seven nominees for the 2007 Mies van der Rohe Award

[Paul Clerkin]

EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture: seven nominees for the 2007 Mies van der Rohe Award

The jury of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 2007[1] - has selected the seven finalists works for the Award, one of the most important and prestigious on the international architecture scene. The name of the winner will be known by mid-April.

The selection is a faithful reflection of the main objective underlying the Award, namely to acknowledge excellent and innovative projects characterised by high-quality construction and to recognise the best architectural works built in Europe in the past two years. By supporting this Award, the European Commission underlines the role that cultural activities play as engines of creativity and innovations in Europe.

The jury has also singled out 33 works that, because of their exceptional quality, will be included in the exhibition and catalogue of the 2007 Award. These works are located in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The jury made its selection from an initial list of 273 projects from 32 countries finished between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2006 which were proposed by a sizable group of independent international experts and the European National Associations of architects.

The seven finalists are:

· Pôle universitaire de sciences de gestion (School for Management), Bordeaux, France. Architect : Anne Lacaton & Jean Philippe Vassal/Lacaton & Vassal Architectes

· Centre Chorégraphique National (National Choreographic Centre), Aix-en-Provence, France. (Rudy Ricciotti)

· Phaeno Science Centre, Wolfsburg, Germany. Architects : Zaha Hadid/Zaha Hadid Architects

· Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart, Germany. Architects : Ben van Berkel/UN Studio

· Centro de Artes de Sines (Sines Art Centre), Sines, Portugal. Architects : Manuel Aires Mateus, Francisco Aires Mateus/Aires Mateus e Associados

· Edificio Veles e Vents (America’s Cup Building), Valencia, Spain. Architects : David Chipperfield, Fermin Vásquez/David Chipperfield

· MUSAC Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León (MUSAC Contemporary Art Museum of Castilla y León), León, Spain. Architects : Luis M. Mansilla, Emilio Tuñón/Mansilla + Tuñón.

[PVC King]

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