Mies van der Rohe Award reveals finalists for 2026
Seven finalists have been named for this year's Mies van der Rohe Award, including five regeneration projects such as a 19th-century train depot-turned-design lab in France.
The nominated projects include five architecture finalists and two emerging finalists spanning Belgium, Spain, France, Slovenia and Croatia, noted for their "exemplary contributions to the future of European architecture".
"In a Europe facing political, environmental, and social challenges, these works offer hope and demonstrate the enduring value of thoughtful, engaged design," the awarding body said.
Members of this year's jury, which was chaired by Chilean architect Smiljan Radić, also praised the projects' considerate and careful interventions that create "meaningful spaces for people".
"The seven finalists demonstrate how architecture shapes shared space and helps define the urban landscape that accommodates people’s lives," architect and jury member Rosa Rull said.
"They highlight the diversity of approaches to the design and reuse of buildings and existing contexts."
The Charleroi Palais des Expositions in Belgium is one of five regeneration projects to be nominated for the awards.
Designed by Brussels-based AgwA and Ghent-based Architecten Jan de Vylder Inge Vinck, the mixed-use cultural building oversaw the renovation of a 1950s convention centre in Charleroi.
Another retrofit development vying for the award is the Rehabilitation of Vapor Cortès - Prodis 1923, completed by H Arquitectes in Terrasa, Spain.
Creating a new home for local non-profit Prodis, H Arquitectes transformed a set of existing warehouses – introducing wooden structures organised around a recovered passage that doubles as a "street for the city".
Another nominee is a row of industrial buildings, belonging to a former train depot, that were transformed into a design lab by studios Assemble and BC Architects in Arles, France.
Named Lot 8, the 19th-century depot was transformed into a workspace for circular-design lab Atelier Luma using biomaterials such as salt and sunflowers.
The fourth regeneration project on the list is the Gruž Market in Dubrovnik, Croatia, which Slovenian studio ARP/ Peračić-Veljačić updated with an adjustable, lightweight roof.
The Josephine Baker - Marie-Jose Perec Sports and Cultural Centre, completed by architecture studio Onze04 in La Bouëxière, France, is one of two new builds on the list of finalists.
Its sweeping, textile roof draws natural light and ventilation into the hub's facilities, which are used to host regional competitions.
The two emerging finalists are the Multi-Service Cultural Centre Le Foirail in Laguiole, France, by Betillon & Freyermuth and Crypto Architectes, and the Temporary Spaces for Slovenian National Theatre Drama, completed by local studio Vidic Grohar Arhitekti within a renovated industrial hall in Ljubljana.
The Mies van der Rohe Award is given out by the European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe.
Winners of the architecture and emerging categories will be announced on 16 April at the European Capital of Culture 2026, followed by an awards ceremony in Barcelona in May.
Previous winners of the bi-annual Mies van der Rohe Award include the steel-framed Study Pavilion by Gustav Düsing and Max Hacke, who in 2024 became the youngest people to have received the accolade.
The photography is by Adrià Goula unless otherwise stated. The top image is by Schnepp Renou.
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