The award is a biennial competition that aims to recognise and encourage the creation, recovery and improvement of public space in the understanding that the state of public space is a clear indicator of the civic and collective health of our cities.
The city is the space in which are concentrated, in their most radical expression, some of the main problems faced by present-day society. Linked since its origins with ideas of equality, plurality and progress, the contemporary city now faces new challenges arising from its exponential growth and greater social and cultural complexity. Segregation, uncontrolled housing development, homogenisation and privatisation of urban space are some of the phenomena that imperil the ideal of the open, plural and democratic community that epitomises the European city.
The Prize, which is honorific by nature, is awarded jointly to the authors and promoters of the projects chosen by the Jury.
The prize-winning works, the finalists and a selection made by the Jury will be published in the European Archive of Urban Public Space, which brings together and makes available to the public the best projects that have been presented in the competition since its inception.
The Jury of the European Prize for Urban Public Space 2012, with the architect Josep Llina`s as President, met at the CCCB on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 April. The winners were selected from 347 projects from 36 European countries (at the last edition, in 2010, 303 projects were submitted from 32 countries). The awards ceremony will take place on 29 June 2012.
After due deliberation, the Jury agreed to award the First Prize jointly to the following works:
Renovation of the River Ljubljanica:
Ljubljana \ Slovenia, 2011
Authors: Boris Podrecca, ATELIER arhitekti, URBI, BB ARHITEKTI, ATELJE VOZLIC, DANS arhitekti, TRIJE arhitekti und MEDPROSTOR
Renovation of the banks of the River Ljubljanica in the section flowing through the old city centre, a collective effort that concentrates resources in a range of specific interventions.
Landscaping of the peaks of the Turó de la Rovira:
Barcelona \ Spain, 2011
Authors: JANSANA, DE LA VILLA, DE PAAUW, ARQUITECTES SLP und AAUP. Jordi Romero i associats SLP
Landscaping and improved accessibility to a lookout where the remains of an anti-aircraft gun emplacement combine with those of a shanty village that was later constructed there.
The Jury also awarded a Special Mention to the following three works:
Exhibition Road:
London \ United Kingdom, 2011
Authors: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
A main road in one of London’s cultural districts has been repaved and cleared of architectural barriers, and vehicular traffic has been regulated by means of a “shared surface” system that creates a balance of consensus between vehicles and pedestrians.
Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery:
Nantes \ France, 2011
Authors: Krzysztof Wodiczko & Julian Bonder, Wodiczko+Bonder, Architecture, Art & Design.
A wharf on the Loire River where slave ships once docked has been renovated with a new riverside walk that replaces a car park, while a memorial space commemorates the slave trade.
Annorstädes \ Elsewhere \ Ailleurs:
Malmö \ Sweden, 2010
Author: Tania Ruiz
A permanent installation projects moving images onto the platforms of an underground railway station to make the wait more enjoyable for passengers.
The Jury further awarded a Special Category to the following intervention:
Occupy Puerta del Sol:
Madrid \ Spain, 2011
A large-scale demonstration by citizens demanding improvements in the democratic system by means of a temporary occupation of one of Madrid’s most representative squares
The sponsoring institutions of the seventh European Prize for Urban Public Space are:
- Barcelona: Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona – CCCB)
- Frankfurt: Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM)
- Helsinki: Museum of Finnish Architecture (MFA)
- London: The Architecture Foundation (AF)
- Paris: La Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine
- Rotterdam: Nederlands Architectuurinstituut (NAI)
- Vienna: Architekturzentrum Wien (AzW)
The Jury of the 2012 Prize will consist of the following members:
President:
Josep Llinàs, Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona
Jury members:
Ole Bouman, director of the Nederlands Architectuurinstituut (NAI)
Sarah Ichioka, director of The Architecture Foundation (AF)
Juulia Kauste, director of the Museum of Finnish Architecture (MFA)
Francis Rambert, director of La Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine
Peter Cachola Schmal, director of the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM)
Dietmar Steiner, director of the Architekturzentrum Wien (AzW)