Made in Europe: 25 Years of the European Union Prize - Mies van der Rohe Award

The Fundació Mies van der Rohe in Barcelona boasts that its archives of  the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award, begun in 1988, are "Europe's biggest collection of documents on contemporary architecture, with more than 2,500 projects and 230 original models." Highlights of the archive are traveling to Venice for the "Made in Europe" exhibition, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the prize and offers visitors a unique overview of the evolution of architecture in Europe in the last quarter century.

Giovanna Carnevali, director of the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, says the "documents and reproductions help us analyse the past and imagine the future of architecture in Europe." In this vein, the exhibition spurs visitors to "discover how modern architecture over the last century has eroded the singularities of each European nation’s style," aligning it with the Fundamentals theme of the 2014 Venice Biennale directed by Rem Koolhaas; he states: "Architectures that were once specific and local have become interchangeable and global. National identity has seemingly been sacrificed to modernity."

The archives are arranged thematically (collective housing, education, cultural centers, etc.) and divided into four areas in the exhibition: Models, Data, Voices, and Making Of. The organizers describe these areas as follows:

Models: The first and second galleries contain a selection of 150 original models by the Prize finalists. A timeline of the last 25 years in Europe also highlights links between developments in politics, science, culture and architecture.

Data: This is the core of the exhibition, with almost 2,500 projects by nominees over the last 25 years of the European Prize. The project sketches construct the space and shape a pathway through walls of file cards on a 25x25cm grid, making the visitor experience the physical presence of architecture “Made in Europe”. A QR code on each project is linked to the online database, making the exhibition interactive, along with a dedicated Wi-Fi connection to facilitate an up-to-date interpretation of contemporary architecture.

Voices: The archive holds many other documents produced during the award ceremonies of the Prize, such as interviews with the winning architects and members of the jury. A selection of the interviews is shown on screens in a side room.

Making of: The production of the “Made in Europe” exhibition was realised by a group of 15 students from the Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona - Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, whose intense work of opening and revising all the projects in the archive has been full of surprises, somewhat like Walter Benjamin unpacking his library.

In addition to the exhibition, "Made in Europe" includes two symposia: "European-ness porosity" is held the same day as the June 6th inauguration ceremony. The second event will be held in mid-July, when past winners of the Prize's Emerging Architects category and other young and talented architects will discuss the contemporary European architectural scene.

World-Architects is proud to be the media partner for the "Made in Europe" exhibition, which is made possible through the support of its partners.