The winners 2020!
Now it's official: the best brick projects have made it from the shortlist to the podium of the Fritz Höger Award 2020 for Brick Architecture. This year not only bronze awards were a novelty: For the first time two projects were awarded the Grand Prix. Both the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne by Barozzi / Veiga and the Nakasone House detached property in Mexico City by the architect Escobedo Soliz completely convinced the judges and were accordingly honoured with the highest award.
With a total of 586 projects submitted and a great international response the Fritz Höger Award for Brick Architecture, awarded for the fifth time, has consolidated its place among the most important architecture prizes. Once again it presents an impressive cross-section of international brick architecture.
Filtering out the best submissions was a challenging task for the jury, which met in September. Not only in regard to the quantity but above all to the high architectural and craftly quality of the submissions. In a two-stag-process the jury for the Fritz Höger Award for Brick Architecture and the jury for the Newcomer Award saw 90 projects shortlisted for victory. From this shortlist the final winners were selected, who can now look forward to the award.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the award ceremony at the German Architecture Centre in Berlin cannot take place as planned this year. The Initiative Bauen mit Backstein therefore announced the winners of the Fritz Höger Prize 2020 for Brick Architecture on the 18th. January via the website.
Special feature 2020
"In order to show the full range of what brick offers as a material today, the jury is nominating two projects for the Grand Prix: On the one hand a very European "sophistication" of the material of brick, perhaps the most sophisticated one can imagine to achieve. On the other hand – much simpler, but no less sophisticated – a project in Mexico, that reinterprets simplicity using local materials. Both winners demonstrate extraordinary and surprising ways to compose architecture by using bricks."
– jury statement
WINNER 2020
Grand Prix
Barozzi / Veiga, Barcelona/Spain
Project: Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne/Switzerland
Public buildings, recreation and sport
Unsurpassable in its tranquillity and dignity
„The new art museum in Lausanne is almost unique in its abstractness and in the dignity of its calm and rhythmic appearance. The entire structure is permeated by the incredibly fine and detailed treatment of brick as a material. The monumental interiors with confidently thought-out details are interpenetrated with internal functions and spatial sequences, some of which can be found again in the exterior.
Sophisticated, European and strictly modern the mighty brick design combines the technical-industrial history of the site with the bright natural stone buildings of Lausanne and forms an almost paradigmatic place of cultural exchange. The facade seems like a monumental narrative about brick, as the homogeneity of the volume gives way to a well-proportioned, fascinating liveliness in a close-up view. A piece of history telling how to fully exploit the possibilities of brick."
– jury statement
Escobedo Soliz, Mexiko-City/Mexiko
Project: Nakasone House, Mexiko-City/Mexiko
Detached house/semi-detached house
Simplicity reinterpreted
„Here, a wonderful home was conjured up in an existing building near Mexico City with the simplest of means and the simplest of materials. The architects exposed the raw structure of concrete columns and beams and filled it with brick. The result is a house, that opens up a new way of experiencing the original form of the house: warmth, community, a patio where life organises itself, a sheltered garden. Based on local materials and the tradition of local craftsmanship the concept succeeds in reinterpreting simplicity in a new and refined way with its structures, materiality, textures and play of colours. In this way brick is honoured as a natural building material and its architecturally classical and pragmatic character is emphasised. "
– jury statement
WINNER 2020
Office and commercial buildings
WINNER GOLD
Witherford Watson Mann Architects, London/Great Britain
Project: ‚Brickfields‘ Business Centre, Hoxton/Great Britain
Hotspot for brick architecture
„The Brickfields Business Centre in Hoxton, London, is a hotspot for small creative businesses. The architects' work with brick skilfully blends the building into its urban surroundings and translates their dynamics into magnificent architecture. The building structure with its multiple staggered design gets its physicality from the small-scale masonry. The purple-brown facade breathes the warmth of weathered brick but varies dynamically from warm to cold and from earthy to glassy in the glow of the ever-changing light. Inside, you can feel how the brick shapes the soul of the building. It is a place for hard work, but also for the warmth of social interaction. The shared parts of the new business centre blend moments of intimacy with a dense, lively and theatrical atmosphere."
– jury statement
WINNER SILvER
Ernst Niklaus Fausch Partner AG, Zurich
Project: Umbau und Aufstockung eines Industriedenkmals, Kemptthal/Lindau
Special Mention
BureauVanEig
Project: Bridgekeepers house 't Melkhuisje
Winner bronze
Felgendreher Olfs Köchling Architekten GmbH, Berlin
Project: Johann Jacobs Haus, Bremen
nominee
behet bondzio lin architekten, Münster
Projekt: Neubau Verwaltungsgebäude Textilverband in Münster, Münster
Happel Cornelisse Verhoeven, Rotterdam
Projekt: Firestation Wilrijk, Antwerpen
LRO Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart
Project: Unternehmenszentrale für den dm-drogerie markt in Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe
WINNER 2020
Public buildings, recreation and sport
WINNER gold
HARQUITECTES, Sabadell/Spain
Project: Civic Center 1015, Barcelona/Spain
Extraordinary spirit for an extraordinary place
„The Civic Centre in Barcelona combines a wide variety of functions without overshadowing the actual architectural expression: the project is a school centre for adults, a hotel and a place for various public and commercial uses at the same time. As if it were a matter of course the building integrates the old, historical elements of the site into a triangular ground plan. The jury was impressed by the way the building not only carries on the spirit of the place but also communicates with the neighbourhood it its very own language, creating something new without denying the old. The result is a building that appears very closed on the outside but has many surprising moments in store on the inside. This also includes a modern energy concept with natural ventilation of the various atria."
– jury statement
Winner silver
Max Dudler, Berlin
Project: Stadtbibliothek Heidenheim, Heidenheim a.d. Brenz
Special Mention
Studierende der Hochschule München (Architektur & Bauingenieurwesen) und der Universidad La Salle Oaxaca
Project: DesignBuild: Zentrum für Kultur und Ökologie Quiané, Mexiko, Santa Catarina Quiané
Uwe Schröder Architekt, Bonn
Project: Hochzeitsturm, Plüderhausen
quadrat+ architektengesellschaft mbH, Recklinghausen
Project: flat2curved - Ziegelschale aus planaren Ziegelfertigteilen, Steenfelde
Winner bronze
unparelld'arquitectes, Olot
Project: Can Sau. Emergency Scenery, Olot
nominee
Vector Architects, Beijing
Project: Changjiang Art Museum, Taiyuan
Peter Krebs Büro für Architektur, Karlsruhe
Project: Petrus-Jakobus-Kirchenzentrum, Karlsruhe
Enzmann Fischer & Büro Konstrukt, Luzern
Project: Hochschule Luzern - Musik, Kriens
Label architecture, Brussels
Project: Ursulinen, Mechelen
Happel Cornelisse Verhoeven, Rotterdam
Project: Extention and renovation of Museum de Lakenhal, Leiden
TRANS architectuur | stedenbouw & V+, Gent
Project: Leietheater Deinze, Gent
WINNER 2020
Detached house/
semi-detached house
WINNER GOLD
Peter Besley Pty Ltd, Seven Hills/Australia
Project: Couldrey House, Seven Hills/Australia
Poetry of surprises
„Couldrey House in Seven Hills, Australia, works on classical modernism with its strict rectilinear building grid and surprises in several respects. Like a second face the slim brick facade welcomes the visitor and gives the detached house an almost poetic dress. The textural effect plays around the entrance door and continues horizontally in the form of a series of large access stairs like an accordion.
The second surprise awaits you inside, where you look in vain for an ordinary room layout. The bedrooms are located on the slightly stepped ground floor while the living area is on the first floor, extending over the entire floor and ending in a covered outdoor area.
The brick is not interpreted as an everyday material here, but as an extravagant quality material – with fascinating results."
– jury statement
winner SILvER
hehnpohl architektur bda, Münster
Project: Haus am Buddenturm, Münster
Baumstark Bielmeier Architekten GbR with Axel Baudendistel, Munich
Project: Haus am Englischen Garten, Munich
nominee
Thomas Kröger Architekten GmbH
Project: Haus am Deich
NKBAK, Frankfurt am Main
Project: Stylepark Neubau am Peterskirchhof, Frankfurt am Main
special mention
Tillmann Wagner Architekten BDA, Berlin
Project: Sediment-Loft Marienwerder, Marienwerder
WINNER 2020
Residential building/
apartment complex
WINNER GOLD
Giorgio Gullotta Architekten, Hamburg
Project: Wohnhochhaus SINGERSTRASSE 33, Berlin
For good neighbourliness
„Complementing an existing large housing estate in the east of Berlin in a meaningful way is always a challenge for the architects of a housing project. The modern 10-storey high-rise residential building blends playfully into the existing structure without losing its own self-confident, independent expression as a solitary building. The free-standing, multi-bend structure allows unobstructed views for the residents. The light grey clinker brick facade with the elongated balconies is particularly characteristic for the building. It also integrates the building well into its surroundings in terms of colour."
– jury statement
WINNER SILvER
Henley Halebrown, London
Project: Chadwick Hall Student Residencies, University of Roehampton, London
SPECIAL MENTION
Hans van der Heijden Architect, Amsterdam
Project: Kloosterbuuren, Den Haag
Bureau de Change architects, London
Project: The Interlock, London
Bedaux de Brouwer Architecten, Goirle
Project: Strijp R Eindhoven, Eindhoven
winner bronze
bodensteiner fest Architekten BDA Stadtplaner PartGmbB, Munich
Project: Casa Rossa Chemnitz, Chemnitz
nominee
Baur & Latsch Architekten, Munich
Project: Wohnen am Verna-Park, Rüsselsheim
tectône, Paris
Project: Zellige, Nantes
EschSintzel Architekten, Zurich
Project: Wohn- und Geschäftshäuser "Gleistribüne", Zurich
AlirezaMashhadimirzaArchitects, Tehran
Project: A house with a green neighbourhood, Tehran
WINNER 2020
Renovation/sustainability
WINNER GOLD
Reinhard Martin Architekt BDA, Münster
Project: Wohnhaus Schiffahrter Damm, Münster
Modern renovation instead of teardown
„The Schiffahrter Damm residential building in Münster is an outstanding example of how existing housing stock in many cities can be updated and adapted to modern needs without losing any of the"grey energy" they include. What is special about this case, is that the ninety-year-old brick facades have been preserved and blend into a modern ensemble with a completely independent quality. The construction periods of the individual elements are still visible.
Between the old building in darker and the extension in lighter brick the staggered storey with its wooden facade forms a kind of bracket. The interaction of these building blocks makes the building appear less massive and fit into the context of the neighbourhood like a bridge between yesterday and tomorrow."
– jury statement
WINNER 2020
Energy efficiency
WINNER GOLD
KUEHN MALVEZZI Architects, Berlin
Project: Gebäudeintegriertes Dachgewächshaus und Verwaltungsgebäude am Altmarkt in Oberhausen
Successful meeting of two typologies
„Administration and landscape in one: the administration building in the centre of Oberhausen is a representative example of how energy-efficient recycling management and the design of public spaces can be combined today. The "Warehouse" – the striking brick facade – and a sophisticated energy concept frame the three parts of the administration building, greenhouse and garden into a very special overall concept that reinterprets two familiar typologies in both urban and architectural terms: the greenhouse and the administration building."
– jury statement
WINNER 2020
Newcomer
WINNER GOLD
Franziska Käuferle und Sina Pauline Riedlinger, Berlin
Project: Fabrik für Keramik in der Oberhavel, Velten
Quality from start to finish
„The design for a notional company headquarters for ceramic workshops is convincing due to the decided analysis of typology and building material. The expressive sectional figure and the ornamental floor plan graphics find their atmospheric counterparts in the interior perspectives and testify to a contemporary further development of formerly space-defining elements such as the kiln. The experimentation with aggregates and glazes focuses on essential design parameters of the brick and shapes the room programme and materialisation. A place is created whose conception and expression constitute the making and design spectrum of the building material in architecture."
– jury statement
winner SILvER
Johanna Köhnlein, Braunschweig
Project: Umnutzung, Scheune zu Wirtschaftsvilla, Kiel
SPECIAL MENTION
Frederic Schnee, Dormagen
Project: Pfirsichhaus, Beijing (Realisierung)
David Jan Wilk, Dortmund
Project: Pathos Backstein (Buch / theoretische Arbeit)
winner bronze
Pascal Schettki / Andreas Mischke, Weimar
Project: WERKSTADT - Alte Textilfabrik Berga, Berga
nominee
Pascal Richter, Saarbrücken
Project: Autobahnkapelle bei Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern
Emely Arnold, Darmstadt
Project: Refugium - Ein Rückzugsort in der Natur, Löpten/Klein Köris
Julius Jacobi, Mainz
Project: Like A Maggie's Centre, Mainz
Simona Capaul, Zürich
Project: Das Backstein-Quartier ,Barrio Rojo‘, Berlin