Thirty Under 50 Architects Shortlisted for BSI Swiss Architectural Award 2008

On November 13th the prize-giving ceremony will take place in Mendrisio, to award the CHF 100,000 offered by the BSI Architectural Foundation, with the support of the Federal Office for Culture in Bern and the Accademia di architettura in Mendrisio.

On 17 September 2008, the winner of the first “BSI Swiss Architectural Award” will be announced by the architect Mario Botta, Chairman of the award’s Jury. The award – promoted by the BSI Architectural Foundation, with the support of the Federal Office for Culture in Bern and the Accademia di architettura of the Università della Svizzera Italiana in Mendrisio – is given to architects aged under 50, of any nationality, “that contributed, thanks to their work, to contemporary architectural culture showing a particular sensitivity towards environmental balance”.

3LHD (Zagreb, Croatia): 123 Tower Proposal, Zagreb

Thirty candidates from 15 countries are in the running for this first edition of the award. They were selected by an international committee of advisors made up of internationally respected architects and architecture critics. The Jury for the prize comprises Mario Botta, the Chairman, architects Emilio Ambasz (New York) and Valentin Bearth (Chur), who is also the Director of the Accademia di architettura in Mendrisio, as well as Zhi Wenjun (Shanghai) and Davide Croff, a former President of the Venice Biennale.

Adjaye Associates (London, UK): Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver

“For BSI Bank, investing in culture has always meant helping to raise awareness of the importance of science and the arts in our daily lives and for the sustainable development of society”, commented Alfredo Gysi, Chairman of the Executive Board of BSI AG and Member of the BSI Architectural Foundation. “Thanks to the merger of Banca del Gottardo into BSI, our commitment has now extended to architecture with the awarding of this prize. The award is the culmination of two years of work by the Architectural Foundation, which was set up by Banca del Gottardo and which now forms a valuable part of the heritage of the whole BSI Group”.

the NEXTenterprise (Vienna, Austria): Lakeside Bath, Caldaro - Kaltern

Mario Botta added: “This award represents an opportunity to recognise and raise the international profile of architects who can make an outstanding contribution to contemporary architectural culture. It is also a good occasion to reflect critically on ideas that favour first an ethical and then an aesthetic approach. The names selected can be considered as some of the most important architects working internationally today. Their sensitivity and professional commitment in their countries of origin highlight their diverse hopes (both fanciful and realistic), in contrast to the contradictions and confusion that are rife today in the debates within the field”.

Antonio Jimenez Torrecillas (Granada, Spain): Dal Bat Showroom, Granada

This is the first edition of the competition, which will be held every two years. The prize fund is CHF 100,000. The award is attributed to an architect aged under 50, of any nationality, who has produced at least three major works that meet the aims of the competition.

The candidates are selected by a team of international advisors, each one of whom can nominate up to three entrants who meet the criteria and objectives of the award. The members of the team of advisors are: Laurent Beaudouin, Nancy, Gonçalo Byrne, Lisbon, Alberto Campo Baeza, Madrid, Massimo Carmassi, Florence, Roberto Collovà, Palermo, Kenneth Frampton, New York, Dan S. Hanganu, Montreal, Yung Ho Chang, Beijing, Kengo Kuma, Tokyo, Paulo Mendes da Rocha, São Paolo, Boris Podrecca, Vienna, Anant Raje, Ahmedabad and Bruno Reichlin, Paris and Mendrisio.

Shuhei Endo (Osaka, Japan): Rooftecture S, Kobe

The candidates for this year’s award are:

3LHD (Saša Begović, Marko Dabrović, Tanja Grozdanić, Silvije Novak), Zagreb (Croatia), Adjaye Associates, London (UK), Jesus Aparicio, Madrid (Spain), Solano Benitez, Asuncion (Paraguay), Gion A. Caminada, Vrin (Switzerland), Alfonso Cendron, Venice (Italy), Dominique Coulon, Strasbourg (France), Richard Francis-Jones, Sydney (Australia), the NEXTenterprise (Ernst J. Fuchs, Marie-Therese Harnoncourt), Vienna (Austria), Sean Godsell, Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Thomas Heatherwick, London (UK), Rick Joy, Tucson (USA), Alberto Kalach, Mexico City (Mexico), Francisco Mangado, Pamplona (Spain), Mansilla & Tuñon, Madrid (Spain), Francisco and Manuel Aires Mateus, Lisbon (Portugal), Rahul Mehrotra, Mumbai (India), Quintus Miller and Paola Maranta, Basel (Switzerland), Marco Navarra – Studio Nowa, Caltagirone (Italy), OFFICE dA (Nader Tehrani, Monica Ponce de Leon), Boston (USA), Valerio Olgiati, Chur (Switzerland), Promontorio Architectos (João Perloiro, João Luis Ferreira, Paulo Perloiro, Paulo Martins Barata, Pedro Appleton, Adrian Beloso-Baker), Lisbon (Portugal), Saša Randić, Idis Turato, Rijeka (Croatia), Joao Alvaro Rocha, Maia (Portugal), Enric Ruiz Geli (Cloud 9), Barcelona (Spain), S-M.A.O. (Juan Carlos Sancho, Sol Madridejos), Madrid (Spain), Beniamino Servino, Caserta (Italy), Shuhei Endo, Osaka (Japan), Antonio Jimenez Torrecillas, Granada (Spain) and Wang Shu, Hangzhou (China).

OFFICE dA (Boston, USA): Helios House, Los Angeles

The winner will be announced on Wednesday 17 September 2008, at a press conference to be held in the Spazio inBSI at the BSI headquarters in Via Magatti 2, Lugano, Switzerland.
The prize-giving ceremony will take place on Thursday 13 November 2008 at the Accademia di architettura in Mendrisio, Switzerland. At the same time, the works submitted by the candidates will go on display in the gallery of the Accademia, and a catalogue of the exhibition will be published in both Italian and English.

About BSI Architectural Foundation

The BSI Architectural Foundation promotes knowledge, training and research in the field of architecture. It presents a biennal architectural award (BSI Swiss Architectural Award) and sponsors activities and projects as part of that event, including exhibitions, publications and presentations. The BSI Architectural Foundation is one of the BSI AG Foundations.

João Álvaro Rocha (Maia, Portugal): Tourism Office, Ponte de Lima

The exhibition

Gallery of the Accademia di architettura in Mendrisio, Switzerland
Dates: 14 November 2008 - January 2009
Opening times: Tuesday-Sunday 1pm-6pm. Closed Monday. Admission free
Catalogue: In Italian and English, on sale to the public