Winners of the first Brussels Architecture Prize have been announced
The Brussels Architecture Prize is an initiative of the Brussels Region, carried out by Urban in co-production with A+ Architecture in Belgium. An international jury selected 31 projects from 175 entries in four categories: the small intervention, the major intervention, public space and Extra Muros. The judges also choose a young agency, an up-and-coming talent, for the Promising Young Architect Award. Supported by the scientific committee of the prize, they also selected an architectural firm for the oeuvre prize, the Lifetime performance award.
Small intervention: Tribe Europe, ACTE (51N4E)
When 51N4E was asked to convert the ground floor of an empty office building in the European Quarter into a multifunctional space, their first approach was to strip all the interior cladding. Stam Europa is now an empty concrete shell with a minimalistic design and an open invitation to European burgers to do something about the impenetrability of the EU.
“The project creates the conditions for a new temporary use in the largely monofunctional European Quarter. It is the result of a collaboration between a diverse group of radical experts and demonstrates architecture’s ability to transform a different world in a playful and collective way.
future for the city,” said jury member Konstantinos Pantazis.
Major intervention: Building materials village (TETRA architects)
Tetra architects (now Architecture platform Terwecoren Verdickt and MAKER architects) designed an extremely flexible industrial building with an iconic roof structure for the Bouwmaterialendorp on the Vergote dock in Brussels. The clear architecture once again gives dignity, pride and prestige to the industry so maligned a few years ago. The industry is no longer, but celebrated as an indispensable part of the city.
“The elegant modularity of the project, the smart system and the water recuperation and energy solutions found,” said jury member Samia Henni.
Public space: Molenwestplein (1010 architecture urban planning)
In September 2020, MolenWest, a new public space near the West station in Brussels, was inaugurated. On a piece of wasteland, men provided infrastructure for children and young people to play. It is a temporary project, designed by 1010 architecture urbanism.
“The design of 1010 architecture urbanism brought this site to life and integrated the different activities in a beautiful way. The reuse of elements of different scales and materials has contributed to this success,” says Samia Henni.
Additional Muros: Melopee (Xaveer de Geyter Architects)
The design of the City Building on the Oude Dokken in Ghent was a difficult puzzle. The programme, a multi-tenant building with a primary school, after-school care and a sports hall, hardly sticks to the tight space. In addition, according to OMA’s master plan, a ‘play ribbon’ had to run through the site. XDGA formulated a surprising answer.
This ‘height’ playground provides a lot of liveliness. A simple and rational construction for children,” said jury member Louis Leger.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Simone and Lucien Kroll
“It’s the story of a career,” says Simone Kroll, before going on to say, “although career might be a big word.” At the same time, this is a perfect summary of the architecture and values of the Simone and Lucien Kroll office for urban and construction: a considerable number of commissions – more than between 1955 and 2008 – , an unwavering commitment and a genuine modesty. But we are mistaken: Simone and not Lucien Kroll were redesigned to reach complex situations, resolve conflicts and resolve and reach for the easiest way. In touch with contemporary reality and concerned about the world as it stands, at 94 years old, they are more rebellious and anarchic than ever before.
The Lifetime Achievement Award of the Brussels Architecture Prize puts these pioneers in the field of participation and ecology in the spotlight and rewards the long, difficult but happy journey of this extraordinary designer couple.
Promising Young Architect Award: BC architects
If BC Archiects is awarded the title Promising Young Architect by the Brussels Architecture Prize, it is less due to the free reduction of their built oeuvre, which often often came about ‘extra muros’, far beyond Belgium, than to their innovative, circular approach to the construction process. By
is it love their practice? They are both designer and community organizer as a producer of circular, local building materials as an advisor and thinktank.
Audience Award: Porta 1070 (OSK-AR architects)
Osk-ar deployed the very first teenage school in Belgium in a former church building in Anderlecht. The architects looked for suitable spatial instruments for the specific pedagogical project of the school. Pioneering work that can transform the educational landscape.
“This pilot project shows in an innovative way the many possibilities of reuse, renovation and integration of the new with existing infrastructures and buildings”, says Samia Henni.
As part of the first edition of the Brussels Architecture Prize, the architecture magazine A+ Architecture in Belgium is publishing a special edition, which is completely larger in price. This is in English and provides an extensive and detailed description of all nominations, the judging and the winning projects. This special edition will be published on 13 December 2021 and was presented to the public at the award ceremony of the Brussels Architecture Prize at BOZAR in Brussels.