PRESS DOSSIER - Fundació Mies van der Rohe

PRESS DOSSIER 

Barcelona, April 2007

European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture 

Mies van der Rohe Award 2007 

MUSAC – Contemporary Art Museum of Castilla y León 

MUSAC - Museo de arte contemporáneo de Castilla y León 

León, Spain 

Luis M. Mansilla, Emilio Tuñón 

Mansilla + Tuñón 

Awarded Work 

On a vast urban plan, MUSAC draws the scenario for art with the same optimistic attitude used by the 

Roman surveyors to sketch their cities in the landscape. In contrast to other types of museums that 

focus on the exhibition of frozen historic collections, MUSAC is a living space that opens its doors to 

the wide-ranging manifestations of contemporary art. This is an art centre that constructs a set of 

chessboards on which the action is the protagonist of the space; a structure that develops from an 

open system, formed by a fabric of squares and rhombi, and permitting the construction of a secret 

geography of memory. 

MUSAC is a new space for culture, regarded as something that visualises the connections between 

man and nature. 

A cluster of chained but independent rooms permit exhibitions of differing sizes and types. Each of the 

jaggedly shaped rooms constructs a continuous yet spatially differentiated area that opens onto the 

other rooms and courtyards, providing longitudinal, transversal and diagonal views. Five hundred 

prefab beams enclose a series of spaces that feature systematic repetition and formal 

expressiveness. 

Outside, the public space takes on a concave shape to hold the activities and encounters, embraced 

by large coloured glass in homage to the city as the place for interpersonal relationships. Inside, a 

large area of continuous, different spaces, spattered with courtyards and large skylights, shapes an 

expressive system that speaks to us of the interest shared by architecture and art: the contemporary 

manifestation of the variable and the perennial, of equality and difference, of universality and 

transience, an echo of our own diversity and equality as people. 

In its size, as a single-storey building with white concrete walls and large coloured glazing seen from 

the outside, MUSAC strives to be a space where art is at ease and helps to erase the boundaries 

between private and public; between work and leisure; and between art and life. 

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MUSAC - Contemporary Art Museum of Castilla y León Credits 

Client: Castilla y León Regional Goverment, Gesturcal SA 

Collaborators: Andres Regueiro, Ainoa Prats, Clara Moneo, Jaime Gimeno, Katrien Vertenten, Luis 

Diaz Mauriño, Matilde Peralta, Ricardo Lorenzana, Teresa Cruz 

Technical Architects: Arcadio Conde, Juan Carlos Corona, Santiago Hernán 

Consultants: JG Asociados 

Structural Engineering: Gogaite / Alfonso Gomez Gaite 

Construction Company: MUSAC UTE, FCC & TECONSA 

Luis M. Mansilla and Emilio Tuñón Curriculum Vitae 

1990 Office of Mansilla+Tuñón established in Madrid 

http://www.mansilla-tunon.com 

Luis M. Mansilla 

1959 Born in Madrid 

1982 Diploma in Architecture, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid (ETSAM) 

1984 Prix de Rome, Academia Española de Bellas Artes, Roma 

Since 1989 Professor, ETSAM 

1998 Doctorate, ETSAM 

1998 Visiting Professor, Städelschule, Frankfurt 

2005 Visiting Professor, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) 

2006 Elliott Noyes Professor, Graduate School of Design (GSD), Harvard University, Cambridge, 

Massachusetts 

Emilio Tuñón 


1981 Diploma in Architecture, ETSAM 

Since 1986 Professor, ETSAM 

1998 Visiting Professor, Städelschule, Frankfurt 

2000 Visiting Professor, Universidad Politécnica de Puerto Rico 

2005 Visiting Professor, EPFL 

2006 Elliott Noyes Professor, GSD 

Major Competitions 

2002 1 st Prize: Cantabria Museum, Vaguada de las Llamas, Spain 

2002 1 st Prize: Royal Collection Museum, Madrid 

2003 1 st Prize: Masterplan of Valbuena Area, Logroño, Spain 

2004 1 st Prize: Lalín City Council, Spain 

2005 1 st Prize: Helga de Alvear Visual Arts Centre, Cáceres, Spain 

Awards and Distinctions 

2001 Premi FAD: Castellón Fine Arts Museum, Spain 

2002 III Bienal Iberoamericana de Arquitectura: Prize for Publications - CIRCO 

2003 Premio Nacional de Arquitectura Española: León Auditorium 

2005 Premio ENOR: MUSAC 

2006 Premio VIA 

Major Works 

1996 Zamora Museum, Spain 

1998 Indoor Swimming Pool, San Fernando de Henares, Spain 

2000 Castellón Fine Arts Museum, Spain 

2002 León Auditorium 

2002 Regional Documentary Centre, Madrid 

3

Faculty of Mathematics 

Fakulteta za matematiko 

Ljubljana, Slovenia 

Matija Bevk, Vasa J. Perović 

Bevk Perović arhitekti 



Emerging Architect Special Mention 

The new building for the Faculty of Mathematics, built in the University area of the city of Ljubljana, is 

not a building in a standard sense of the word. It is, in fact, an addition, a three-storey slab built on top 

of the existing two-storey building. The design concept is based on the development of the idea of 

public spaces as a series of transparent 'rooms', carved out of the building mass and hovering above 

the city. 

At first glance a formally simple architecture is precisely formulated, whether one looks at the 

programmatic organisation or at the tactile treatment of surfaces. The elegant glass skin, 

screenprinted with different densities of the same pattern, articulates the programmatic structure 

behind (different densities of the pattern correspond to different lighting conditions). 

Simultaneously, seemingly random prints appear as if they are forming together an independent 

overall surface of the building. Only the public and communal spaces of the school have a glass skin 

without a printed pattern, thus establishing a dialogue between the interior and the city beyond. 

4

Faculty of Mathematics Credits 



Client: University of Ljubljana 

Collaborators: Maja Valič, Nika Prešeren, Robert Loher 

Structure: Elea iC / Angelo Žigon, Marko Pavlinek, Jana Pribaković 

Mechanical: Celarc / Tomi Celarc 

Electrical: Eldata / Borut Glavnik 

Management: Loka Invest 

Construction Companies: GPG (General Contractor), Reflex (Elevation) 

Matija Bevk and Vasa J. Perović Curriculum Vitae 

1997 Office of Bevk Perović Arhitekti established in Ljubljana 

http://www.bevkperovic.com 

Matija Bevk 

1972 Born in Ljubljana 

1999 Diploma in Architecture, Fakulteta za Arhitekturo, Univerza v Ljubljani 

Vasa J. Perović 

1965 Born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia 

1992 Diploma in Architecture, Arhitektonski Fakultet, Belgrade 

1994 Master of Architecture, Berlage Institute, Amsterdam 

Major Competitions 

1998 2 nd Prize: National Opera and Ballet, Ljubljana 

1998 2 nd Prize: City Museum, Ljubljana 

2002 1 st Prize: Social Housing, Maribor, Slovenia 

2005 1 st Prize: Nonprofit Housing Brdo, Ljubljana 

2006 2 nd Prize: Social Housing Polje II, Ljubljana 

Awards and Distinctions 

2005 Prešeren Award – National Prize for Culture: Works 2002-05 

2005 Plečnik Prize for Architecture: Social Housing Polje, Ljubljana 

2005 Piranesi Award: Social Housing Polje 

2006 Golden Pencil, Slovenian Chamber of Architects: Student Housing Poljane, Ljubljana 

2006 Kunstpreis Berlin Förderungspreis 2006, Akademie der Künste, Germany 

Major Works 

2003 Royal Dutch Embassy Residence, Ljubljana 

2004 House SB, Ljubljana 

2005 Social Housing Polje, Ljubljana 

2006 House H, Ljubljana 

2006 Student Housing Poljane, Ljubljana 

5



Information: Other six finalists for the 2007 Award 

In addition to the MUSAC, the jury of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – 

Mies van der Rohe Award 2007, chaired by architect Ricky Burdett and formed by Peter Cachola 

Schmal, Beth Galí, Bettina Götz, Luis Fernández Galiano, Ellen van Loon, Mohsen Mostafavi, Francis 

Rambert, Dietmar Steiner and Lluís Hortet as secretary, selected six other finalists as candidates for 

the Award, one of the most important and prestigious on the international architecture scene. This 

selection is a faithful reflection of the principal objective underlying the Award, namely to acknowledge 

excellent and innovative projects characterised by high-quality construction. 

Sines Arts Centre, Sines, Portugal 

Centro de Artes de Sines 

Francisco Aires Mateus, Manuel Aires Mateus / Aires Mateus e Associados 

Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart, Germany 

Ben van Berkel / UNStudio 

America’s Cup Building, Valencia, Spain 

Edifici Veles e Vents 

David Chipperfield / David Chipperfield Architects 

Fermín Vázquez / b720 Arquitectos 

Phæno Science Centre, Wolfsburg, Germany 

Phæno – Die Experimentierlandschaff 

Zaha Hadid / Zaha Hadid Architects 

School for Management, Bordeaux, France 

Pôle universitaire de sciences de gestion 

Anne Lacaton, Jean Philippe Vassal / Lacaton & Vassal Architectes 

National Choreographic Centre, Aix-en-Provence, France 

Centre chorégraphique nationale 

Rudy Ricciotti / Rudy Ricciotti architecte 

6

Sines Arts Centre 

Centro de Artes de Sines 

Sines, Portugal 



Francisco Aires Mateus, Manuel Aires Mateus 

Aires Mateus e Associados 

The Art Centre is situated at the start of the main street linking the town of Sines to the sea and 

marking the traditional entrance to the historic nucleus. The wide-raging programme - including 

exhibition rooms, a library, theatre and a documentation centre - calls for the whole site to be 

occupied, enveloping the street below ground level and adapting its exterior volume to the 

monumental scale of the castle walls. The four modules are set out on the upper floors in parallel 

bands interspersed with patios. The decks were hung from a bridge-like structure supported on the 

perimetral walls alone. This system allows a spatial configuration on the basement level that is 

adapted to the dimensions of the common areas and at street level it guarantees an unbroken view 

across the inside of the building, thereby including its activities in the daily life of the town. 

1988 Office of Aires Mateus & Associados established in Lisbon 

http://www.airesmateus.com 

Manuel Aires Mateus 

1963 Born in Lisbon 

1986 Diploma in Architecture, Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (FAUTL) 

1986-98 Professor, FAUTL 

Since 1997 Professor, Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa 

Since 1998 Professor, Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa (UAL) 

2001-06 Visiting Professor, Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio (AAM) 

2002-06 Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Design (GSD), Harvard University, Cambridge 

2005 Visiting Professor, Fakulteta za Arhitekturo, Univerza v Ljubljani, Ljubljana 

Francisco Aires Mateus 

1964 Born in Lisbon 

1987 Diploma in Architecture, FAUTL 

1998-06 Professor, UAL 

2001-06 Visiting Professor, AAM 

2002-04 Visiting Professor, GSD 

Major Works 

2002 Commercial Centre Carmen Frova, Venice 

2003 New Lisbon Central Library 

2003 Hotel and Apartment Buildings, Dublin 

2005 Hotel and Housing Facilities, Óbidos, Portugal 

2006 Aquapura Touristic Resort, Otsevo, Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) 

7

Mercedes-Benz Museum 

Stuttgart, Germany 

Ben van Berkel 

UNStudio 



The Mercedes-Benz Museum intricately combines structure and content. The Museum is specifically 

devised to showcase a collection in which technology, adventure, attractiveness and distinction are 

merged. It is also a Museum for people to freely move through. Lastly, it is a Museum for the city, a 

new landmark to celebrate the enduring passion of Stuttgart’s most famous inventor and 

manufacturer. The structure of the 25,000 m² museum is based on a trefoil; both in its internal 

organisation and in its outward expression this geometry responds to the car-driven context of the 

Museum. In its materialisation the museum reproduces the values that we associate with Mercedes- 

Benz: technological advancement, intelligence, and stylishness. 

1988 Office of UNStudio established in Amsterdam 

http://www.unstudio.com 


1957 Born in Utrecht 

1987 Diploma in Architecture, Architectural Association (AA), London 

1991-93 Visiting Professor, Columbia University, New York 

1997-99 Master of Architecture, AA 

2000 Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Design (GSD), Harvard University, Cambridge, 

Massachusetts 

2000-02 Visiting Professor, Princeton University, Princeton 

2001 Professor of Conceptual Design, Staedelschule, Frankfurt am Main 

Major Works 

1996 Erasmus Bridge, Rotterdam 

1998 Mobius House, Het Gooi, The Netherlands 

1999 Het Valkhof Museum, Nijmegen, The Netherlands 

2002 Electrical Substation, Innsbruck, Austria 

2004 Galleria Department Store, Seoul, South Korea 

8

America’s Cup Building 


Valencia, Spain 





The centrepiece of the reorganisation of Valencia's industrial port, the Veles e Vents building provides 

a central base for all America's Cup teams and sponsors, as well as being a venue for the public to 

view the races. The 10,000 m² four-floor building is composed of a series of stacked and shifting 

horizontal planes that provide shade and uninterrupted views extending out to sea. The ground floor 

acts as the reception area for the VIP facilities and has a canal-facing restaurant open to the public. 

The first floor is public with retail facilities and a generous viewing deck that connects to the park. The 

second and third floors house the VIP facilities: including the restaurant 'Foredeck Club'. The building 

is a concrete structure with deep cantilevered floor slabs creating the unobstructed and shaded 

viewing decks that surround all the floors which are connected with large external staircases and 

ramps. 

1984 Office of David Chipperfield Architects established in London 

http://www.davidchipperfield.co.uk 

David Chipperfield 

1953 Born in London 

1977 Diploma in Architecture, Architectural Association, London 

1987-88 Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Design (GSD), Harvard University, Cambridge, 

Massachusetts 

1992 Visiting Professor, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Austria 

1993-94 Visiting Professor, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne 

1995-2001 Professor, Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Kunst, Stuttgart 

2001 Mies van der Rohe Chair, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona 

Major Works 

1997 River and Rowing Museum, Henley-on-Thames, UK 

2002 Ernsting Service Centre, Coesfeld-Lette, Germany 

2005 Villaverde Social Housing, Madrid 

2006 Des Moines Public Library, Iowa 

2006 Museum of Modern Literature, Marbach am Neckar, Germany 

1997 Office of b720 Arquitectos established in Barcelona 

http://www.b720.com 

Fermín Vázquez 


1987 Diploma in Architecture, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid 

2001 Mies van der Rohe Chair, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona 

2003 Workshop Tutor, École d’Architecture et Paisage de Bordeaux (with Xaveer de Geyter and Tania 

Concho) 

Major Works 

2001 MN19 Office Building, Barcelona 

2004 Corporative Office Building for Indra’s Headquarters, Barcelona 

2004 Fira Towers, Barcelona (with Toyo Ito) 

2005 Agbar Tower, Barcelona (with J. Nouvel) 

2005 Museo Nacional de Arte Reina Sofia Extension, Madrid (with J. Nouvel) 

9



Phæno Science Centre 


Wolfsburg, Germany 

Zaha Hadid 

Zaha Hadid Architects 

Located on a special site in the city of Wolfsburg the Phæno Science Centre is both the endpoint of a 

chain of important cultural buildings and a connecting link to the north bank of Volkswagen’s 

Autostadt. Volumetrically, the building is structured so that it maintains a large degree of transparency 

and porosity on the ground since the main volume of the exhibition space is raised, thus covering an 

outdoor public plaza with commercial and cultural functions residing in the structural concrete cones. 

Multiple threads of pedestrian and vehicular movement are pulled through the site both on an artificial 

ground landscape and inside the building, effectively composing an interface of movement paths. The 

predominant use of individually fabricated formwork elements and cast-in-situ concrete have made 

possible the jagged angles, looming curves, fractured planes and daring protrusions that characterise 

the building. 

1979 Office of Zaha Hadid Architects established in London 

http://www.zaha-hadid.com 

Zaha Hadid 

1950 Born in Baghdad, Iraq 

1971 Diploma in Mathematics, American University, Beirut, Lebanon 

1977 Diploma in Architecture, Architectural Association (AA), London 

1977-86 Unit Master, AA 

1987-93 Visiting Professor, Columbia University, New York 

1988-93 Kenzo Tange Chair, Graduate School of Design (GSD), Harvard University, Cambridge, 

Massachusetts 

Since 2004 Professor, Universität für angewandte Kunst, Vienna 

2000, 02, 04, 07 Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 

Major Works 

1993 Vitra Fire Station, Weil am Rhein, Germany 

2001 Car Park and Terminus Hoenheim North, Strasbourg 

2002 Bergisel Ski Jump, Innsbruck, Austria 

2003 Rosenthal Centre for Contemporary Art, Cincinnati, Ohio 

2005 Ordrupgaard Museum Extension, Copenhagen 

10



School for Management 


Bordeaux, France 

Anne Lacaton, Jean Philippe Vassal 

Lacaton & Vassal Architectes 

The spatial programme for the School of Management extends over four floors with the ground floor 

functioning as an initial level for the individual faculties. The main entrance leads directly to a large 

courtyard in the centre of the buiding from where independent vertical connections lead to the upper 

floors. On the first floor there are three lecture rooms which are glazed on the side facing the yards, as 

well as an information facility, a multimedia centre and classrooms for the basic courses. The floors 

above are divided into separate sections which house the various faculties, thus creating open spaces 

that allow additional natural light to reach the lower floors. The natural light is generous, controlled by 

the position of the louvres (open, closed, semi-closed), and all the rooms have a large view to the city 

or to the surrounding hill, or to the courtyards or patios. Continuous surrounding balconies with large 

containers of climbing roses, metal frames and screen railings enhance the facade on all floors. 

1987 Office of Lacaton & Vassal Architectes established in Bordeaux 

2000 Office moved to Paris 

Anne Lacaton 

1955 Born in Saint-Pardoux la Rivière, France 

1980 Diploma in Architecture, École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture et de Paysage de Bordeaux 

(ENSAP) 

1984 Diploma in Town Planning, Université de Bordeaux 

2003, 06 Visiting Professor, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne 

Jean Philippe Vassal 

1954 Born in Casablanca, Morocco 

1980 Diploma in Architecture, ENSAP, Bordeaux 

1992-99 Professor, ENSAP, Bordeaux 

2002-06 Visiting Professor, École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Versailles 

2005 Visiting Professor, Peter Behrens School of Architecture, Düsseldorf 

Major Works 

2001 University of Arts and Human Sciences, Grenoble 

2002 Palais de Tokyo, Paris 

2002 Office Building, Nantes 

2005 Social Housing, Mulhouse, France 

2006 Hall for Trade Fairs and Exhibition Centre, Paris 

11

National Choreographic Centre, 


Aix-en-Provence, France 

Rudy Ricciotti 

Rudy Ricciotti architecte 



The new National Choreagraphic Centre is located on a sloping and rather constricted site outside of 

Aix-en-Provence’s historical centre in an area undergoing urban regeneration. The 3000 m² building 

accomodates the dance company of Angelin Preljocaj and consists of office areas and four dance 

studios along with a theatre with capacity for some 400 persons. Designed in accordance with seismic 

regulations, the programmatic need for open floors completely free of columns required the shift of the 

structural load to the facade. Known as the ‘Black Pavilion’ for the predominant use of this colour on 

both the interior and the exterior, the facade is characterised by massive structural members in black 

concrete that criss cross asymmetrically over the surface allowing natural light into the glazed volume 

underneath. 

1980 Office of Rudy Ricciotti Architecte established in Bandol, France 

http://www.rudyricciotti.com 


1952 Born in Algiers, Algeria 

1975 Diploma in Architecture, École d’Ingeneurs de Genève 

1980 Diploma in Architecture, École Superieure d’Architecture, Marseille 

1995 Professor, École des Beaux Arts de Marseille 

1997-98 Visiting Professor, École Spéciale d’Architecture de Paris 

Major Works 

1994 Concert and Sports Stadium, Vitrolles, France 

1996 Secondary School, Saint Quen, France 

2000 Nickolaïsal Philharmonic Hall, Potsdam, Germany 

2003 Footbridge of Peace, Seoul, South Korea 

2006 University Paris VII : Rehabilitation of ‘Les Grands Moulins’ 

12



The jury has also singled out a further 33 works that, by virtue of their exceptional quality, will be 

included in the exhibition and catalogue about the 2007 Award. The jury has selected works from 

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, 

Slovenia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. A total of 272 projects from thirty two European 

countries finished between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2006 were proposed by a sizable 

group of independent international experts and the national associations of architects. 

Award-Winning Project 

MUSAC - Contemporary Art Museum of Castilla y León 

MUSAC - Museo de arte contemporáneo de Castilla y León 

León, Spain 

Mansilla + Tuñón 

Luis M. Mansilla, Emilio Tuñón 

Photo: Luis Asín Photo: Luis Asín 


Faculty of Mathematics 

Fakulteta za matematiko 

Ljubljana, Slovenia 

Matija Bevk, Vasa J. Perović 

Bevk Perović arhitekti 

Photo: Miran Kambic Photo: Miran Kambic 

13

Finalists works 

Sines Arts Centre 

Centro de artes de Sines 

Sines, Portugal 

Francisco Aires Mateus, Manuel Aires Mateus 

Aires Mateus e Associados 

Mercedes-Benz Museum 

Stuttgart, Germany 


UNStudio 



America’s Cup Building 


Valencia, Spain 


Fermín Vázquez / b720 Arquitectos / 

Phæno Science Centre 


Wolfsburg, Germany 

Zaha Hadid 

Zaha Hadid Architects 

School for Management 


Bordeaux, France 

Anne Lacaton, Jean Philippe Vassal 

Lacaton & Vassal Architectes 

National Choreographic Centre 


Aix-en-Provence, France 


Rudy Ricciotti architecte 

14



Works selected for exhibition and catalogue 

Woermann Tower 

Torre Woermann 

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain 

Iñaki Ábalos, Juan Herreros 

Ábalos&Herreros arquitectos 

Sea Organ 

Morske orgulje 

Zadar, Croatia 

Nikola Bašić 

Marinaprojekt 

Poustinia 

Clonmel, Co.Tipperary, Ireland 

Kevin Bates, Tom Maher 

Architects Bates Maher 

Svartlamoen Housing 

Trondheim, Norway 

Geir Brendeland, Olav Kristoffersen 

Brendeland & Kristoffersen Arkitekter 

Brick House 

London, United Kingdom 

Adam Caruso, Peter St John 

Caruso St John Architects 

GlaxoSmithKline Day Nursery 

Asilo per il Campus GlaxoSmithKline 

Verona, Italy 

Antonio Citterio, Patricia Viel 

Antonio Citterio and Partners 

Illa de la Llum Housing at Diagonal Mar 

Habitatges Illa de la Llum a Diagonal Mar 

Barcelona, Spain 

Lluís Clotet, Ignacio Paricio 

Clotet, Paricio i Assoc., SL 

15

Economics Building, University of Ghent 

Faculteit Economie, Universiteit Gent 

Ghent, Belgium 

Xaveer De Geyter/Xaveer De Geyter 

Architects 

Stéphane Beel /Stéphane Beel Architecten 

The Bridge 

De Brug 

Rotterdam, Netherlands 

Chris de Jonge 

JHK Architecten 

Pedestrian Bridge Simone de Beauvoir 

Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir 

Paris, France 

Dietmar Feichtinger 

Feichtinger Architectes 

Free University of Berlin 

Freie Universität Berlin 

Berlin, Germany 

Norman Foster 

Foster + Partners 

New Trade Fair Milan 

Nuova Fiera Milano 

Milan, Italy 

Massimiliano Fuksas 

Lakeside Bath 

Lido di Caldaro 

Caldaro-Kaltern, Italy 

Marie-Therese Harnoncourt, Ernst J. Fuchs 

the next ENTERprise 



16

Ecker Abu Zahra House 

Ecker Abu Zahra Haus 

Luftenberg, Austria 

Gernot Hertl 

Hertl.Architekten 

VM Housing Complex 

VM Husene 

Ørestad, Denmark 

Bjarke Ingels, Julien De Smedt 

PLOT = BIG + JDS 



New Monastery for Cistercian Order on Tautra 

Tautra Mariakloster 

Tautra, Norway 

Jan Olav Jensen, Børre Skodvin 

Jensen & Skodvin Arkitektkontor 

Intervention on Nasrid Wall and Surrounding Area 

Intervención en la muralla nazarí y su entorno 

Granada, Spain 

Antonio Jiménez Torrecillas 

Hotel Sotelia 

Podćetrtek, Slovenia 

Dean Lah, Milan Tomac 

Enota 

West School Complex 

Groupe scolaire ouest 

Obernai, France 

Duncan Lewis / scape architecture 

Klein & Baumann Architectes (associated architects) 

Jaume Fuster Library 

Biblioteca Jaume Fuster 


Josep Llinàs 

17

Santa Caterina Market 

Mercat de Santa Caterina 


Enric Miralles, Benedetta Tagliabue 

Miralles Tagliabue EMBT 

Shipping and Transport College 

Scheepvaart en Transport College 

Rotterdam, Netherlands 

Willem-Jan Neutelings, Michiel Riedijk 

Neutelings Riedijk Architects 

Agbar Tower 

Torre Agbar 


Jean Nouvel / Ateliers Jean Nouvel 


Kastrup Sea Bath 

Kastrup Søbad 

Kastrup, Copenhagen, Denmark 

Fredrik Pettersson 

hs white arkitekter a/s 

Fran Krsto Frankopan Elementary School 

Osnovna Skola Fran Krsto Frankopan 

Krk, Croatia 

Saša Randić, Idis Turato 

randić-turato architects 



New Area Terminal Madrid-Barajas (NAT) 

Nueva area terminal del aeropuerto de Madrid-Barajas (NAT) 

Madrid, Spain 

Richard Rogers / Richard Rogers Partnership 

Carlos Lamela / Estudio Lamela 

18

Federal Environmental Agency 

Umweltbundesamt 

Dessau, Germany 

Matthias Sauerbruch, Louisa Hutton 

sauerbruch hutton architekten 



Fluc 2, Music and Art Club, Transformation of a Pedestrian Underpass 

Fluc 2. Musik und Kunstklub – Transformation einer 

Fußgängerunderpass 

Vienna, Austria 

Klaus Stattmann 

Büro für Architektur und Forschung 

SM House 

Canakkale, Turkey 

Han Tumertekin, Eylem Erdinc 

Mimarlar Tasarim 

Ecoboulevard of Vallecas 

Ecobulevar de Vallecas 

Madrid, Spain 

Belinda Tato, José Luis Vallejo, Diego García-Setien 

Ecosistema Urbano Arquitectos 

Garden Pavilion for the Boxy Catering Company 

Deurle, Belgium 

Maarten Van Severen 

Documentation Centre Hinzert 

Dokumentationshaus Hinzert 

Hinzert, Germany 

Andrea Wandel, Wolfgang Lorch, Nikolaus Hirsch 

Wandel Hoefer Lorch + Hirsch architekten 

19



Background information 9 jury members 

RICHARD BURDETT (United Kingdom) President of the jury 

Architect. Centennial Professor in Architecture and Urbanism at the London School of Economics 

(LSE) and founding director of the LSE Cities Programme, a centre that explores links between 

architecture, urban design and urban society. Since 2007, Burdett is Principal Design Adviser to the 

Olympic Delivery Authority for the London 2012 Olympics, as well architectural adviser to the Mayor of 

London, member of the Greater London Authority's Architecture + Urbanism Unit and sits on the City 

of Barcelona's Quality Committee. He was the Director of the 2006 Venice Architecture Biennale and 

has been a member of the Urban Task Force which has shaped current national policy on cities in 

Britain. He is architectural adviser to Tate Modern Gallery, the sole architectural adviser to the BBC 

and is a contributor to architectural publications writing regularly for the magazines Domus and Topos. 

PETER CACHOLA SCHMAL (Germany) 

Architect. Director of Deutsches Architektur Museum (DAM) in Frankfurt. His most important 

exhibitions have been UNStudio: Evolution of Space (2006); Frankfurt Airport: Terminal 3 Competition 

Proposals; Kisho Kurokawa: Metabolism & Symbiosis; European Central Bank: Competition 

Proposals. Architectural critic and editor since 1994, he has produced 12 books, and written numerous 

articles in magazines and other publications. He has been Adjunct Professor for Design II at 

Fachhochschule Frankfurt-am-Main and Assistant Professor of building construction at Technische 

Universität Darmstadt. 

LUIS FERNÁNDEZ GALIANO (Spain) 

Architect. Professor at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid. Editor of the journals 

AV/Arquitectura Viva, he has written on architecture for Spain’s leading newspaper, El País. A 

member of the Royal Academy of Doctors, he has been Cullinan Professor at Rice University; a 

Visiting Scholar at the Getty Center of Los Angeles; and Visiting Critic at Princeton, Harvard, and the 

Berlage Institute. He has taught courses at the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo and 

Universidad Complutense de Madrid. President of the jury for the 9th Venice Architecture Biennial and 

for the XV Chile Architecture Biennial, he has curated the exhibitions El espacio privado in Madrid and 

Extreme Eurasia in Tokyo, and has been on the jury of several international competitions. Among his 

books are La Quimera moderna, El Fuego y la memoria and Spain Builds, the latter in collaboration 

with New York’s Museum of Modern Art. 

BETH GALÍ (Spain) 

Architect. President of FAD (Association for the Promotion of the Decorative Arts). Since 1994, she 

has lectured in City Planning at the Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona. She is also 

Visiting Lecturer at several European universities, such as Delft, Lausanne and Zurich. During the 

2000-2001 academic year she was a guest lecturer at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard 

University. She has been awarded first prize in the following competitions: the development of public 

areas in Hafencity (Hamburg, Germany, 2006); for the remodelling of Cornmarket Street, Cork 

(Ireland, 2006); and for the urban development project of the Vía Augusta between Diagonal and 

Plaça Molina (Barcelona, 2006). She has 25 years experience in building, city planning and urban 

design projects, as well as in directing both building projects and civil works. She has curated several 

exhibitions and often collaborates with books and other publications. 

BETTINA GÖTZ (Austria) 

Architect. Since 2006, she is Professor for Design and Building Construction at the Universität der 

Künste Berlin. She is partner with Richard Manahl in the architectural firm ARTEC established in 

Vienna in 1988. Principal works by ARTEC are the Pharmacy in Aspern, Vienna and the Zehdengasse 

School, Vienna. Their urban projects include Terraced Building Typology, Vienna and Apartment 

Buildings on Laxenburgerstrasse, Vienna. ARTEC has been awarded the City of Vienna Architecture 

Prize and the Aluminium Architecture Prize for Raum Zita Kern. The EFAFLEX office and industrial 

building in Baden, Austria was among the exemplary works chosen by the jury of the European Union 

Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award 2005. 

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ELLEN VAN LOON (The Netherlands) 

Architect. Joined the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in 1998 and became partner in OMA 

in 2002. She was Project Manager of the Casa da Musica in Porto, as well as the Dutch Embassy in 

Berlin, for which OMA and partner Rem Koolhaas was given the European Union Prize for 

Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award Award 2005. She was Project Architect for the 

development of the Universal Headquarters Building in Los Angeles, as well as for the MAB towers in 

Rotterdam. Prior to working with OMA, she spent several years working with Foster and Partners on 

the design of the Reichstag in Berlin. 

MOHSEN MOSTAFAVI (United Kingdom) 

Architect. Dean of the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University and the Arthur L. 

and Isabel B. Wiesenberger Professor of Architecture. Formerly Chairman of the Architectural 

Association in London, he has served on the design committee of the London Development Agency 

with Richard Rogers and Norman Foster among others and is currently involved as a consultant on a 

number of architectural and urban projects of international significance. He has been member of the 

RIBA Gold Medal Selection Committee and the Steering Committee of the Aga Khan Award for 

Architecture. His architectural projects and research have been published in many journals including 

Architectural Review, AA Files, Arquitectura, Bauwelt, Casabella, Centre and Daidalos. Co-author of 

Architecture and Continuity (1983), Delayed Space (with Homa Farjadi, 1994) and On Weathering 

(with David Leatherbarrow, 1993), which received the American Institute of Architects’ commendation 

prize for architectural theory. 

FRANCIS RAMBERT (France) 

Journalist and critic. Director of Institut français d’architecture (Ifa), department of the Cité de 

l’architecture et du patrimoine in Paris. From 1990 to 2004, he wrote for the culture section of Le 

Figaro. Co-founder and editor-in-chief of d’Architectures magazine. He has published numerous 

articles on architecture and design in the specialised media including: Beaux Arts, Le Journal des Arts, 

and above all in Connaissance des Arts, where he is a regular contributor. Author of various books 

such as a monograph about Massimiliano Fuksas for Editions du Regard (1997), he has also curated 

exhibitions such as Bouge l’Architecture, Cities on the Move (Paris, 2002), and the architectural 

biennials in Buenos Aires (1998 and 2001) and in Rotterdam (2003). 

DIETMAR STEINER (Austria) 

Architect. Director of the Architekturzentrum, in Vienna (AZW). Professor in Architecture History and 

Theory at the Universität für angewandte Kunst in Vienna up to 1989. From 1995-99 he was editor-inchief 

for architecture for Domus magazine and is author of numerous books and articles. Curator of 

the Austria Pavilion at the 2002 Architecture Biennal in Venice, he is currently President of the 

International Confederation of Architectural Museums (ICAM) and serves as a member of numerous 

juries and as a consultant on a variety of projects related with architecture and urban development. 

LLUÍS HORTET (Barcelona), Secretary of the jury. 

Director of the Fundació Mies van der Rohe 

DIANE GRAY (Barcelona), Coordinator of the Award 

Fundació Mies van der Rohe 

21



European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – 

Mies van der Rohe Award 

Background Information 

In 1987, the European Commission, together with the European Parliament and the Fundació Mies 

van der Rohe, created the Mies van der Rohe Award for European Architecture. In 2001, as part of the 

Culture 2000 programme, this Award led to the creation of the European Union Prize for 

Contemporary Architecture awarded every two years. The Award is awarded to recent works, less 

than two years old, produced in countries covered by the Culture 2000 programme 1 . 

The purpose of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 

is to acknowledge excellence and conceptual, technical and constructional innovation. The European 

Commission created the Award with the aim of fostering greater understanding, on the part of the 

public in general as well as institutions and the private sector, of architecture’s cultural role in the 

construction of European cities. Additional aims are to create professional opportunities for architects 

throughout the Union, as well as to provide support for young architects who have just embarked on 

their careers. To further this latter objective, the Award includes an Emerging Architect Special 

Mention. 

The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award consists of a 

cash prize of €50,000, while the Emerging Architect Special Mention is endowed with €10,000. Along 

with the cash prizes, the winners will also be awarded with a sculpture by the Catalan artist Xavier 

Corberó inspired by the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, one of the 20 th century’s major architectural 

works. 

The works awarded the Award and the special mention along with all the works selected by the jury for 

their outstanding qualities are presented in an exhibition and published in the Award catalogue. 

1 Member states of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, 

Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, United Kingdom; in 

addition the EEA/EFTA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway; the acceding countries: Romania, Bulgaria,Turkey; and the candidate countries: Croatia 

and the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). 

22



Winner of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – 

Mies van der Rohe Award 

2005 Netherlands Embassy Berlin, Germany 

Office for Metropolitan Architecture / Rem Koolhaas, Ellen van Loon 

2003 Car Park and Terminus Hoenheim North, Strasbourg, France 

Zaha Hadid 

2001 Kursaal Centre, San Sebastián, Spain 

Rafael Moneo 


Previous Winners 

2005 BasketBar, Utrecht, The Netherlands 

NL Architects / Pieter Bannenberg, Walter van Dijk, Kamiel Klaasse, Mark Linnemann 

2003 Scharnhauser Park Town Hall, Ostfildern, Germany 

Jürgen Mayer H. 

2001 Kaufmann Holz Distribution Centre, Bobingen, Germany 

Florian Nagler 

Winners of the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion Award for European Architecture: 

1999 Bregenz Art Museum, Bregenz, Austria 

Peter Zumthor 

1997 Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris, France 

Dominique Perrault 

1994 Waterloo Station, London, United Kingdom 

Nicholas Grimshaw / Nicholas Grimshaw & Associates 

1992 Municipal Sports Stadium, Badalona, Spain 

Esteve Bonell, Francesc Rius 

1990 Stansted Airport Terminal, London, United Kingdom 

Norman Foster / Norman Foster & Associates 

1988 Banco Borges e Irmão, Vila do Conde, Portugal 

Álvaro Siza Vieira 

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Exhibition and Catalogue 

The Foundation is organising a traveling exhibition that will be presented in diverse museums and 

institutions. The contents of this exhibition include texts that explain the Award and its objectives; 

drawings and photographs of each work presented (the works awarded the Award and the Special 

Mention as well as the selection of the jury); and models. The approach of this exhibition is that it be 

highly didactic and provide ample information for both architectural professionals and students as well 

as the general public. A catalogue will also be published that includes extensive documentation about 

all the works selected by the jury along with articles by the members of the jury and institutional 

presentations. This catalogue as well as the traveling exhibition represents an important and unique 

panorama of the development of contemporary European architecture by serving as an anthology of 

some of the best work produced during 2005 and 2006. 

Construmat 

Construmat (the International Construction Exhibition organised by the Fira (Trade Fair) of Barcelona) 

is the largest of its kind in Spain and one of the top three in Europe. The 2007 edition, which takes 

place May 14 – 19, is the largest ever, featuring 4.500 exhibitors from some 50 countries. In addition 

to being a showcase for the presentation of new construction products and techniques, the other 

major objective is to become an international forum for reflection and analysis on the future of building. 

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The Mies van der Rohe Pavilion and Fundació Mies van der Rohe 

The Pavilion was built for the 1929 Barcelona World Exposition and disassembled the following year. 

Half a century later, and in view of the importance of the pavilion in terms of contemporary 

architectural history, the Barcelona City Council, with architect Oriol Bohigas at the head of its Urban 

Planning Department, decided to faithfully reconstruct the building. The project was carried out after 

extensive research by Ignasi de Solà-Morales, Cristian Cirici and Fernando Ramos between 1983 and 

1986 on the Pavilion’s original Montjuïc site. 

The Fundació Mies van der Rohe was set up in 1983 with the aim of working towards the 

reconstruction of the pavilion. Since the completion of the project, the Fundació, member of the 

International Confederation of Architectural Museums (ICAM), has been entrusted with the task of 

preserving and managing the pavilion building. 

The Fundació Mies van der Rohe serves also to foster debate on contemporary architecture and 

urbanism, to build up a documentary archive on Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and on modern and 

contemporary architecture, and to organise correlated awards, courses, lectures, exhibitions, 

publications and studies. 

In accordance with the rules for the Award itself, an Advisory Committee collaborates with the 

Fundació Mies van der Rohe regarding all aspects of the organisational process. This committee 

comprises 16 of the most prestigious architectural institution throughout Europe: Architektur Zentrum 

Wien, Vienna; Architecture Foundation, London; arc en rêve centre d’architecture, Bordeaux; Berlage 

Institute, Rotterdam; Biennale di Venezia, Venice; Gammel Dok, Copenhagen; DESSA, Ljubljana; 

Deutsches Architektur Museum, Frankfurt; EUROPAN, Paris; Fundació Mies van der Rohe, 

Barcelona; Institut français d’architecture, Paris; Museum of Finnish Architecture, Helsinki; 

Nasjonalmuseet for Kunst, Architektur og Design, Oslo; Nederlands Architectuurinstituut, Rotterdam; 

Triennale di Milano, Milan and RIBA Foundation, London. 

25



Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886 – 1969) 

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was born in Aachen, Germany in 1886. As a result of time spent working 

under the influence of Peter Behrens, Mies developed a design approach based on advanced 

structural techniques and Prussian Classicism. Famous for the phrase “less is more,” he fostered a 

style of architecture based on material honesty and structural integrity. Over the last twenty years of 

his life, Mies achieved his vision of a monumental ‘skin and bone’ architecture, his later works 

embodying the idea of universal, simplified architecture. 

His major works include amongst others: Werkbund Exposition and Apartments: Weissenhofsiedlung, 

Stuttgart, Germany, 1927; H.Langer House, Krefeld, Germany, 1928; German Pavilion, Barcelona, 

Spain, built 1928-1929, demolished 1930; Tugendhat House, Brno, Czech Republic, 1930; Farnsworth 

House, Plano, Illinois, 1946-1950; Lake Shore Drive Apartments, Chicago, Illinois, 1948-1951; Crown 

Hall (IIT), Chicago, Illinois, 1950-1956; Seagram Building, New York, 1954-1958; New National 

Gallery, Berlin, Germany, 1962-1968. 

European Commission information: Frédéric Vincent at +32-02/298.71.66 

Fundació Mies van der Rohe information: Pilar Casanova +34-93.215.10.11 or e-mail miespress@miesbcn.com 

Complementary information available to the press: (http://www.miesbcn.com/en/press.html): 

- Information about the Award and photographs 

- Information about the proposed projects 

- Information about the nine jury members 

Note to the Editors: The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture is a joint initiative of the European Commission and the Fundació Mies van 

der Rohe. The Award as well as a special mention for young architects are awarded every two years to recent works, less then two years old, produced in 

countries covered by the Culture 2000 programme. Their objective is to show modern creativity and to make people aware of the way that modern 

architecture is socially and culturally rooted in European cities. 

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PRESS DOSSIER - Fundació Mies van der Rohe

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