Mies van der Rohe Award 2011 was awarded to Neues Museum

On Monday, the winner of this year's Mies van der Rohe Award for European Architecture 2011 was announced in Brussels, Belgium. The jury, chaired by Iranian architect Mohsen Mostafavi (former director of the AA in London and current dean of Harvard GSD), awarded the project of British architect David Chipperfield for the reconstruction of the Neues Museum in Berlin. The author of the reconstruction is also the recipient of this year's RIBA Gold Medal, and the project has already received several significant awards.
The jury chairman praised the project with the following words: “Rarely can an architect and a client together create a work of such historical significance in its entirety – particularly one that combines the conservation of the original state with new construction. Rather than hiding the differences between old and new elements, the past connects with the present, creating a unique multilayered building.”
Surprisingly, the award for young architects went to Catalan architects Ramon Bosch and Bet Capdeferro for the project “Casa Collage” in Girona, Spain.
The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture and a special prize for emerging architects are awarded every two years by the Mies van der Rohe Foundation and the European Commission. The purpose of the award, which includes a financial reward of 60,000 EUR, and the entire competition is to showcase creative potential, support innovative solutions, and draw public attention to the significant role that modern architecture plays in society and how it influences the quality of life in the European environment. In addition to David Chipperfield, the six finalists this year included the following studios: Martine De Maeseneer Architecten, Zaha Hadid Architects, Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Bernard Tschumi Architects and Architectenbureau Koen van Velsen.
The award ceremony will take place on June 20, 2011, at the Barcelona Pavilion designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

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