The Spanish architectural office Barozzi/Veiga won the European Prize for Contemporary Architecture Mies van der Rohe Award 2015 for their Philharmonic Hall of Szczecin.
The award is granted every two years ‘to acknowledge and reward quality architectural production in Europe’, with an emphasis in young and up and coming architects and practices.
Barozzi/Veiga’s Philharmonic Hall stands out, ghost-like, surrounded by unremarkable buildings. Clad in glass and with a high double pitched roof pattern that resembles an intriguing fantasy construction. The facade changes in colour at night with the use of internal lightning. The white and minimal interior finds a contrasting richness and expressivity in the main hall through its gold-leaf covering.