Mies van der Rohe Award 2013 shortlist announced
News: five buildings have been shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, the Mies van der Rohe Award 2013, including a nursing home in Portugal (above) and the Harpa Concert and Conference Centre in Iceland.
The Mies van der Rohe Award is the most prestigious accolade in European architecture and is awarded to the best building completed in the last two years by a European architect. The five finalists competing for the €60 000 prize are:
» City Hall, Ghent, Belgium, by Robbrecht en Daem architecten and Marie-José Van Hee architecten
» Superkilen, Copenhagen, Denmark, by BIG Bjarke Ingels Group; Topotek1; Superflex
» House for Elderly People, Alcácer do Sal, Portugal, by Aires Mateus Arquitectos
» Metropol Parasol, Seville, Spain, by J. Mayer H.
Above: Harpa Concert and Conference Centre Reykjavík by Batteríid architects, Henning Larsen Architects and Studio Olafur Eliasson
The winner will be announced in May, alongside an award for best emerging architect, and the prizes will be handed out at an award ceremony on 6 June at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, Spain.
Above: Metropol Parasol by J. Mayer H.
"We have an enormous wealth of talent in European architecture, which is a shining example of our dynamic cultural and creative sectors," said Androulla Vassiliou, the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.
She continued: "At the same time, we recognise that the architecture industry faces significant challenges resulting from the economic slowdown. The European Commission and Mies van der Rohe Foundation are committed to supporting the sector which makes a significant contribution to the economy and job creation, as well as being a creator of beauty and force for cohesion for our society. We will continue to support architecture, including through this prize, through the future Creative Europe programme."
Above: Superkilen by BIG, Topotek1 and Superflex
A total of 335 works in 37 European countries were nominated for the thirteenth biennial award. Previous winners include David Chipperfield's Neus Museum in Berlin (2011) and Snøhetta's Opera House in Oslo (2009). See more stories about the Mies van der Rohe Award.
The award is named after pioneering twentieth-century architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969), whose most celebrated works include the Seagram Building in New York and the 1929 Barcelona Pavilion, which Spanish architect Andrés Jaque recently filled with junk for a temporary exhibition.
Above: City Hall by Robbrecht en Daem architecten and Marie-José Van Hee architecten