Wrocław Transfer Tunnel designed by Maćków Design Studio. Source: www.mackow.pl
Fifteen architecture sites constructed throughout Poland overthe last two years have been nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award, one of the most prestigious architectural prizes in Europe
The Mies van der Rohe Foundation was established in Barcelona in 1983 to promote contemporary architecture. The awards was established in 1987 and given since 1988 every two years to projects of the highest quality of design, as well as the most innovative technological developments. The buildings recognised by the foundation are distinguished by having brought something new to European culture and improved quality of life.
The judging process is split up into four stages, starting with several hundred sites nominated, which are cut down to several dozen, then 3-5 buildings among which a winner is selected in the very last stage. Projects are submitted for consideration by organisations and architects affiliated with the architecture sector from across Europe. In Poland the Polish are the Polish Chamber of Architects and the Association of Polish Architects and Designers: Andrzej Duda, Robert Konieczny, Maciej Miłobędzki, Robert Rutkowski, Gregory Stiasny. The nominees are deliberated upon by a jury of experts, which this year included Poland's Ewa Porębska, editor-in-chief of the trade magazine Architektura-Murator.
This year there are fifteen Polish building sites nominated (up from 12 in the 2011 edition), ranging from public buildings, residential buildings, commercial, infrastructure, revitalisation and modernisation projects. These sites include an air raid shelter from the World War 2 adapted for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Wrocław temporary headquarters (design: VROA architekci/ CH+ architekci), renovation of the Oskar Schindler Factory into the MOCAK Centre for Contemporary Art in Kraków (design: Cludio Nardi Architects i Leonardo Maria Proli Claudio) and a number of other museum sites. Of some surprise comes the nomination of the renovation project for Warsaw's Central Station (design: Towarzystwo Projektowe) and Wrocław Transfer Tunnel built for the Euro 2012 football championship (design: Maćków Design Studio). As for commercial projects, the looming vitkAc department store in Warsaw (design: Kuryłowicz & Associates) is among the hopefuls. A handful of nominees come from smaller cities, such as the Geoeducation Centre in Kielce (design: Palk Architekci) or the Artpunkt Art Education Centre in Opole (design: M. i A. Domicz).
Last year's winner was the 2009 project for the renovation of the Neues Museum in Berlin by David Chipperfield, winning a check for Eur. 50,000 and a trophy that replicates the design of its namesake's design for the pavilion for the World's Fair in Barcelona in 1929. Winners of the Mies van der Rohe Award 2013 are to be announced in April.
Editor: Agnieszka Le Nart
Source: Original text by Anna Cymer