EU gives cold shoulder to UK architecture

Not a single UK project has made it on to this year’s EU Mies van der Rohe Award shortlist for the best architecture in Europe.

And only one project by a British architect is among the 40 semi-finalists (see table below).

Stanton Williams’ Musee d’Arts de Nantes in France is the sole representative of British architecture on the shortlist in the year that Britain is due to leave the EU.

The awards were set up in 1988 to, among other things, “highlight the involvement of the European Union in supporting architecture as an important element that reflects both the diversity of European architectural expression and its role as a unifying element to define a common European culture” and “increase the incorporation of architectural professionals from the EU Member States and those countries that conclude an agreement with the EU”.

Seven of this year’s shortlisted buildings are in France, six are in Spain and four in Belgium. Albania, Serbia and Slovakia feature on the list of finalists for the first time.

Sauerbruch Hutton’s Berlin office makes the shortlist for its M9 Museum District in Venice. BIG, SelgasCano and 51N4E are among the other semi-finalists.

The longlist of 383 projects, published in December, contained 19 British projects.

Stanton Williams director Patrick Richard said: “It is a privilege to be the only UK practice with a project shortlisted for this prestigious award. This highlights the contribution UK architects make within Europe, and how important it is that we continue to have the ability to work across the European Union.”

Culture is the best-represented sector on the shortlist with 15 projects. There are six education buildings, five housing projects, three mixed-use, two industrial, two private houses and one project each from the categories of health, infrastructure, offices, social welfare, sport & leisure and urban planning.

>> Also read: Nineteen British projects in running for EU Mies Award

The shortlist was chosen by a jury chaired by Danish architect Dorte Mandrup consisting of Frank McDonald, María Langarita, Kamiel Klaasse, Ștefan Ghenciulescu, Angelika Fitz and George Arbid. They met over three days in Barcelona to discuss the challenges faced by European contemporary society and its architecture, said Mandrup.

“Some of the topics that came up were the high number of works that tackle with existing constructions; the importance that collective housing continues to have throughout Europe; the need to plan and organise the territory; and the importance of culture as a programme but also the importance of architectural culture,” she added.

“Some of the quotes from the jury members that came up during the conversations include: ‘The 40 works highlight a new agenda that asks for new ways of thinking. Excellence and skilfulness are inherent in all of them, but this is not enough; it is necessary that they also make an impact and make architects themselves think differently about the profession.’

“And, ‘It is very refreshing to see how the architectural debate moves around Europe, changing its centre of discussion from one place to another over the years. This keeps architecture alive’.”

Five finalists will be announced on February 13 and the winner on May 7 at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona.

UPDATE 18/1/19:

A spokesman from the Fundació Mies van der Rohe denied there was any Brexit connection.

He said in an email to BD: “Brexit has had no influence at all in the jury decision. I myself discovered that there were no UK projects once the meetings were ending and, in fact, I am quite sure that many of the jury members are not aware of this at all. It is absolutely surprising, but this does not mean that the quality of British architecture is not upstanding. In fact, it is. It is just the result of three-day conversations and discussions which led the jury to a series of conclusions which in this occasion has not included any UK works.

“We really hope that whatever the outcome of Brexit is, that the UK will continue signing the agreement on cultural projects with the EU like Norway, Iceland, Ukraine… do and that the UK will continue participating in the EU Mies Award. We are also very thankful for the participation of the RIBA in the prize advisory committee and its support to the prize.”

Project name	Sector	Project country	Project city	Architect		Architect’s home city
Skanderbeg Square	Urban planning	AL	Tirana	51N4E, Plant en Houtgoed, Anri Sala, iRI		Brussels, Tirana, Leuven, Tirana
House of Music Innsbruck	Mixed use	AT	Innsbruck	Erich Strolz, Dietrich | Untertrifaller Architekten		Innsbruck, Bregenz
Aspern Federal School	Education	AT	Vienna	fasch&fuchs.archite kten		Vienna
Performative Brise- Soleil	Collective housing	AT	Vienna	StudioVlayStreeruw itz ZT-GMBH		Vienna
Residential care center KAPELLEVELD	Social welfare	BE	Ternat	architecten de vylder vinck taillieu		Ghent
PC CARITAS	Health	BE	Melle	architecten de vylder vinck taillieu		Ghent
Ryhove Urban Factory	Industrial	BE	Ghent	Trans		Ghent
De Krook library	Education	BE	Ghent	Coussée & Goris architecten, RCR Arquitectes		Ghent, Olot
Residential and studio building at the former Berlin flower market	Collective housing	DE	Berlin	Ifau, HEIDE & VON BECKERATH		Berlin, Berlin
Terracehouse Berlin	Mixed use	DE	Berlin	Brandlhuber+ Emde, Burlon, Muck Petzet Architekten		Berlin, Munich
Streetmekka Viborg	Sport and leisure	DK	Viborg	EFFEKT		Copenhagen
Hammershus Visitors Centre	Culture	DK	Hammersh us	Arkitema Architects, Christoffer Harlang		Aarhus, Hellerup
LEGO House	Culture	DK	Billund	BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group		Copenhagen
Arvo Pärt centre	Culture	EE	Laulasmaa	Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos		Madrid
Life Reusing Posidonia/ 14 social dwellings in Sant Ferran, Formentera	Collective housing	ES	Sant Ferran de ses Roques	IBAVI		Palma
Civic Centre Lleialtat Santsenca	Culture	ES	Barcelona	HARQUITECTES		Sabadell
Plasencia Auditorium and Congress Centre	Culture	ES	Plasencia	selgascano		Madrid
Desert City	Mixed use	ES	Madrid	GARCIAGERMAN ARQUITECTOS		Madrid
House 1413	Single house	ES	Ullastret	HARQUITECTES		Sabadell
Solo House	Single house	ES	Matarranya	OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen		Brussels
Helsinki Central Library Oodi	Education	FI	Helsinki	ALA Architects Ltd.		Helsinki
The Perret Hall - Cultural Centre	Culture	FR	Montataire	Atelier d’architecture Pierre Hebbelinck, HBAAT - HELEEN HART — MATHIEU BERTELOOT		Liege, Lille
Museum of Arts, Nantes	Culture	FR	Nantes	Stanton Williams Architects		London
E26 (school refectory)	Education	FR	Montbrun- Bocage	BAST		Toulouse
‘Théodore Gouvy’ Theatre in Freyming-Merlebach	Culture	FR	Freyming- Merlebach	Dominique Coulon et associés		Strasbourg
Transformation of 530 dwellings - Grand Parc Bordeaux	Collective Housing	FR	Bordeaux	Frédéric Druot Architecture, Lacaton & Vassal architectes, Christophe Hutin Architecture		Bordeaux, Paris, Bordeaux
ENSAE PARISTECH, Campus Paris-Saclay	Education	FR	Paris	CAB ARCHITECTES (CALORI AZIMI BOTINEAU)		Nice
Lafayette Anticipations	Culture	FR	Paris	O.M.A.		Rotterdam
St. Mary’s Medieval Mile Museum	Culture	IE	Kilkenny	McCullough Mulvin Architects		Dublin
14 Henrietta Street	Culture	IE	Dublin	Shaffrey Architects		Dublin
M9 Museum District	Culture	IT	Venice	Sauerbruch Hutton		Berlin
Prada productive headquarter	Industry	IT	Arezzo	Canali associati s.r.l.		Parma
Musis Sacrum	Culture	NL	Arnhem	van Dongen – Koschuch Architects and Planners.		Amsterdam
Visitor center park Vijversburg	Culture	NL	Leeuwarden		STUDIO MAKS with the collaboration of Junya Ishigami & Ass.	Rotterdam
Silesia University’s Radio and Television department	Education	PL	Katowice		BAAS arquitectura, Grupa 5 Architekci, Małeccy Biuro Projektowe	Barcelona, Warsaw, Katowice
Lisbon Cruise Terminal	Infrastruct ure	PT	Lisbon		Carrilho da Graça	Lisbon
Restoration, refurbishment of the headquarters of the order of architects of Romania. Bucharest branch	Office	RO	Bucharest		STARH - Birou de arhitectura (Florian & Iulia Stanciu)	Bucharest
Occidentului 40	Collective Housing	RO	Bucharest		ADN Birou de Arhitectura	Bucharest
Reconstruction of Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade	Culture	RS	Belgrade		nooto, Dejan Todorović architect	Belgrade, Belgrade
Adaptation of the former factory Mlynica	Mixed use	SK	Bratislava		GutGut	Bratislava