Awards ceremony of the European Prize of Architecture
The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe will give the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture Mies van der Rohe Award 2009, to the architects behind the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, Oslo, Norway: Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Tarald Lundevall, Craig Dykers, of Snøhetta,on May 28th.
The EC will also give a Special Mention for Emerging Architect to Lea Pelivan and Toma Plejic, of STUDIO UP, for the Gymnasium 46° 09' N / 16° 50' E building in Koprivnica, Croatia. The awards ceremony will take place at Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, in Barcelona, Spain.
The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture Mies van der Rohe Award is granted every two years by the European Union and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe to acknowledge and reward quality architectural production in Europe. The winner proyect, the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, is the first element of the transformation of the Bay Area in Oslo which aims to reconnect the city with its waterfront, and, in addition, it provides a building for opera and ballet of the highest international level.
The announcement of the winner was made online at the European Commission and Fundació Mies van der Rohe websites by the European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, Ján Figel and Francis Rambert, Chair of the Jury.
Candidates for the award are put forward by a broad group of independent experts from all over Europe, as well as from the architects' associations that form part of the European Council of Architects and other European national architects' associations. The award consists of a cash prize of 60,000€ and a sculpture evoking Mies van der Rohe's German Pavilion. The Special Mention is endowed with 20,000€ and a sculpture evoking the pavilion.
Moreover, a travelling exhibition and catalogue featuring the works chosen by the Jury – including those of the Prize Winner, the Special Mention, the finalists and the shortlisted works – will be presented in September this year.
By supporting the prize, the European Commission underlines the role of architecture as a driving force for creativity and innovation that opens up culture to audiences beyond national borders. this fact is specially relevant this year, as stimulating new ideas and bringing out entrepreneurial efforts are key parts of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009. With this prize it wants to draw attention to the contribution by European professionals to the development of new ideas and technologies that impact Europeans' everyday life.