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Home , Kent Martinussen, Olafur Eliasson, Wiel Arets, Wiel Arets Architects

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

PRESS RELEASE

Brussels/ Barcelona, 29 April 2013

Harpa wins European Union Prize for Contemporary - Mies van der Rohe Award 2013

Harpa, the Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre in , is the winner of the 2013 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award, the European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe announced today. Designed by Architects, Batteríið Architects and Studio Olafur Eliasson, the building has helped to transform and revitalise Reykjavik harbour and brought the and harbour district closer together. The Emerging Architect Special Mention award goes to María Langarita and Víctor Navarro for the Nave de Música Matadero (Red Bull Music Academy) in , Spain. The award ceremony will take place on 7 June at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, coinciding with a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the prize. "Architecture is one of the most visible expressions of our contemporary culture. My warmest congratulations go to this year's winners – indeed, to all of those who made the final shortlist. They have created buildings which are not only of the highest aesthetic and technical quality, but which also touch our emotions and bring people together. I would like to thank the Fundació Mies van der Rohe for their excellent collaboration in bringing the best contemporary European architecture to worldwide attention," said Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth. Harpa's crystalline structure was inspired by Icelandic landscapes and traditions. Its dramatic captures and reflects the light of the city, ocean and sky to thrilling effect. Peer Teglgaard Jeppesen, of Henning Larsen Architects, said: “On behalf of the team I would like to thank the European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe for this award. We are immensely honoured. Harpa is the result of collaborative process that has involved many people and with their efforts, strong commitment and drive Harpa has become a symbol of Iceland’s renewed dynamism.” , Chair of the Jury, said: "Harpa's iconic and transparent porous quasi brick appears as an ever-changing play of coloured light, promoting a dialogue between the city and the building's interior life. By giving an identity to a society long known for its sagas, through an interdisciplinary collaboration between Henning Larsen Architects and artist Olafur Eliasson, this project is an important message to the world and to the Icelandic people, fulfilling their long expected dream." The Nave de Música Matadero (Red Bull Music Academy), which received the Emerging Architect Special Mention award, was built in only two months to host a music festival in an early 20th-century warehouse complex in Madrid. It met the technical needs of the event, while promoting and enriching artistic encounters between the musicians.

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Antoni Vives, President of the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, said: "It has been an honour for the city of Barcelona and the Mies van der Rohe Foundation to grant this Prize with the European Commission for the past 25 years: a quarter of a century of the best European architecture. I would like to congratulate the winners of this 13th edition and I would like encourage architects to continue to play their role as catalysts for transforming ."

Background The winners were chosen from 335 submitted works in 37 European countries. Five works were shortlisted for the main award. The other finalists were: Market Hall (Ghent, Belgium by Robbrecht en Daem architecten, Marie-José Van Hee architecten); Superkilen (, by BIG Bjarke Ingels Group, Topotek1, Superflex); Home for Elderly People (Alcácer do Sal, Portugal by Aires Mateus Arquitectos) and Metropol Parasol (Seville, Spain by J. Mayer H). The jury members who selected the finalists for 2013 are: Wiel Arets, Chair of the Jury, Principal, , , Dean, College of Architecture, IIT, ; Pedro Gadanho, Curator, Contemporary Architecture, (MoMA), New York; Antón García-Abril, Principal, Ensamble Studio; Louisa Hutton, Principal, Sauerbruch Hutton Architects, ; Kent Martinussen, CEO, The Danske Arkitekter Center (DAC), Copenhagen; Frédéric Migaryou, Director, Architecture & Design, Centre Pompidou, ; Ewa Porebska, Editor-in-Chief, Architektura-murator, Warsaw; Giovanna Carnevali, Secretary of the Jury, Director, Fundació Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona. The architecture sector is at the heart of 's vibrant cultural and creative industries. It directly employs more than half a million people, as well as more than 12 million in the construction sector. Architecture is part of the cultural and creative sectors, which contribute 4.5% to the EU's GDP. The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award highlights the contribution of European architects to the development of new ideas and technologies in contemporary urban development. Launched in 1987 and co-funded by the EU Culture Programme and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, the prize is the most prestigious in European architecture. It is awarded every other year to works completed within the previous two years. The winner receives €60 000. Works nominated for the Prize are put forward by independent experts, as well as by the member associations of the Architects’ Council of Europe, national architects’ associations, and the Advisory Committee for the Prize.

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The Prize is named after Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who is regarded as one of the pioneers of 20th century modern architecture. His most celebrated works include the German Pavilion at the 1929 Barcelona Exhibition, Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic, the Seagram Building in New York and the National Gallery in Berlin. The complete list of 335 works can be downloaded by clicking on the countries below: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The , Turkey and United Kingdom.

Previous winners include: Neues Museum, Berlin, Germany by David Chipperfiel/ Architects, in collaboration with Julian Harrap Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, Oslo, Norway by SNØHETTA / Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Tarald Lundevall, Craig Dykers MUSAC, León, Spain by Luis M. Mansilla, Emilio Tuñón / Mansilla + Tuñón Arquitectos Netherlands Embassy Berlin, Germany by OMA / Rem Koolhaas, Ellen van Loon Kursaal Centre, San Sebastián, Spain by Rafael Moneo Car Park and Terminus Hoenheim North, Strasbourg, France by / Zaha Hadid Architects , Austria by Peter Zumthor Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, France by Dominique Perrault Waterloo International Station, , UK by Nicholas Grimshaw / Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners Municipal Sports Stadium, Badalona (Barcelona), Spain by Esteve Bonell, Francesc Rius Stansted Airport, London, United Kingdom by Norman Foster / Norman Foster + Partners Banco Borges e Irmão, Vila do Conde, Portugal by Álvaro Siza Vieira

For more information http://ec.europa.eu/culture http://www.miesarch.com Twitter: @VassiliouEU @EUMiesAward : EU Prize for contemporary architecture/ Mies van der Rohe award

Contacts : Dennis Abbott (+32 2 295 92 58); Dina Avraam (+32 2 295 96 67)

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