Edition 2011

European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award 2011. Jury Proceedings

The jury of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award decided to give the 2011 Prize to the Neues Museum in Berlin by David Chipperfield Architects in collaboration with Julian Harrap.
The jury members met on two occasions. In their first meeting held in Barcelona on February 3 – 6, 2011, they reviewed the 343 works that had been nominated by the national architects' associations, experts and the Advisory Committee. After an extensive discussion, 45 works were chosen for presentation in the catalogue and exhibition.
From among these, two works in particular were singled out for the Emerging Architect Special Mention: the New Town Market in Celje, Slovenia by Lena Krušec, Tomaž Krušec, Vid Kurinčič/Arhitektura Krušec and the Collage House in Girona, Spain by Ramon Bosch, Bet Capdeferro/bosch.capdeferro arquitectures. The decision was made to give the Special Mention to the Collage House while at the same time recognising the New Town Market as the runner-up for its exceptional qualities.

In addition, six works were chosen as finalists for the Prize:

Neues Museum
Berlin, Germany
David Chipperfield Architects in collaboration with Julian Harrap

BrOnks Youth Theatre
Brussels, Belgium
Martine De Maeseneer, Dirk Van den Brande/MDMA Martine De Maeseneer Architecten

MAXXI Museum of XXI Century Arts
Rome, Italy
Zaha Hadid, Patrik Schumacher/Zaha Hadid Architects

Danish RadioConcert House
Copenhagen, Denmark
Jean Nouvel/Jean Nouvel Architectures

Acropolis Museum
Athens, Greece
Bernard Tschumi/Bernard Tschumi Architects

Groot Klimmendaal Rehabilitation Centre
Arnhem, The Netherlands
Koen van Velsen/Architectenbureau Koen van Velsen

The jury members visited the six finalists and on March 27, 2011 they met again in Amsterdam.
After an extended discussion about the merits of each finalist, the jury members reached a decision to award the Prize to the Neues Museum, noting that its transformation represents a nearly decade-long process of investigation that has resulted in a totally new approach to the recuperation of historical buildings. Rather than attempting to conceal the difference between the old and the new elements, the past and present are fused together in a beautifully crafted intervention that allows for a complex reading of the museum's multiple layers. The addition of new parts link together the original pieces of the 19th-century building, which were heavily damaged during WWII, providing a spatial sequence that allows visitors to once again enjoy the museum's collection.