Seven European projects selected as 2026 EU Mies van der Rohe Award finalists

The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe have unveiled the seven finalists for the 2026 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture — Mies van der Rohe Award. A total of five projects were selected as finalists in the Architecture category, with another two taken from the Emerging category.

The projects were chosen from a shortlist of 40 that we reported on last month. The winners will be announced on April 16th, with an awards ceremony taking place on May 11th and 12th in Barcelona.

“These works demonstrate a careful balance between radical innovation and sensitivity to context,” organizers said about the finalists. “Some transform overlooked areas — former industrial zones, small villages, or peripheral urban districts — while others intervene in larger cities with subtlety and respect for existing neighbourhoods. In each case, the architects’ decisions are guided by a deep understanding of the social, cultural, and environmental forces shaping contemporary life.”

The seven finalists are as follows:

ARCHITECTURE FINALISTS

Palais des Expositions in Charleroi (Hainaut, Belgium) by AgwA and architecten jan de vylder inge vinck (Brussels and Ghent, Belgium)

This project renovates a 1950s convention centre to better serve today’s city and its residents. Instead of demolishing the building, the existing structure is reused and opened up. The former closed central hall extends the public space inside the building, making it more accessible and easier to move through. Outside, hard paved areas are replaced by a continuous green park, improving the environment and reconnecting the building with its surroundings. The result is a building that preserves its original character while offering a completely new experience: the same building as before, but seen and used in a new way.

The Rehabilitation of Vapor Cortès - Prodis 1923 in Terrassa (Catalonia, Spain) by H ARQUITECTES (Sabadell, Spain)

The new Prodis headquarters transforms the old Vapor Marquès warehouses into an inclusive centre organized around a recovered passage that becomes a new street for the city. The new intervention introduces wooden structures, skylights, and energy passive systems while respecting its original character.

Lot 8, LUMA Arles - Renovation of Le Magasin Électrique in Arles (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France) by Atelier Luma and BC architects & studies with ASSEMBLE (Arles, France, Brussels, Belgium, London, UK)

In 2019, the Luma Foundation commissioned Assemble and BC Architects to transform a 19th-century train depot in Arles into Atelier LUMA, a design lab exemplifying bioregional design, using Camargue resources, regenerative materials, and local knowledge for a sustainable, socially engaged architecture.

The Josephine Baker - Marie-Jose Perec Sports and Cultural Centre in La BouëxièreBeuzid-ar-C’hoadoù (Brittany, France) by onze04 (Nantes, France-Barcelona, Spain)

The project creates a new cultural and sports facility hosting regional competitions. It forms a major hub integrating existing facilities and reconnecting the area with neighbouring districts. Its textile-roof hall offers natural light and ventilation, becoming a symbolic urban landmark.

The Gruž Market in Dubrovnik (Adriatic Croatia, Croatia) by ARP / Peračić-Veljačić (Split, Croatia)

An adjustable and carefully shaped canopy/roof, lightweight and optimistic in its appearance, floats above the marketplace and articulates spatial and cultural relations. At once, it gives integrity to the market square, new life to the heritage, public climatic shelter, and new identity to the city.

EMERGING FINALISTS

Multi-Service Cultural Centre Le Foirail in Laguiole-La Guiòla (Occitanie, France) by Betillon & Freyermuth* and Crypto Architectes (Toulouse, France)

A radical hall in Laguiole, open and adaptable, rooted in a proud rural territory with limited resources. Rather than imitating historical styles, the building serves as a shared public space: a flexible, functional structure that can evolve over time and support collective life and local identity. Built using local resources, with materials and uses designed to grow and change.

Temporary Spaces for the Slovenian National Theatre Drama in Ljubljana (Western Slovenia, Slovenia) by Vidic Grohar Arhitekti (Ljubljana, Slovenia)

The project involves the adaptive reuse of a former industrial hall as a Temporary National Theatre during the renovation of the city’s historic theatre building. Located within a complex of 1960s industrial halls on the city’s fringe, it establishes a new programmatic center. A series of low-budget interventions carried out in a short period transformed the abandoned industrial hall into a vibrant new public building.