Since architecture, of course, requires the maximum material investment of all types of fine arts, the role of the customer of this or that prominent building is sometimes difficult to overestimate. It takes not only courage from him - since the use of the original project is always associated with a certain risk - but also a flair that allows him to sometimes become a co-author of an architect from a client.
It is these customers that are highlighted by the international Dedalo-Minosse award, named after the most famous - though most likely nonexistent - architect and customer of antiquity.
The 2007/2008 season is the seventh in the lifetime of the award, and it is now also celebrating ten years since its inception; this time 547 projects from 36 countries applied for it.
The awards ceremony took place at the Teatro Olimpico by Andrea Palladio, a building as innovative as it is magnificent, commissioned in 1579 by the Accademia Olimpica, an association of artists and enlightened aristocrats.
The main award this year was awarded to the construction company Hobag SpA for the residential area on the Adriatic coast "Jesolo Lido Village", designed by Richard Mayer. Attention to the natural landscape and the maximum use of the bright subtropical sun is combined in this ensemble with a thoughtful distribution of the height of individual buildings, a combination of public and private space and various functions within a single complex.
The Diocese of Turin and Cardinal Severino Poletto for the Church of Santo Volto in Turin, the work of Mario Botta, received an honorary "jubilee" award in honor of the tenth anniversary of the award. This sacred building was erected in a new area, created on the territory of the former industrial zone, which is reflected in the appearance of the temple.
The international Dedalo - Minosse OCCAM (UN Cultural and Audiovisual) Prize was awarded to the client for work with an architect under 40 years old, who commissioned the design of the Hiroshima Holocaust Center to 33-year-old Keisuke Maeda, head of the UID Architects workshop.
A special GranitiFiandre prize was awarded to BMW for the Zaha Hadid-designed administrative building of its Leipzig plant.
The Eurotherm prize was awarded to the developer ICE Development and the construction company Ballast Nedam for the FiftyTwoDegrees business innovation center in Nijmegen, a project by the Mekano bureau.
The Province of Vicenza has presented its award to the Catholic Sanctuary of Our Lady in the Portuguese city of Fatima, where the construction of one of the world's largest churches, designed by Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, was completed last year.
Vicenza Municipality awarded the management of the Estonian Museum of Art in Tallinn, who implemented the project for the new building of this institution by Vapaavuori Architects.
A special jury prize was awarded to PKV-Stroy for the Pirogovo resort complex on the Klyazminskoye reservoir, designed by Totan Kuzembaev.
