From 420 to 40 and now the final five. The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe announced the finalists of the 2015 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award today in London. Initiated in 1987, the biennial €60,000 prize is one of the highest-ranking prizes in European architecture for projects less than 2 years old.

The award highlights recent projects that best represent the prize's mission to foster design and technological innovation as well as noteworthy contributions from architects across the continent. Previous grand-prize winners include familiar names like David Chipperfield Architects, SNØHETTA, Zaha Hadid, OMA, Nicholas Grimshaw, Peter Zumthor, Dominique Perrault, Foster + Partners, Álvaro Siza Vieira, and Henning Larsen Architects.

The five contenders are:

↓ Ravensburg Art Museum in Ravensburg, Germany by Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei
Authors: Arno Lederer IC), Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir, and Marc Oei (DE)

↓ Danish Maritime Museum in Helsingør, Denmark by Bjarke Ingels Group
Authors: Bjarke Ingels and David Zahle (DK)

↓ Antinori Winery in Firenze, Italy by Archea Associati
Authors: Giovanni Polazzi, Laura Andreini, Marco Casamontiand Silvia Fabi (IT)

↓ Philharmonic Hall Szczecin in Szczecin, Poland by Barozzi / Veiga
Authors: Alberto Veiga (ES) and Fabrizio Barozzi (IT)

↓ Saw Swee Hock Student Centre, London School of Economics in London, United Kingdom by O’Donnell + Tuomey
Authors: Sheila O'Donnell, John Tuomey, and Willie Carey (IE)

In the following weeks, the Jury will visit each finalist project site to meet and gather first-hand information from users of the space that will be used for evaluation. Then on May 7, the project authors will give a public lecture about the finalist work.

Finally, the grand prize winner -- along with an Emerging Architect Award (€20,000) and the first Young Talent Architecture Prize winner -- will be officially announced during a festive ceremony at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona on May 8. On the same day, an exhibition showcasing all 420 nominated projects of this year's edition will open.

Previously:
The 2015 Mies van der Rohe Award shortlists 40 projects

The European Mies van der Rohe Award rounds up 420 nominated projects for 2015