The European Union Architecture Prize was awarded for the reconstruction of the Kleiburg apartment building in Amsterdam - an 11-storey building with 500 apartments, 400 meters long. Now called deFlat Kleiburg, it has been transformed by NL Architects (2005 Emerging Architects Award winners) and XVW architectuur into a modern, affordable housing with flexible layouts and a completely renovated ground floor linking the formerly alienated building to the street and landscape. At the same time, a minimum of measures were taken, which preserved the appearance of the building and allowed it to remain within the "social" budget (1200 euros per square meter, apartments are rented out without finishing).
The jury of the award noted the project as a response to the housing crisis in many European cities, when new houses are built every year, but no one thinks about the types of housing that are needed. Reconstruction of "Kleyburg" demonstrates the possibility of changing, updating the old typology in accordance with the needs of the time, which is no less important than experiments with new construction. Archi.ru wrote more about deFlat Kleiburg
here and here.
The Prize for Emerging Architects was awarded to MSA and V + for the Navez social home in the northern Brussels suburb of Schaerbeek. On an area of 800 m2, there are 5 apartments with a difference in level for large families. In addition to its direct function, it also serves as a local landmark (the customer, the municipality, aspired to this), standing out among the buildings of the first half of the 20th century with a facade of patterned white brickwork and a streamlined shape.
The jury of the award noted the high quality of the apartments, despite the modest budget: a well-thought-out layout, views - and light - from windows in three directions, protection from street noise, resource efficiency.
The laureates will be awarded on May 26 at the Barcelona Pavilion of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Winners of the main award will receive 60,000 euros, and prizes for emerging architects - 20,000 euros. The ceremony will be preceded by open house days (20-25 May) in award-winning buildings that have reached the final of the award.
