Puukuokka Housing and Suvela Chapel by OOPEAA shortlisted for the 2017 EU Mies Award

40 SHORTLISTED WORKS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2017 EU PRIZE FOR CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE – MIES VAN DER ROHE AWARD

The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe have announced the 40 shortlisted works that will compete for the 2017 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award.
355 works were nominated for the award and an expert Jury drew up the final shortlist. Two buildings by OOPEAA are among the shortlisted works: Puukuokka One, the first eight-story wooden apartment building with a load bearing frame made of massive timber in Finland, and Suvela Chapel, a multifunctional space designed to provide a place for the people of one of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in Finland to come together.

The chosen 40 works highlight the opportunities and the trends of today’s European territory: cities, housing, heritage and memory. A third of the works selected tackle the challenge of contemporary architecture in relation with built heritage. It is also very significant that a third of the work tackles the contemporary challenges of housing.

There are 4 works shortlisted in France, 4 in Portugal and 4 in the United Kingdom; 3 in Denmark, Spain, Finland, The Netherlands and Norway; 2 in Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Turkey; and 1 in Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Sweden. The cities with most works are London (3), Lisbon (2), Dublin (2) and Espoo (2).
Furthermore, the Jury members underlined that the group of 40 exceptional works show a decrease in iconic architecture projects. They also highlighted the mix of uses of the works and the prevalence of Housing projects (14) and Cultural facilities (11). Education, accommodation, industry, sport, offices, landscape, mixed-use and social welfare are also present.

The five finalists will be announced in mid-February and the Winner and Emerging Winner in mid-May. The Award Ceremony will take place on 26 May 2017 at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona. In Barcelona, an exhibition with the 355 nominated works can already be visited at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB).

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Puukuokka

In the Puukuokka Housing Complex, a system of prefabricated volumetric modules made of cross-laminated timber (CLT) was developed as a way of making use of wood as a sustainable material in multi-story apartment buildings. The system offers a solution that is of high quality and provides for a good quality of life while also being economically affordable, energy efficient and ecologically sustainable. Puukuokka also pilots a new lease-to-own model of financing in order to support social sustainability.

See the entry on Mies Awards´website HERE.

Find more information about the Puukuokka Housing HERE.

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Suvela Chapel

 The Suvela Chapel offers a shared space for the culturally diverse population of the Suvela community to come together in. It serves a broad range of functions, ranging from the religiously associated functions of a chapel to serving as a meeting-space, providing spaces for a daycare center and for the local youth to gather as well as for workshops and hobbies. The choice of materials, copper for the exterior cladding and spruce for the interior surfaces supports the long-term sustainability of the building.

See the entry on Mies Awards´website HERE.

Find more information about the Suvela Chapel HERE.

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Find more information about the 40 works HERE.

Find more information about the Jury members HERE.

Find more information about the Mies Award HERE and HERE.