LUGANO.- The Paraguayan architect Solano Benitez has won the first ever BSI Swiss Architectural Award. This is an international architecture prize, promoted by the BSI Architectural Foundation with sponsorship from the Federal Office of Culture in Bern and the Mendrisio Academy of architecture (University of Lugano). This biannual prize worth 100 thousand Swiss Francs is aimed at architects under 50, regardless of nationality, "who have contributed significantly to contemporary architectural culture, showing a particular sensitivity to the context of landscape and environment".

Born in 1963 in Asunción (Paraguay) and an emerging figure in Latin American architecture, Benitez received the award by a unanimous verdict of the Jury. Mario Botta chaired this jury, which was composed of the architects Emilio Ambasz (New York), Valentin Bearth (Chur), Director of the Mendrisio Academy of architecture, Zhi Wenjun (Shanghai) and Davide Croff, formerly Chairman of the Venice Biennale Foundation. The members of the Jury opted for the three works presented by Benitez (a tomb at Priribebuy, 2000-2001, the Unilever office at Villa Elisa, 2000-2001 and the Abu & Font house in Asunción, 2005-2006) due to their singular expressive force and their ability to combine a lucid reading of the tradition of the Modern Movement with sensitivity to the context in which the buildings arose.

According to the Chairman of the jury, Mario Botta: "this architectural research by Solano Benitez, carried out in a difficult politico-economic context, with clear logistical problems and far from the manufacturing processes dictated by globalization, was of a remarkable quality. Solano Benitez mainly uses simple materials that he obtains locally, which enables him to achieve expressive forms with major impact and poetic power. The poverty of the materials used is inversely proportional to the emotions that the architect conveys. The environmental values of Latin America are reinforced through his architecture, with a fresh language, new concepts and unexpected qualities for living spaces."

"We are particularly proud of the quality of the works submitted in this competition and of the choices made by the jury," said Alfredo Gysi, Chairman of the Executive Board of BSI AG: "an outcome that not only enhances the commitment of the Bank in the field of architecture, but also vindicates our decision to work with major cultural institutions with the common objective of promoting art and science.

Benitez succeeded against 29 other competitors selected by a committee of international consultants consisting of: Laurent Beaudouin (Nancy), Gonçalo Byrne (Lisbon), Alberto Campo Baeza (Madrid), Massimo Carmassi (Florence), Roberto Collovà (Palermo), Kenneth Frampton (New York), Dan S. Hanganu (Montreal), Yung Ho Chang (Beijing), Kengo Kuma (Tokyo), Paulo Mendes da Rocha (São Paulo), Boris Podrecca (Vienna), Anant Raje (Ahmedabad) and Bruno Reichlin (Paris and Mendrisio). This selection method proved crucial in ensuring the quality of works submitted for the jury’s verdict.

The award ceremony will take place on Thursday 13 November 2008 at the Mendrisio Academy of architecture. At the same time an exhibition of the works submitted by the 30 candidates will be inaugurated, complete with a catalogue published by Mendrisio Academy Press.