The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe announced the list of 356 works competing for the 2017 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award, which include Zaha Hadid Architects, MVRDV, COBE, BIG, Emre Arolat Architecture (EAA), FAT, Tabanlıoğlu Architects, Renzo Piano Building Workshop and Erginoğlu & Çalışlar Architects.

The distribution of the nominated projects shows that 28 projects from France, 28 projects from Spain, 19 projects from UK, 17 projects from Germany, 17 projects from Italy, 16 projects from Denmark, 15 projects from Austria, 14 projects from Netherlands, 13 projects from Turkey, 13 projects from Portugal, 13 projects from Belgium, 13 projects from Norway, 10 projects from Czech Republic will compete for this prestigious award. 

Renzo Piano Building Workshop's Stavros Niarchos Cultural Centre (SNFCC), Greece. Image courtesy of RPBW

10 projects from Greece, 10 projects from Poland, 10 projects from Romania, 10 projects from Slovenia, 9 projects from Finland, 9 projects from Ireland, 8 projects from Croatia, 8 projects from Cyprus, 8 projects from Hungary, 8 projects from Latvia, 7 projects from Estonia, 7 projects from Georgia, 7 projects from Lithuania, 6 projects from Sweden, 5 projects from Luxembourg, 4 projects from Serbia, 4 projects from Slovakia, 3 projects from Bulgaria, 2 projects from Albania, 2 projects from Iceland, 1 project from Malta, 1 project from Bosnia-Herzegovina and 1 project from Ukraine are among the list.

Emre Arolat Architecture's Abdullah Gül Presidential Museum And Library, Kayseri, Turkey. Image © Cemal Emden 

Mies van der Rohe Award recorded that Housing and buildings for Cultural programmes continue being the most representative works for 2017. They are followed by education buildings which have increased their presence significantly. 

The number of mixed used works connected to cultural and social programmes such as a Library with an Auditorium or a City Hall with a Civic Centre have also increased and form the fourth most important group of works.

Tabanlıoğlu Architects' Beyazıt State Library, Istanbul, Turkey. Image © Emre Dörter

Initiated in 1987 after an agreement between the European Parliament and the Barcelona City Council, the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture –Mies van der Rohe Award has been co-organised by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe and the European Commission since 2001.

Zaha Hadid Architects' Investcorp Building, UK. Image © Luke Hayes

The 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.

Wilkinson Eyre Architects' Weston Library, University of Oxford. Image © James Brittain

86 independent experts, the national architecture associations from the 39 participating countries and the Advisory Committee nominated the 356 projects that will compete for the Prize and the Emerging Architect Prize. The Jury will make a shortlist of 40 works in late January 2017 and afterwards it will announce the 5 Finalists that will be visited in April. 

OMA's Fondaco dei Tedeschi, Venice. Image © Delfino Sisto Legnani, Marco Cappelletti 

The Granting Ceremony will take place on May 26 at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona with the Winners, the Finalists, the Jury members, the clients of the works, authorities from the European Commission and Parliament and the Barcelona City Council and all those people who support an architecture that responds to the needs of our century.

The Prize Winner receives 60.000€ and a sculpture that evokes the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion of Barcelona. Professionals starting out on their careers have the opportunity to become an Emerging Architect Winner, and receive the sculpture together with 20.000€. 

Erginoğlu&Çalışlar Architects' TAC-SEV New Campus, Mersin, Turkey. Image Image © Cemal Emden

The prestige of the Prize and the determination to disseminate the knowledge and savoir-faire of European architects is brought forward with the organization of exhibitions and debates worldwide, bringing architecture nearer to citizens.

FAT's A House for Essex, Essex, UK. Image © Living Architecture 

The Award also recorded that more countries participate this year. Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine have joined the Prize for the first time. Georgia outstands with 7 nominated works, pushing the boundaries of the Prize further east to cities such as Kvareli, towards the Caspian Sea.

Barozzi/Veiga and A4 studio's Philharmonic Hall in Szczecin won the 2015 Mies van Der Rohe Award. You can download the full list of the Nominees for the 2017 Mies van der Rohe Award. 

Top image: Ragnarock - The Museum for Pop, Rock and Youth Culture, Denmark by MVRDV+COBE. Image © Ossip van Duivenbode

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