Edited by: Eugenia Gotti – Architecture Department Editor – eugenia.gotti@positive-magazine.com
Translition Assistant: Bianca Baroni
What : Mies van der Rhoe Award
COMPETITION
Superkilen
After two years, here we go. Again.
The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture (also called Mies van der Rohe Award) selects the five projects for the 2013 shortlist.
a. City Hall, Ghent, Belgium; Robbrecht en Daem architecten; Marie-José Van Hee architecten
b. Superkilen, Copenhagen, Denmark; BIG Bjarke Ingels Group; Topotek1; Superflex
c. Metropol Parasol, Seville, Spain; J. Mayer H.
d. House for Elderly People, Alcácer do Sal, Portugal; Aires Mateus Arquitectos.
e. Harpa – Reykjavik Concert Hall & Conference Centre, Reykjavik, Iceland; Batteríid architects; Henning Larsen Architects; Studio Olafur Eliasson.
House for Elderly People
The main issue of the prize, as we can read in the brief ‘s rules, is the role of architecture for the community. This is the reason why the projects selected are so different in terms of topic, space, approach and function.
Harpa
“The Prize highlights the achievements of European architects and provides citizens as well as public institutions with the opportunity to reach a better understanding of the importance of architecture in the construction of cities and communities.” (Brief)
City Hall
The juries seems divided between the importance of legibility, the nature of landmark (Superkilen, Superkilen, Harpa) and the value of a silent approach, hidden into the texture of the city, that work from the bottom to move deeply the habits of the citizen (House for elderly people and City hall).
Metropol Parasol
Is it a sign?
In 2011, the winning project was the Neues Museum in Berlin, by David Chipperfield Architects. Before him (in the past 15 years) Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, Rafael Moneo, Peter Zumthor, Dominique Perrault, Sir Norman Foster, Alvaro Siza.
Neues Museum
The Archistar’s fashion could not be longer fashionable?
Embassy of the Netherlands, OMA/Rem Koolhaas
Car Park and Terminus Hoenheim North, Zaha Hadid
A total of 335 works in 37 European countries were nominated for the award. The overall winner of the prize, as well as the special mention award for best emerging architect, will be announced in May.
We’ll see.
@EugeniaGotti
