DETAIL Prize Gala - 10 years of the DETAIL Prize – a feast for architecture and its protagonists
photo: Kathrin Heller / pixelanddot photography
10 years after founding the DETAIL Prize, this year, the organizers took the decision to go back to the competition's roots and to revive the aspect of knowledge transfer in the form of a public symposium. This was how the DETAIL Prize was launched ten years ago at the BAU trade fair in Munich, before the focus was shifted in recent years to the award ceremony. This year, the event successfully combined both formats, thereby living up to the aims of the DETAIL Prize in every respect.
The event got off to a great start in the morning with a talk by Philippe Block from the Block Research Group, together with Ochsendorf DeJong & Block Engineering and The Escobedo Group winners of the Readers' Prize for their project "Armadillo Vault", exhibited at this year's Venice Biennale. The organizers are especially delighted that this year's award went to a young research team, highlighting the high value that research projects have for the further development of architecture today and in the future. Afterwards, Bartlomiej Halaczek of Knight Architects gave an insight into the complex development of the "Merchant Square Footbridge", which won the structure special prize, and Florian Busch presented his project "K8" – gallery and bar in Kyoto. The spatially fascinating building was awarded the inside special prize and particularly impressed the judges with its highly successful interior design on the tiny plot. After a short lunch break, Meinrad Morger not only presented his project, "Hilti Art Foundation/Huber Uhren Schmuck", awarded third place in the DETAIL Prize competition, he also gave an impressive insight into the exact work carried out by the Swiss office. Second place was awarded to the "St. Agnes" project by Brandlhuber + Emde, Burlon and Riegler Riewe Architekten. Thomas Burlon presented the impressive transformation of a former church into a gallery, situated not far away from the event location in Kreuzberg and definitely worth a visit. Finally, architect Sean Godell, who had travelled all the way from Australia for the event, discussed the winning project of the DETAIL Prize 2016, the "MPavilion" in Melbourne, which has proved so popular in recent months that the originally temporary installation will now be permanently sited at another location.
In the afternoon, an excursion was organized to DZ Bank on Potsdamer Platz, paid for by the main sponsor Josef Gartner. As part of the event and thanks to the support of Prof. Dr. Mike Schlaich, participants were given an exclusive tour of the building, which is normally closed to the public and which therefore represented a special highlight.
In the evening, the Magazin in der Heeresbäckerei transformed itself into an impressive backdrop for the award ceremony. The invited guests from the fields of architecture, culture, research and politics were representatively sat at two long reflective tables. Editor in Chief Dr. Sandra Hofmeister opened the gala evening, and Managing Director Karin Lang, Division Manager Georg Moller, representing the premium sponsor BAU 2017, and Jürgen Wax, CEO of the main sponsor Josef Gartner GmbH, also made welcoming addresses. The first highlight of the evening was jury chairman Enrique Sobejano's passionate presentation, which gave an impressive insight into his architectural world. The menu courses were interspersed with a speech by Lothar Fehn Krestas – Deputy Director Architecture, Construction of the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), which is once again acting as the patron of the DETAIL Prize – and by the handover of the individual prizes. Both the tributes by the jury members Gilles Retsin, Mike Schlaich, Daniel Lischer and DETAIL editor Peter Popp, who gave the laudation for the inside special prize on behalf of Peter Ippolito, and the short acceptance speeches by the winners were characterised by personal feelings and memories, in which they expressed their appreciation for the prize and all those involved with it.
Special thanks go again in this connection to the already mentioned premium partner BAU 2017, the main sponsor Josef Gartner GmbH, the former sponsor Orca Software GmbH, the conceptual partners the Bavarian Chamber of Architects, the BMUB and NAX, as well as the in-kind sponsors NEC Display Solutions Europe GmbH, which supplied the projectors and monitors that ensured optimal presentation of the works, and Skoda, which provided an exclusive shuttle service to guests. Those unable to be present in Berlin will have the opportunity to view the nominated and awarded works again at the BAU trade fair in Munich in January. Like last time, the exhibition will be held with the support of System 180 GmbH.
A honourable mention for their project was given in the category DETAIL inside 2016 to Caramel architekten with their project »Home Made» in Vienna and Deubzer König + Rimmel Architekten for the design of the »Aula der Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg«. A honourable metion in the category DETAIL structure 2016 was recieved for »Elytra Filament Pavilion« in London by Achim Menges with Moritz Dörstelmann (ICD Universität Stuttgart/Achim Menges Architekt), Jan Knippers (ITKE Universität Stuttgart/Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering) and Thomas Auer (Transsolar Climate Engineering / TUM).
The winners of the DETAIL Prize 2016 are:
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