The Lisbon Triennale Millennium bcp Début Award was created to celebrate the achievements, and promote the careers of, young architects and practices under the age of 35.
More than 140 applications were received, representing five continents and including 39 countries including Portugal, Germany, Brazil, and Mexico, as well as Iran, Jordan, Sudan, and Palestine. The jury have praised the very high level of the proposals across the board.
The experts especially appreciated the ability for participants to expand and experiment with the limits of the discipline, connecting technological innovation to socially and environmentally conscious solutions.
Ten finalists have been chosen by the jury to compete for the second edition of the award. The winner will be announced during the opening week of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale (5th-9th October 2016) and will give a lecture on the closing week (7th-11th December 2016).
Al Borde, Ecuador
Founded in 2007 in Quito, Al Borde is led by architects Pascual Gangotena (1977), David Barragán (1981), Maria Luisa Borja (1984) and Esteban Benavides (1985). The collective focuses on the human dimension of space achieved through a minimal resort to available resources. Drawing on the “ordinary”, they wish to expand the human condition engaging people and communities in the design process, questioning the subjection of architecture to bureaucracy and capital. In 2015 they were nominated for the Design of the Year Award at the Design Museum in London, while this year they figured in the official selection of the Venice Architecture Biennale.
ASA STUDIO, Rwanda
Based in Kigali, this architectural practice is currently involved in a long-term project combining research, education, design and construction. ASA is responsible for the realization of the first kindergarten in Rwanda (2012), 11 preschools, more than 60 maternity wards, health centers and facilities. To this activity they combine the commitment to the creation of the first Architecture School in Rwanda, where they wish to promote opportunities for the future architecture graduates.
Carles Enrich, Spain
After graduating from the Architecture School of Barcelona, in 2009 Carles Enrich founded his own studio initiating projects at different urban scales. His work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale both in the Catalan Pavillion (Vogadors) in 2012 and in the Spanish Pavilion (Unfinished) in 2016. Since 2008 he holds a teaching position at the Architecture School of Barcelona as well as at School of Architecture in Reus.
El Umbral, Mexico
Founded in Mexico City in 2013, El Umbral is led by architects Mercedes Landa Quintanilla, Mario Ramos Catalá, Jos Sacre and Pamela Martínez. Their activity includes the construction of residential buildings, public spaces as well as urban design projects. In 2014 the practice was awarded the Jardin San Hipolito Award and was recently chosen with other two finalists to present a proposal for the international cultural fair in Mexico City.
Hevia + Urzúa (Guillermo Hevia García + Nicolás Urzúa), Chile
The practice was founded by Guillermo Hevia Garcia (1986) and Nicolás Urzúa Soler (1986), who are both graduates of the Pontificia Universidad Católica do Chile, where they now teach in the school of architecture. They won the first prize in the 2016 YAP Constructo Award and were between the finalists of the Iakov Chernikhov Award in 2014. In 2015 they represented Chile at the fourth Architecture Biennale of Latin America.
Paulo Manuel do Vale Afonso, Portugal
Architect (1982) trained at the University of Coimbra and at the NTNU, in Trondheim, Norway. He has worked with OAB, Office of Architecture in Barcelona, as well as with 51-1 Arquitectos in Lima, in the same city he was one of the co-founders of AMA (Afonso Maccaglia Architecture).
Pedro Pitarch, Spain
Architect (1989) and contemporary music composer. Pedro Pitarch works and lives in Madrid. Occupying a somewhat tangential position within the architectural practice, his investigations focus on the interrelations between society, contemporary culture and media.
PLURAL, Slovakia
Plural was founded by Martin Jancok in 2009 and later joined by Michal Janak in 2013. The practice’s projects are based on a conception of architecture as a public domain, a common language whose structure should be used for the common good. In 2015 Plural received the first prize for the SSE-Complex Award, and was awarded an honorable mention in the House for the Elderly Award in 2014.
Terra e Tuma Associated Architects, Brazil
Founded by Danilo Terra, Pedro Tuma and Fernanda Sakano, the practice is devoted to research and design at different scales. Through the combination of their respective experiences, the three founders wish to give shape to ambitious projects able to exploit at best of the technical assets of available materials.
.jpg?1474922363 "Terra e Tuma Arquitetos Associados. Image © Pedro Kok")
pedro_kok__casa_maracana.jpg?1474922311 "Casa Maracanã / Terra e Tuma Arquitetos Associados. Image © Pedro Kok")
pedro_kok_casa_vila_matilde.jpg?1474922260 "Casa Vila Matilde / Terra e Tuma Arquitetos Associados. Image © Pedro Kok")
UMWELT (Scheidegger & Garcia Partarrieu), Chile
Founded in 2011, by Ignacio Garcia Partarrieu (1984) and Arturo Scheidegger (1983), Umwelt develops research and design projects at different scales. Umwelt has exhibited projects at the Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Santiago and Venice Biennales as well as at the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York. The practice has recently been selected for the 2015 Iakov Chernikhov Award as well as for the 2016 Emerging MCHAP Award.
The jury was composed by André Tavares (PT), Chief Curator of The Form of Form; Fernanda Bárbara (BR), architect; Luís Santiago Baptista (PT), architect and critic; Margarita Jover (FR), architect; Mimi Zeiger (US), critic, editor and curator; Tetsuo Kondo (JP), architect; and Tim Abrahams (UK), architecture critic and editor at Machine Books.
The winner of the Début Award receives a 5000EUR prize and will deliver a public lecture in Lisbon as part of the main programme of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale. With this prize the Triennale wishes to support new voices and forms of practice, expecting that the prize will contribute to the young professionals’ creative, intellectual and professional growth at a crucial and potentially transformative stage in their career.