The Regional Court in Katowice, designed by Archistudio Studniarek + Pilinkiewicz, was nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2011. Previously, the project was chosen as one of the best 40 brick buildings in the world (Brick Award 2010).
European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture Mies van der Rohe Award is granted every two years by the European Union and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona, to acknowledge and reward quality architectural production in Europe. The Award offers both individuals and public institutions an opportunity to reach a clearer understanding of the cultural role of architecture in the construction of cities.
Candidates for the Award are put forward by a broad group of independent experts from all over Europe, as well as from the architects’ associations that form part of the European Council of Architects and other European national architects’ associations. At each two-yearly edition, the jury selects two works: one that receives the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture in recognition of its conceptual, technical and constructional qualities, and the other that receives the Emerging Architect Special Mention. The jury also selects a set of finalist works to be included in both the Award catalogue and exhibition.
The Award consists of a cash prize of EUR 60 000 and a sculpture evoking Mies van der Rohe’s German Pavilion. The Special Mention is endowed with EUR 20 000 and a sculpture evoking the Pavilion, the genuine symbol of the Award. The winner will be decided in 2011.
The Regional Court in Katowice is located at 38 Francuska St. close to the “A4” highway. A usable floor area of the building covers 15 560 sq. meters. The side facades of sand-colored brick and high windows refer to the monumental government architecture. Walls and the two entrances were made of architectural concrete. The building was completed in 2009.
The photos were taken by Juliusz Sokołowski