This year, notable buildings that have already received widespread press coverage and have become laureates of other awards are nominated for the EU architectural award.
Among them - the multifunctional center at the end of the tram line in Nice by Marc Barany, awarded last year by the French "Silver Square", and the educational building of the University of Luigi Bocconi in Milan by the Irish bureau Grafton, which became the winner of the first edition of the International Festival of Architecture.
The National Opera House in Oslo, workshop "Snøhetta", also became a laureate in his functional nomination there. The shortlist of the award also includes the Zenit concert hall in Strasbourg by Massimiliano Fuksas and the RCR Aranda Pigem Vilalta Arquitectes social complex in Barcelona.
The organizers emphasize the high level of all five projects, their originality, innovation and relevance, as well as their attention to context. This is not only in line with the spirit of the award, but also becomes an important addition to the program of celebrations for 2009, declared the “European Year of Creativity and Innovation”.
Five finalists were selected from 340 projects submitted to the jury by the national associations of architects of the EU countries and the advisory committee of the award. The name of the winner will be determined in May.
The Mies van der Rohe Prize is awarded every two years for the best construction completed in Europe during those two years. A special prize is also awarded to an aspiring architect.
