Werk 12 designed by MVRDV and N-V-O Nuyken Von Oefele Architekten winner of DAM Preis 2021

The best architecture built in Germany 2021, the winner of the DAM Preis 2021 prize is Werk 12, multifunctional complex built in Munich and designed by the MVRDV and N-V-O Nuyken Von Oefele Architekten architecture firm. The announcement was made live on January 29 during the awards ceremony and the inauguration of the exhibition dedicated to the works selected for the 2021 edition of the prize.
The DAM Preis, established in 2007 and awarded annually, is the main prize for recognising architectural works in Germany. One hundred projects were nominated for the 2021 edition of the prize, considered worthy and completed between the end of 2018 and the spring of 2020. Alexander Schwarz from the David Chipperfield Architects firm and winner of the DAM Preis 2020 chaired the expert jury, which from among the one hundred candidates selected a first shortlist of twenty-two projects, followed by the four finalist works: "Werk 12", built in Munich and designed by the MVRDV and N-V-O Nuyken Von Oefele Architekten firms, "Wohnregal" built in Berlin and designed by the FAR Frohn&Rojas firm, "Administration building with integrated roof green house" built in Oberhaus and designed by the Kuehn Malvezzi firm and the "University for Dramatic Arts" built in Berlin and designed by the O&O Baukunst firm. At the end of a tour of the four finalist buildings, the jury awarded the Werk 12 complex, designed by the MVRDV and N-V-O Nuyken Von Oefele Architekten studios, as the grand winner. The former 7,700 m2 industrial building is located in Munich’s Werksviertel-Mitte district, close to the Ostbahnhof metro station. Inaugurated on October 17, 2019, with its pop-inspired façades the project has become the driving force behind the redevelopment of the entire city district.

The DAM Preis offers a current snapshot of the state of architecture made in Germany or designed by German architecture firms and built in other countries around the world. The prize is followed by the publication of Architekturführer Deutschland 2021 (Architectural Guide Germany), volume that looks at the shortlisted projects, the finalists and, of course, the winner.
Precisely by browsing the shortlisted projects and the four finalists, some interesting insights can be drawn. In regard, for example, to the types of buildings constructed, the use of hybrid complexes emerges, in other words buildings designed to perform several functions at once: residential, functions relating to culture and education, functions relating to work and leisure, etc. Moreover, the role that architecture can play to facilitate communication with the public is evident, a fundamental aspect in buildings intended for public administrations. Finally, the shortlist also included special buildings that play a role in shaping the landscape such as, for example, the high water level protection structure and the promenade along the Elbe river in Niederhafen-Hamburg or the innovative self-shaping wooden structure of the Urbach tower, which has become a new landmark for the Remstal area.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Images courtesy of DAM

Captions
01 - 02, "Werk 12", Munich, MVRDV & N-V-O Nuyken Von Oefele Architekten, photo by Ossip van Duivenbode
03 - 04, "Wohnregal", Berlin, FAR Frohn&Rojas, photo by David von Becker
05 - 06, "Administration building with integrated roof green house", Oberhaus, Kuehn Malvezzi, photo by Hiepler, Brunier
07 - 08, "University for Dramatic Arts", Berlin, O&O Baukunst, photo by Schnepp Renou


Exhibition
January 30 – June 13, 2021
at Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM)
Schaumainkai 43, Frankfurt
Main Awards Ceremony + Exhibition Opening:
Friday, January 29, 2021, 7 p.m. (expected to be online)

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