The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture “Mies van der Rohe Award” is awarded every two years to support excellence in the field of architecture. Between the two editions two exhibitions and the Prize catalogue travel around Europe allowing the European public to see exhibits on the winning buildings in their own cities.

Projects which were awarded 2009 EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture are now travelling all over the European Union. The travelling exhibitions have been presented so far in museums and institutions in Spain, Austria, France, Germany, Norway, Belgium, Italy, Bulgaria, Poland and Estonia.

One version of the exhibition features audiovisuals and texts, drawings and photographs of each work presented which include the works awarded the Prize as well as the Special Mention and the shortlisted selection of the Jury. The other, larger-scale version, also includes models. These exhibitions, which have been already visited by more than 75,000 people, are intended to provide in-depth information for architectural professionals and students as well as the general public.

A catalogue is also published that includes extensive documentation about all the works selected by the Jury along with articles by the members of the Jury and institutional presentations. The catalogue and the travelling exhibitions represent a unique panorama of the development of contemporary European architecture. It serves as an anthology of some of the best work produced during each two-year award cycle.

European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture Mies van der Rohe

The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture Mies van der Rohe is an initiative of the European Commission funded under EU Culture Programme, which is organised by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe. The principal objectives of the Prize are to recognise and commend excellence in the field of architecture and to draw attention to the important contribution of European professionals in the development of new concepts and technologies. The Prize also sets out to promote the profession by encouraging architects working throughout the entire European Union and by supporting young architects as they set off on their careers.

The 2011 edition of the Prize is currently being prepared, and the award ceremony of the Mies van der Rohe Prize is expected to take place in Barcelona in May, as it was the case in previous editions.