After its very successful 1999 exhibition The re conquest of Europe. Public spaces in European cities, 1980-1998, the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, in association with the Institut Français d’Architecture, created in 2000 the European Prize for Urban Public Space, awarded on a two yearly basis, to acknowledge and stimulate work to recover and create public spaces all over the continent. Encouraged by the success of the first edition, the Architecture Foundation in London, the Nederlands Architectuurinstituut in Rotterdam and the Architekturzentrum Wien joined this initiative. The incorporation this year of a fifth institution, the Museum of Finnish Architecture in Helsinki, highlights the geographical representativeness of the organising bodies and further reinforces the European scope of the award.
Remodelling public spaces to improve life in cities
Given the reductionism and programmatic simplicity of some of the large-scale urban projects implemented in Europe in recent years, and the risks involved, homogenisation and impoverishment of the urban landscape, the Prize aims to highlight the importance of public space as a catalyst of urban life, and to recognise and foster investment by public administrations in its creation, conservation and improvement, while also understanding the state of public space as a clear indicator of the civic and collective health of our cities. It covers all countries that are part of the European continent, islands included, and is open to all projects, whether they have been fully or almost completed in 2004 or 2005. The prize, which is purely honorific, is awarded both to the architects and the institution that promote the project, by an. international jury comprised of the directors of the organising institutions and renowned professionals. The winners receive a commemorative plaque that is to be set up in the public space that has been awarded the Prize. Prize-winners also receive diplomas validating the award. This year the deliberations of the Jury will take place in Barcelona on May 5, and the awards will be announced on May 15.
The transformation of European public space over the last 25 years
A total of 170 works carried out in 20 European countries were presented in 2004. The awards went to the remodelling of the areas surrounding the Plaza de la Estación in Teruel (Aragon), carried out by architects David Chipperfield and Fermín Vásquez, and the landscape restoration of the Vall d’en Joan refuse dump in Begues (Catalonia), by architects Enric Batlle, Joan Roig and Teresa Galí. Four special mentions were also awarded to interventions carried out in Berlin, Kalmar, Copenhagen and Buenavista del Norte. All of these works, along with the best projects entered in the competition, from their beginnings, are available for consultation in the European Archive of urban public space, a selection that, with 250 projects accessible on the Internet, bears testimony to the transformation of European public space over the last 25 years.
The conditions of entry and all the necessary information for taking part in the competition, along with the form to be filled out for free registration are available at www.urban.cccb.org
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