University study pavilion wins the 2024 EU Mies van der Rohe Award with a reconfigurable design

The winners of this year’s European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture — Mies van der Rohe Award were just announced via a special ceremony held in Brussels earlier today.

Leading the field of two category winners was the Berlin-based duo Gustav Düsing and Max Hacke’s new Study Pavilion on the campus of the Technical University of Braunschweig, a play on the open space concept that allows for variations of student activities using a flexible layout in what is labeled as a "counter-model to spaces of hierarchical knowledge transfer" by the foundation.

Another winning aspect is the hybrid structure's ability to be disassembled and remounted. Individual components are capable of reuse in line with a principle called the "future material depot," which contributes to its role in the circular economy.

Joining their win in the Architecture Prize category was the winning entry for the contest's Emerging Architecture Prize, which was conferred on Elena Orte and Guillermo Sevillano of Madrid's SUMA Arquitectura for their design of the Gabriel García Márquez Library in Barcelona. 

The library was enacted in an underserved area of the city and evokes the form of book stacks sited atop an open plaza area, rising to five stories that are organized around three cores and a triangular central courtyard. A 45-degree chamfer runs through the library in homage to the Eixample district. The building stands at just over 46,000 square feet and represents the culmination of a three-decade program. 

"Architecture is a fundamental part not just of our European culture but also of sustainable development and people’s well-being. The winners of the 2024 EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture — Mies van der Rohe Award demonstrate this very clearly. Their works reflect the principles of the New European Bauhaus, bringing the green transition into people's everyday lives and living spaces," Iliana Ivanova,  the Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said finally.

An awards ceremony will take place at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona on May 14th.