European Prize for Urban Public Space

The library, built in part by local residents using prefabricated bits and pieces from a demolished building, is to a large degree a social project, while the Norwegian stone cultural temple is a real prestige project. There are also huge discrepancies in size and cost: the library (488 m²) cost a mere 325,000 euros, the Opera (38,500 m²) 500,000,000 euros – per square meter a factor of twenty difference. In all fairness it should be noted that this last amount covered not only the cost of the public space on the roof of the Opera, but the building below and all the building services. Two basically incommensurable projects, in other words, which is also why the jury finally decided to designate them joint winners.

As well as the winners, there were four special mentions, all from Western Europe (Netherlands, Spain [2] and France). That is also a reflection of the entries: only one-fifth were from Central Europe, while almost one-third of the 303 entries were from Spain, the home base of this prize, which is organized by the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona in collaboration with the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine (Paris), The Architecture Foundation (London), the Netherlands Architecture Institute (Rotterdam), the Architekturzentrum Wien (Vienna) and the Museum of Finnish Architecture (Helsinki).

The four special mentions went to: the Urban Activator Theater podium in Rotterdam (Atelier Kempe Thill), the Paseo Marítimo Playa de Poniente in Benidorm (Office of Architecture), a row of fishermen's huts in the port of Cangas do Morrazo (+ Irisarri Piñera) and  Passage 56 in Paris (atelier d'architecture autogérée).