The Mies van der Rohe Award named top 40 shortlisted projects for the 2017 EU Prize, which includes OMA's Fondazione Prada in Italy with Timmerhuis in Rotterdam, AL_A's MAAT Museum in Lisbon, Assemble's Granby Four Streets and OOPEAA's U-shaped wooden Suvela Chapel in Finland. 

The prestigious prize is awarded biennially to works completed within the previous two years. The principal objectives are to achieve a thorough understanding of the transformation of Europe’s built environment; to recognize and commend excellence and innovation in the field of architecture (in conceptual and construction terms) and to draw attention to the important contribution of European professionals in the development of new ideas, the clients who support them and the citizens that enjoy them.

355 works were nominated for the award and an expert Jury decided the final shortlist, reducing them 40 -Best Contemporary Projects of the Europe. The 7 members of the Jury including Stephen Bates, Gonçalo Byrne, Peter Cachola Schmal, Pelin Derviş, Dominique Jakob, Juulia Kauste and Malgorzata Omilanowska – have chosen 40 works which highlight the opportunities and the trends of today’s European territory: cities, housing, heritage and memory.

The prize recorded that there are 4 works shortlisted in France, 4 in Portugal and 4 in the United Kingdom; 3 in Denmark, Spain, Finland, The Netherlands and Norway; 2 in Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Turkey; and 1 in Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Sweden.

A third of the works tackle the challenge of contemporary architecture in relation with built heritage and a third of the work tackles the contemporary challenges of housing. The management of the historic urban landscape will be among the priorities highlighted by the ‘European Year of Cultural Heritage' in 2018.

The five finalists will be announced in mid-February and the Winner and the Emerging Architect in mid-May. The Award Ceremony will take place on 26 May 2017 at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona. 

See the full list of the shortlisted projects below:

Navez, Schaarbeek, Beligum by MSA / V+. Image © Serge Brison

Belgium

-Polyvalent Infrastructure, Spa, by Baukunst

-Navez, Schaarbeek, by MSA / V+

Skjern River Pump Stations, Skjern, by Johansen Skovsted Arkitekter. Image © Rasmus Norlander

Denmark

-Kvæsthus Pier, Copenhagen, by Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects

-Skjern River Pump Stations, Skjern, by Johansen Skovsted Arkitekter

-Kannikegården, Ribe, by Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects

Suvela Chapel, Ribe, by OOPEAA Office for Peripheral Architecture. Image © Mika Huisman

Finland

-Suvela Chapel, Ribe, by OOPEAA Office for Peripheral Architecture

-Opinmäki School, Espoo, by Esa Ruskeepää

-Puukuokka Housing Block (house 1), Jyväskylä, by OOPEAA Office for Peripheral Architecture

Ariane futsal sports complex, Nice, by CAB Architectes. Image © Aldo Amoretti

France

-59 Dwellings, Neppert Gardens Social Housing, Haut-Rhin, by Lacaton & Vassal architectes

-Community Workshop, Poigny-la-Forêt, by Boidot Robin Architectes

-The Rivesaltes Memorial Museum, Rivesaltes/Ribesaltes, by Rudy Ricciotti

-Ariane futsal sports complex, Nice, by CAB Architectes

Germany

-European Hansemuseum, Lübeck, by Studio Andreas Heller GmbH Architects & Designers

-Barn, Fergitz, by Thomas Kröger Architekten

Merrion Cricket Pavilion, Dublin, by TAKA. Image © Alice Clancy

Ireland

-Model School Inchicore, Dublin, by Donaghy + Dimond

-Merrion Cricket Pavilion, Dublin, by TAKA

Fondazione Prada, Milan, by OMA. Image © Bas Princen

Italy

-Fondazione Prada, Milan, by OMA

Lithuania

-Rasu Houses, Vilnius, by Paleko Arch Studija and PLAZMA Architecture Studio

Timmerhuis, Rotterdam, by OMA. Image © Ossip van Duivenbode

Netherlands

-Landmark Nieuw-Bergen, Nieuw-Bergen, by Monadnock

-Timmerhuis, Rotterdam, by OMA

-DeFlat Kleiburg, Amsterdam, by NL Architects and XVW Architectuur

Eldhusøya Tourist Route Project, Averøy, by Ghilardi+Hellsten Arkitekter. Image © Roland Halbe

Norway

-Weekend House at Sildegarnsholmen, Herøy, by Knut Hjeltnes AS Sivilarkitekter MNAL

-Moholt 50I50 – Timber Towers, Trondheim, by MDH Arkitekter SA and Masu planning

-Eldhusøya Tourist Route Project, Averøy, by Ghilardi+Hellsten Arkitekter

Poland

-Katyn Museum, Warsaw, by BBGK Architekci

Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, Lisbon, by AL_A. Image © Francisco Nogueira

Portugal

-House in Oeiras, Oeiras, by Pedro Domingos Arquitectos

-Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, Lisbon, by AL_A

-EDP Headquarters, Lison, by Aires Mateus

-Nadir Afonso Museum for Contemporary Art, Chaves, by Studios Álvaro Siza 2 – Arquitecto, SA

Take a(l)titude, Fagaras Mountain, by Archaeus. Image © Dan Purice

Romania

-Take a(l)titude, Fagaras Mountain, by Archaeus

House 1014, Granollers, by H Arquitectes. Image © H Arquitectes

Spain

-Museum of the Royal Collections, Madrid, by Emilio Tuñón Architects; Mansilla + Tuñón Arquitectos

-House 1014, Granollers, by H Arquitectes

-Collective housing for elderly people and civic and health centre, Barcelona, Bonell i Gil and Peris + Toral Arquitectes

Östermalm's Temporary Market Hall, Stockholm, by Tengbom. Image © Felix Gerlach

Sweden

-Östermalm's Temporary Market Hall, Stockholm, by Tengbom

Turkey

-Angelos Organic Olive Oil Mill, Izmir, by Mimarlar ve Han Tümertekin

-Beyazıt State Library Renovation, Istanbul, by Tabanlioglu Architects

Holmes Road Studios, London, by Peter Barber Architects. Image © Peter Barber

UK

-Holmes Road Studios, London, by Peter Barber Architects

-Shepherdess Walk Housing, London, by Jaccaud Zein Architects

-Ely Court, London, by Alison Brooks Architects

-Granby Four Streets, Liverpool, by Assemble

The EU Mies Award recorded that in the last years, the number of emerging practices and young architects has increased in an exponential way. A fourth of the shortlisted works have been built by teams who are either under 40 years of age or their offices are not more than 10 years old. 

From the 40 works, 24 are built in city centres (60%), 9 in natural environments (23%) and 7 in city peripheries (17%). 

''I would want the shortlisted schemes to demonstrate an interest in making places, in exploring convention and known typologies, in celebrating the pleasures of everyday use by a consideration of detail and an unspoken resistance to the current global tendency towards a self-referential architecture, one that belies context and the act of inhabitation'', said Stephen Bates, Chairman of the Jury.

''The set of 40 selected works reflects the importance of the new generations of architects who have come strongly to the fore in this edition to show how architecture addresses and provides solutions for a broad diversity of issues related to the city and society, to housing, to cultural facilities, to memory and identity, to refurbishment or new buildings, in a convocation that echoes this diversity more than ever'', said Daniel Mòdol, President of the Fundació Mies van der Rohe.

Furthermore, the Jury members underlined that the group of 40 exceptional works show a decrease in iconic architecture projects. They also highlighted the mix of uses of the works and the prevalence of Housing projects (14) and Cultural facilities (11). Education, accommodation, industry, sport, offices, landscape, mixed-use and social welfare are also present.

The five finalists will be announced in mid-February and the Winner and Emerging Winner in mid-May. The Award Ceremony will take place on 26 May 2017 at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona.

In Barcelona, an exhibition with the 355 nominated works can already be visited at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB).

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