The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe announced today that the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, Oslo, Norway by Snøhetta is the winner of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 2009.

The 60,000 € Prize funded with support by the European Union, one of the most important and prestigious prizes for international architecture, is awarded biennially to built works completed within the previous two years.

This landmark building by Snøhetta, who also designed the new Library of Alexandria (2002), is the largest cultural center built in Norway in 700 years. It sloping stone roof – made up of 36,000 fitted pieces – rises up from the fjord; allowing members of the public, residents and opera goers alike, to walk over the building, developing a relationship with the public structure. Integral to the 1,000-room interior, which is largely lined with crafted woodwork (using the traditions of Norwegian boat builders), are a number of art commissions interwoven into the structural fabric, including a cloakroom, a collaboration with their 2007 Serpentine Pavilion collaborator Olafur Eliasson.

The new building for the opera and ballet is the first element in the transformation of the bay area of Oslo with the objective of reconnecting the city with its waterfront. In addition to providing the city with an opera and ballet house of the highest international standards, the marble-clad roofscape is both a new civic landmark as well as an architectural landscape that is open to the public. The interior is composed of a sequence of differentiated spaces characterized by carefully chosen materials and the integration of the works of several artists.

There will be a special granting ceremony at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona on 28 May 2009.

A traveling exhibition and catalogue featuring the works chosen by the Jury – the Prize Winner, Special Mention, the finalists and the shortlisted works – will be presented in September this year.

The European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, Ján Figel’ said : ‘Architecture is a highly visible showcase of creativity and innovation, and today’s prize winners show the benefits of investing in European architectural talent, in our creativity and innovation. This is all the more relevant this year, as stimulating new ideas and highlighting entrepreneurial efforts are key parts of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009′.

The Mies van der Rohe Awards Jury, chaired by Francis Rambert includes: Ole Bouman, Irena Fialová, Fulvio Irace, Luis M. Mansilla, Carme Pinós and Vasa J. Perovic.

Francis Rambert, Chair of the Jury said: ‘The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in Oslo is more than just a building. It is first an urban space, a gift to the city. The building can be considered a catalyst of all the energies of the city and is emblematic of the regeneration of its urban tissue.’

Tarald Lundevall, partner and project architect for Snøhetta said: ‘Snøhetta consider The Mies van der Rohe Award among the worlds most prestigious architectural acknowledgements. We are greatly honored to receive this prize for The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet.’

The EU Culture Program also funds the European Border Breakers Awards, the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards, which will be presented in Taormina (Sicily, Italy) on 5 June 2009, and the forthcoming European Union Prize for Literature to be awarded in September 2009.

The five finalist architects for the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 2009: Massimiliano & Doriana Fuksas, Grafton Architects, Snøhetta, Marc Barani, and RCR Aranda Pigem Vilalta Arquitectes will present their selected projects to the public in a series of special lectures on Wednesday 22 April 2009 at Gaudi’s La Pedrera in Barcelona: