Top 40 Architecture Works On The Race for the 2017 EU MIES AWARD!

The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe have announced the shortlisted works that will compete for the 2017 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award. The 7 members of the Jury – Stephen Bates, Gonçalo Byrne, Peter Cachola Schmal, Pelin Derviş, Dominique Jakob, Juulia Kauste and Małgorzata Omilanowska – have chosen 40 works which highlight the opportunities and the trends of today’s European territory: cities, housing, heritage and memory.

Bruselas, BE NAVEZ - 5 social units as Northern entrance of Brusselsf

There are 4 works shortlisted in France, 4 in Portugal and 4 in the United Kingdom; 3 in Denmark, Spain, Finland, The Netherlands and Norway; 2 in Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Turkey; and 1 in Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Sweden.

The five finalists will be announced in mid-February and the Winner and the Emerging Architect in mid-May. The Award Ceremony will take place on 26 May 2017 at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona.

355 works were nominated for the award and an expert Jury drew up the final shortlist.-

NAVEZ-5 social units as Northern entrance of Brusselsf	Belgium, Brussels
Polyvalent Infrastructure	Belgium, Spa
European Hansemuseum	Germany, Lübeck
Barn	Germany, Fergitz
Kannikegården	Denmark, Ribe
Kvæsthus Pier	Denmark, Copenhague
Skjern River Pump Stations	Denmark, Skjern
Museum of the Royal Collections	Spain, Madrid
House 1014	Spain, Granollers,
Collective housing for elderly people and civic and health centre	Spain, Barcelona
Suvela Chapel	Finland, Espoo
Opinmäki School	Finland, Espoo
Puukuokka Housing Block (house 1)	Finland, Jyväskylä
Community Workshop	France, Poigny-la-Forêt
59 Dwellings, Neppert Gardens Social Housing	France, Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin
THE RIVESALTES MEMORIAL MUSEUM	France, Ribesaltes
Ariane futsal sports complex	France, Niza
Model School Inchicore	Ireland, Dublin
Merrion Cricket Pavilion	Ireland, Dublin
Fondazione Prada	Italy, Milan
Rasu Houses	Lithuania, Vilnius
Landmark Nieuw-Bergen	The Netherlands, Nieuw-Bergen
Timmerhuis	The Netherlands, Rotterdam
deFlat Kleiburg	The Netherlands, Amsterdam
Weekend House at Sildegarnsholmen	Norway, Herøy
Moholt 50I50 - Timber Towers	Norway, Trondheim
Eldhusøya Tourist Route Project	Norway, Averøy
Katyn Museum	Poland, Varsovia
House in Oeiras	Portugal, Oeiras
Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology	Portugal, Lisboa
EDP Headquarters	Portugal, Lisboa
Nadir Afonso Museum for Contemporary Art	Portugal, Chaves
Take a(l)titude	Romania, Fagaras Mountain
Östermalm's Temporary Market Hall	Sweden, Stockholm
Angelos Organic Olive Oil Mill	Turkey, Bademli Dikili, Izmir
Beyazıt State Library Renovation	Turkey, Istanbul
Holmes Road Studios	UK, London
Shepherdess Walk Housing	UK, London
Ely Court	UK, London
Granby Four Streets	UK, Liverpool

A third of the works selected tackle the challenge of contemporary architecture in relation with built heritage, in line with the priorities of the 2018 'European Year of Cultural Heritage’, which include the management of the historic urban landscape. It is also very significant that a third of the work tackles the contemporary challenges of housing.

Furthermore, the Jury members underlined that the group of 40 exceptional works show a decrease in iconic architecture projects. They also highlighted the mix of uses of the works and the prevalence of Housing projects (14) and Cultural facilities (11). Education, accommodation, industry, sport, offices, landscape, mixed-use and social welfare are also present.

In Barcelona, an exhibition with the 355 nominated works can already be visited at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB).

The Jury is composed by:

- Stephen Bates, Chairman of the Jury, architect, born in 1964, UK
Principal, Sergison Bates architects, London – Zurich
- Gonçalo Byrne, architect, born in 1941, Portugal
Principal, Gonçalo Byrne Arquitectos
- Peter Cachola Schmal, architect, born in 1960, Germany
Director of the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) in Frankfurt am Main
- Pelin Derviş, architect, born in 1967, Turkey
Independent researcher, editor and curator
- Dominique Jakob, architect, born in 1966, France
Principal, Jakob+MacFarlane
- Juulia Kauste, Sociologist, born in 1967, Finland
Director of the Suomen arkkitehtuurimuseo in Helsinki
- Małgorzata Omilanowska, art historian and politician, born in 1960, Poland
Professor at the University of Gdansk

On the attitude beyond the difficult task of assessing projects for the award, Stephen Bates, Chairman of the Jury, explains

“I would want the shortlisted schemes to demonstrate an interest in making places, in exploring convention and known typologies, in celebrating the pleasures of everyday use by a consideration of detail and an unspoken resistance to the current global tendency towards a self-referential architecture, one that belies context and the act of inhabitation.”

Michel Magnier, Director of Culture and Creativity at the European Commission, highlights about the selection

“I am very pleased to see that the richness and diversity of European architecture is once again symbolised and summarized in the impressive short list produced by the jury of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award. I am looking forward to the results of the selections, hoping that some of those beautiful projects of today will become tomorrow's heritage”.

Daniel Mòdol, President of the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, underlines

“The set of 40 selected works reflects the importance of the new generations of architects who have come strongly to the fore in this edition to show how architecture addresses and provides solutions for a broad diversity of issues related to the city and society, to housing, to cultural facilities, to memory and identity, to refurbishment or new buildings, in a convocation that echoes this diversity more than ever."