected as emerging finalists.

Each of these works promotes and serves as a reference for local policies in cities, as they create inclusive and high quality living environments. They transform and improve the living conditions of rather small communities in areas that have been neglected, such as former industrial areas, small rural villages and urban peripheries. The works in the larger cities are carried out in rather peripheral areas, creating strong connections to existing neighbourhoods. The seven works go beyond the paradigm of sustainability and dignify the everyday architecture in which we live, learn, meet, debate and enjoy.

Finalists

The 5 finalists in Architecture are the Plato Contemporary Art Gallery in Ostrava (Moravia-Silesia, CZ) by KWK Promes (Katowice, PL); the Study Pavilion on the Campus of the Technical University of Braunschweig (Lower Saxony, DE) by Gustav Düsing & Max Hacke (Berlin, DE); the Reggio School in Madrid (Comunidad de Madrid, ES) by ANDRES JAQUE / OFFICE FOR POLITICAL INNOVATION (Madrid, ES); the Renaissance of the Saint-François Convent in Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano / Santa Lucia de Tallà (Corsica, FR) by Amelia Tavella Architectes (Aix en Provence, FR); and the Häge in Lund (Scania County, SE) by Brendeland & Kristoffersen architects (Oslo, NO).

The 2 emerging finalists are the Gabriel García Márquez Library in Barcelona (Catalonia, ES) by SUMA arquitectura (Comunidad de Madrid, ES) and the Square and Tourist Office in Piódão (Centro de Portugal, PT) by Branco del Rio (Coimbra, PT).

The winners will be announced on 25 April 2024 during an event at the Centre for Information, Documentation and Exhibitions of the City, Architecture, Landscape and Urban Planning in Brussels (CIVA), in a conversation between the president of the international jury, Frédéric Druot, the director of the Mies van der Rohe Foundation, Anna Ramos, the director of the CIVA, Nikolaus Hirsch, and a representative of the European Commission.

The awards will then be presented on 13 and 14 May 2024 during the awards ceremony organised at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona.

The winner of the Architecture Prize and the Emerging Architecture Prize will receive a trophy and, respectively, the sum of EUR 60 000 and EUR 30 000. The finalists and project supporters (those who commissioned the work on the buildings) will also receive a sculpture recognising their essential contribution to contemporary architecture.

2.5 billion euros for the EU’s new cultural program

About the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture

The EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture/Mies van der Rohe Awards (EUmies Awards) is awarded every two years to works completed in the previous two years by architects from countries participating in Creative Europe.

The main objective of the award is to recognise and praise excellence and innovation in the field of architecture. It also aims to highlight the important contribution of European professionals to sustainable development and the transformation of the European built environment, investing in a high quality living environment for all.

More information: European Commission