Forty projects shortlisted for 2019 EU Mies van der Rohe Award

After a three-day meeting in Barcelona, the seven-member jury of the 2019 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture—Mies van der Rohe Award has narrowed down the competition pool from 383 projects to a shortlist of 40. Representing 17 different European countries, the shortlisted projects highlight opportunities and trends in European contemporary architecture, specifically in the areas of adaptive reuse, housing, and culture.

“The 40 works highlight a new agenda that asks for new ways of thinking. Excellence and skillfulness 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,” said jury chairperson and architect Dorte Mandrup during the jury's selection of the shortlist.

“More and more people see, feel and experience that architecture is not anymore about self-referentiality, about doing the most chic and shiny. Instead, it is really about improving our lives and the way we live together,” commented jury member Angelika Fitz, the director of Architekturzentrum Wien in Vienna.

The five finalists are now expected to be announced on February 13, while the award ceremony will take place at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona on May 7. 

Scroll down to check out some of the shortlisted projects!