The prestigious Mies van der Rohe Prize, also known as the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, has been awarded to the Filharmonia Szczecinska in Poland. The 2015 winner beat five other finalists, including the Ravensburg Museum in Germany and the student centre for the London School of Economics. All of the finalists came from a shortlist of 20 commercial architecture projects from across Europe.
The winner was chosen by an experienced panel of judges from the architectural field. The panel visited each property personally so they could get a real feel of what it had to offer. Judging was tough with so many wonderful buildings completed in the last two years, but the result is a great one. The prize was awarded to the winner at a special ceremony on May 8th at the Barcelona Pavilion, designed by Mies van der Rohe.
The Filharmonia Szczecinska joins an impressive list of previous winners including Stansted Airport, Neues Museum and the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet. The building features a series of unique pitched roofs that makes it look truly astonishing. The roofscape works perfectly with the translucent facade to create one of the most eye catching properties in Europe.
The building is 13,000 sq metres and includes a stunning 1,000 seat symphony hall for performances. Alongside this is a theatre for chamber music with seating for 200 people. Exhibition and conferences spaces are also available. The property replaces an auditorium that was destroyed in WW2 and is a statement for the contemporary movement in Poland.
At Coffey Architects we are happy to see such an innovative property win this coveted award. The design is captivating and we believe it will provide inspiration for designers of the future. A particularly important aspect of the design is the carefully designed interior and the focus on acoustics. This is a crucial consideration when it comes to buildings designed for musical performances, and this success is a testament to what can be achieved when architects keep the needs of the users in mind as well as the aesthetics of the building.