2013 EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award: finalists unveiled

The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe have announced the five finalists who will compete for the 2013 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award. In total, 335 works in the 37 European countries which participate in the EU Culture programme were nominated for the award. An expert jury drew up the final shortlist (details below). The overall winner of the Prize, as well as the 'special mention' award for best emerging architect, will be announced in May, with an award ceremony on 6 June at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, Spain.

"I would like to congratulate all the architects who were nominated and the finalists in particular. We have an enormous wealth of talent in European architecture, which is a shining example of our dynamic cultural and creative sectors. 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," said Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth."

The five finalists are:

City Hall, Ghent, Belgium
Architects: Robbrecht en Daem architecten; Marie-José Van Hee architecten

Superkilen (intercultural urban park), Copenhagen, Denmark
BIG Bjarke Ingels Group; Topotek1; Superflex

Harpa - Reykjavik Concert Hall & Conference Centre, Reykjavik, Iceland
Batteríid Architects; Henning Larsen Architects; Studio Olafur Eliasson

House for Elderly People, Alcácer do Sal, Portugal
Aires Mateus Arquitectos

Metropol Parasol (cultural and commercial space), Seville, Spain
J. Mayer H.

These pictures are free to use in connection with the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award. High resolution versions of these pictures can be downloaded here.

City Hall, Ghent (photograph: Petra Decouttere)

Superkilen, Copenhagen (photograph: Superflex)

Harpa - Reykjavik Concert Hall & Conference Centre (photograph: Nic Lehoux)

House for Elderly People, Alcácer do Sal (photograph: FG+SG)

Metropol Parasol, Seville (photograph: David Franck)

Background

The architecture sector is at the heart of Europe's vibrant cultural and creative industries. It directly employs more than half a million people; over 12 million more are employed in the construction sector. The cultural and creative industries as a whole contribute up to 4.5% to the EU's GDP.

The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award highlights the contribution of European architects to the development of new ideas and technologies in contemporary urban development. Launched in 1987 and co-funded by the EU Culture Programme and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, the €60 000 Prize is the most prestigious in European architecture. It is awarded every other year for a work completed within the previous two years. This year’s ceremony is the 13th to take place since its launch.

Works nominated for the Prize are put forward by independent experts from all over Europe, as well as by the member associations of the Architects’ Council of Europe, national architects’ associations, and the advisory committee for the Prize.

The jury members who selected the 2013 finalists are: Wiel Arets, Chair of the jury/Wiel Arets Architects, Maastricht; Pedro Gadanho, Curator of Contemporary Architecture, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York; Antón García-Abril, Ensamble Studio, Madrid; Louisa Hutton, Sauerbruch Hutton Architects, Berlin; Kent Martinussen, CEO, The Danish Architecture Center (DAC), Copenhagen; Frédéric Migaryou, Director, Architecture & Design, Centre Pompidou, Paris; Ewa Porębska, Editor-in-Chief, Architektura-murator, Warsaw; and Giovanna Carnevali, Secretary of the Jury/Director, Fundació Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona.

The Prize is named after Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who is regarded as one of the pioneers of 20th century modern architecture. His most celebrated works include the German Pavilion at the 1929 Barcelona Exhibition, Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic, the Seagram Building in New York and the National Gallery in Berlin.

The complete list of 335 works can be downloaded by clicking on the countries below:

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Turkey and United Kingdom.

Previous winners include:

Neues Museum, Berlin, Germany by David Chipperfiel/David Chipperfield Architects, in collaboration with Julian Harrap

Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, Oslo, Norway by SNØHETTA / Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Tarald Lundevall, Craig Dykers

Netherlands Embassy Berlin, Germany by OMA / Rem Koolhaas, Ellen van Loon

Kursaal Centre, San Sebastián, Spain by Rafael Moneo

Car Park and Terminus Hoenheim North, Strasbourg, France by Zaha Hadid/ Zaha Hadid Architects

Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria by Peter Zumthor

Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, France by Dominique Perrault

Stansted Airport, London, United Kingdom by Norman Foster / Norman Foster + Partners

Banco Borges e Irmão, Vila do Conde, Portugal by Álvaro Siza Vieira