architectural competitions

The 9th Philippe Rotthier European Prize for Architecture, to be awarded in June 2011, will reward notable renovations carried out in Europe during the past five years.

During the 20^th century, a tabula rasa town planning policy often prevailed and existing buildings no longer suitable for their original use were sacrificed regardless of what they represented for local people.

Today, and this will be even more so in the future, a very large part of architecture concerns the renovation of existing buildings that are often given a new use. Factories, workshops, covered markets, warehouses, barracks and various public and private, secular and religious, abandoned or escheated buildings are restored to life and are appreciated all the more for being a part of the collective memory and history or a town or neighbourhood of which they are often structuring elements.

The 2011 Prize will seek to reward projects that are part of a process of urban renaissance, which highlight the pre-existing patrimony, improve the quality of life in neighbourhoods and favour mixity.

The prize money is 30,000 euros, made available to the jury by the prize founder, the architect Philippe Rotthier.

The prize-winning and mentioned projects will be presented in a catalogue and exhibited in October 2011 at the Brussels Architecture Museum, the inauguration of which will be simultaneous with the prize-giving ceremony