According to the organizers - the European Commission for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Affairs and the Mies van der Rohe Foundation, the award should support the architectural "industry" in a recession situation, because architectural firms not only play a significant role in the economy and create jobs, but also their own through creativity, they bring beauty and "cohesion" to the life of society. The Creative Europe program, which is currently being created by the commission, is aimed at the same goal.
This time 335 buildings from 37 EU countries were nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Prize. From this mass of options, a jury chaired by Will Arets selected five buildings. As is often the case with major architectural awards, the shortlist is made up of a wide variety of projects, but all of them are more or less socially related.
The most notable of these is the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, designed by Henning Larsen's bureau in cooperation with Olafur Eliasson, who created a "crystalline" façade for it. Before Harpa came to Iceland, despite its diverse musical culture, there was no real concert hall. The grave consequences of the global crisis did not prevent its construction: the government launched this project in the hope that it will revive the country's economy and cheer up residents (among other things, the building has a spectacular foyer with cafes and shops, which serves as a full-fledged public space).
The high quality of the acoustics and the versatility of Harpa (the building can also be used as a conference center) have allowed Reykjavik to host world-class musical performers and productions, as well as to become a venue for international congresses.
Smaller but no less vibrant, Metropol Parasol, Seville, by J. Mayer H. Architects. Concrete pillars support a complex structure of polyurethane-coated timber beams. The Umbrella doubles the public space of the Piazza Encarnación: in addition to a shaded area at ground level, it provides residents with 4,500 m2 of its upper surface with a cafe and an observation platform.
Also, the creators of "Superkilen" - bureaus BIG, Topotek1 and Superflex took care of the urban public space. This open area (30,000 m2) is located in the Nørrebro district of Copenhagen, one of the most disadvantaged and at the same time ethnically diverse urban formations in Denmark. Multifunctional equipment of this space, art objects reminiscent of the native countries of the residents of the area, as well as a bright pavement distinguish this project from many similar ones.
The “market” in Ghent (Robbrecht en Daem architecten and MJosé Van Hee architects), despite its “monumentality”, is also a kind of public space design: in essence, it is a canopy that shelters the citizens from the sun and rain. It complements the Gothic ensemble of the main town square, and its shape and wood as the main material are reminiscent of traditional architecture. The functional content is contained in its "basement", where there are a cafe, a bicycle parking, a public toilet. The tree is covered with a glass "case" from bad weather.
The only non-community project on the shortlist is a residential complex for seniors in Alcacer do Sal in southern Portugal. Bureau Aires Mateus Arquitectos tried to take into account the need of residents at the same time in privacy and communication, possible difficulties with movement and other features of their life in the new building, remaining in the mainstream of the Portuguese school of architecture.
The name of the winner will be announced in May 2013 and the awards ceremony will take place on June 6 at the Barcelona pavilion of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The prize has been awarded every two years since 1987 and is being held for the 13th time this year. The prize amount is 60,000 euros.
