Prizes at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2018

BIENNALE AWARDS
OF ARCHITECTURE
VENICE BIENNALE OF ARCHITECTURE AWARDS 2018

text: Daniela Puia

The award ceremony of the 16th edition of the Venice Biennale of Architecture took place on May 26, 2018 in the impressive setting of the Ca' Giustinian Palace, the Biennale's offices. The international jury that selected the award-winning projects was composed of Sofía von Ellrichshausen (jury president, Argentina), Frank Barkow (USA), Kate Goodwin (Australia), Patricia Patkau (Canada) and Pier Paolo Tamburelli (Italy).
Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement:
Kenneth Frampton (UK), architect, historian, critic and professor of architecture

Frampton joins a long line of star architects honored with this award: Paolo Soleri, Renzo Piano, Jørn Utzon (2000), Toyo Ito (2002), Peter Eisenman (2004), Richard Rogers (2006), Frank Gehry (2008), Rem Koolhaas (2010), Álvaro Siza Vieira (2012), Phyllis Lambert (2014), Paulo Mendes da Rocha (2016).
Golden Lion for best national participation:
Switzerland for the pavilion Svizzera 240 - House Tour
Commissioners: Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia - Marianne Burki, Sandi Paucic, Rachele Giudici Legittimo.
Authors: Alessandro Bosshard, Li Tavor, Matthew van der Ploeg, Ani Vihervaara

The Pavilion won the appreciation of the jury for the pleasing way in which the installation conceived by the authors speculates and highlights the critical issues of architectural scale in the interior living space. The pavilion layout consists of a series of unfurnished rooms in which the scale of the component elements is altered, making them too large or too small in relation to the human scale and the standards imposed on contemporary dwellings. The concept is based on the latent plasticity of living spaces in the context of the standardized image of new housing on the real estate market.

Golden Lion for the best entry at the 16th edition of the Freespace Exhibition:
Eduardo Souto de Moura (Porto, Portugal) - Souto Moura Arquitectos
The Portuguese architect presented his project Vo De Jour at the Biennale, which consists of two aerial views of the complex in São Lourenço do Barrocal in Alentejo, Portugal, where he transformed an old farmhouse into a hotel. The images show the complex before and after the transformation, revealing minimal changes and interventions within the architectural ensemble. The jury appreciated how the Biennale presentation conveyed the essential relationship between architecture, time and place.

Silver Lion for the most promising young participant:
Jan de Vylder, Inge Vinck, Jo Taillieu (Ghent, Belgium) - architecten de vylder vinck taillieu
The Belgian architects presented at the Biennale the Caritas project for the renovation of the psychiatric clinic in Melle, Belgium. They won the jury's appreciation for their inspired solution, which interweaves past and present, tactile materiality and ephemeral memory.

Special mention for national participation:
GREAT BRITAIN FOR THE ISLAND PAVILION
Commissioners: Sarah Mann - Architecture Design Fashion British Council.
Curators: Caruso St John Architects, Marcus Taylor
The pavilion proposes two distinct spaces, one indoor and one outdoor, set on the terrace of the building, joined by a small skylight. Both spaces are completely empty but host a program of events including debates, theatrical performances and film screenings. The jury appreciated the bold way the pavilion uses the void to create a public space.

Mentions for participation:
ANDRA MATIN (Jakarta, Indonesia) - andramatin
Andra Matin exhibits the result of an investigation of local Indonesian architecture, developed naturally in the specific tropical climate, which seeks ways to valorize and integrate tradition into contemporary architecture. The jury appreciated the sensitivity of the installation on display and the fact that it reveals the form and materiality of traditional structures.
RAHUL MEHROTRA (Mumbai, India; Boston, USA)
- RMA Architects
The jury awarded the three projects presented by the Indian architect that address issues of intimacy and empathy, dissolving social hierarchies and boundaries.