BARCELONA, SPAIN.- The jury of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 2007[1] - has selected the seven finalists works for the Award, one of the most important and prestigious on the international architecture scene. The name of the winner will be known by mid-April.

The selection is a faithful reflection of the main objective underlying the Award, namely to acknowledge excellent and innovative projects characterised by high-quality construction and to recognise the best architectural works built in Europe in the past two years. By supporting this Award, the European Commission underlines the role that cultural activities play as engines of creativity and innovations in Europe .

The jury has also singled out 33 works that, because of their exceptional quality, will be included in the exhibition and catalogue of the 2007 Award. These works are located in Austria , Belgium , Croatia , Denmark , France , Germany , Ireland , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Slovenia , Spain , Turkey and the United Kingdom . The jury made its selection from an initial list of 273 projects from 32 countries finished between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2006 which were proposed by a sizable group of independent international experts and the European National Associations of architects.

The seven finalists are: Pôle universitaire de sciences de gestion (School for Management), Bordeaux, France. Architect : Anne Lacaton & Jean Philippe Vassal/Lacaton & Vassal Architectes; Centre Chorégraphique National (National Choreographic Centre), Aix-en-Provence, France. (Rudy Ricciotti); Phaeno Science Centre, Wolfsburg, Germany. Architects : Zaha Hadid/Zaha Hadid Architects; Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart, Germany. Architects : Ben van Berkel/UN Studio; Centro de Artes de Sines (Sines Art Centre), Sines, Portugal. Manuel Aires Mateus, Francisco Aires Mateus/Aires Mateus e Associados; Edificio Veles e Vents, Valencia, España. David Chipperfield Architects/b720 Arquitectos. David Chipperfield, Fermin Vázquez; MUSAC Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León (MUSAC Contemporary Art Museum of Castilla y León), León, Spain. Architects : Luis M. Mansilla, Emilio Tuñón/Mansilla + Tuñón.

The award ceremony will take place in the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona on 14 May 2007. The Award winner will receive a prize of 50.000 €, while the Emerging Architect Special Mention is endowed with the sum of 10.000 €.

The winner of the 2005 Award was the building of the Dutch Embassy in Germany designed by OMA/ Rem Koolhaas and Ellen van Loon. The Emerging Architect Special mention went to NL Architects/Pieter Bannenberg, Walter van Dijk, Kamiel Klaasse and Mark Linnemann for their BasketBar in Utrecht.