The exhibition complemented opened in January 2016 Made in Europe exhibition presenting the winners of the Mies van der Rohe Award from 1988 to 2013. It presented a selection of the most important examples of the European architecture of the last two years. It was a special edition because three projects completed in Poland were shortlisted for the award - the new Silesian Museum in Katowice, designed in the Austrian studio Riegler Riewe Architekten, Museum of the History of Polish Jews POLIN in Warsaw created according to the design of the Finnish architect Rainer Mahlamäki and the Szczecin Philharmonic, the work of the architect duo Veiga/Barozzi from Barcelona - Alberto Veiga from Spain and Fabrizio Barozzi from Italy, which became the first Polish building that received the main prize in the history of the competition.
The new building of the Szczecin Philharmonic was built on the site of the former Konzerthaus severely damaged during airstrikes in World War II. The history of the place and the historic buildings around it have been included in the design of the new structure. Vertical lines of the facade and dynamic outline of the roof correspond with the Regional Police Headquarters from the early twentieth century adjacent to the Philharmonic. At the same time the body of the new concert hall, very modern and geometric, stands out from its surroundings. The glass facade, lit from within, allows for creating illumination after dark, while during the day its white color contrasts with other buildings. The interior of the Philharmonic also is dominated by white, with the exception of two concert halls – one is black and the main hall is golden, referring to the tradition of classical concert halls with its rich geometric ornamentation.
The second Polish structure featured and shortlisted in the that edition of the competition is the Silesian Museum in Katowice, designed by German architects Florian Riegler and Roger Riewe at the former mine “Warsaw”. Referring to the history of the place, the designers placed the majority of the museum underground. Visible above the ground are glass cubic constructions housing infrastructure and administration parts, ensuring supply of daily light to the exhibition below.
Also the design of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews POLIN corresponds with the city and its history. The starting point for the creation of geometric, minimalist solid object was Monument to the Ghetto Heroes in Warsaw, which is located opposite the main entrance. The entrance has the shape of the Hebrew letter taw, from which the words such as “culture” and “history” begin. The facade of the building is covered with glass panels decorated with Hebrew and Polish letters forming the word “Polin”. The authors of the concept of the museum are Finnish architects from Lahdelma & Mahlamäki studio.
All the objects featured in the that edition of the competition were presented in the form of design documentation organized in an extensive database - sketches, photographs, plans, maps and information – as well as 40 models, including two winning constructions – the Szczecin Philharmonic (main award) and the Luz House in Cilleros in the west of Spain, designed by ARQUITECTURA-G studio (award for young talents), four buildings qualified for the final - the Danish Maritime Museum in Elsinore, the Museum of Art in Ravensburg, Saw Swee Hock Student Centre in London, Antinori Winery in Florence and the two Polish objects from the short list. The exhibition was supplemented by films will be presenting the designs and the process of selecting the winners.
European Award Mies van der Rohe is awarded every other year. During that time, independent experts and members of organizations affiliated to the Architects Council of Europe and other architectural associations from European countries, as well as members of the Advisory Committee, submit their proposals to the attention of the jury. Among the candidates the jury selects the finalists and designs that qualify for the short list, which entitles the selected architects to present their design in an international competition catalog. Then, after visiting structures qualified for the final, the jury decides to award the main prize and a special prize for young talents.