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The response to the TECU® Architecture Award 2002 competition was tremendous, not only in terms of the volume of submissions, but also in terms of the range of projects, with a major highlight being the consistently high standard of all the entries. |
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The unanimous decision of the jury for the first prize went to the Lisbon harbour control tower, a project identified as a masterpiece of spatial dimensionality, utility and use of material. The tower emanates a presence that heralds its function in a celebratory fashion, making a significant contribution to its historic surroundings. The design of the façade exhibits a true professional understanding of the opportunities offered by copper as a building material.
In a manner similar to the harbour control tower, the two entries sharing the third prize (Officers’ quarters for the Netherlands Royal Navy in Den Helder and the new motorway toll complex near Lucca) are outstanding examples of alternative design approaches to the kind of building that invariably comes out of purely functional planning considerations. Both edifices impress thanks to the refined and ingenious interpretation of their functionality. Copper is employed as a building material both consistently and innovatively.
The projects honoured with special prizes and merit awards display a broad range of architectonic experience and immense professional capabilities in the use of copper. Considering the overall high quality throughout the competition, it has proved somewhat difficult to highlight one individual work. However, the excellent restoration of the domes on the Bode Museum in Berlin impressed the jury enough to make an exception. The jury was especially pleased with the way that this reconstruction matched the original design down to the meticulous details. After viewing this exceptional project, the jury recommended that future TECU® Architecture Awards include a special prize for such outstanding craftsmanship.
The students’ contributions attracted a great deal of attention, not only for their thematic variety, but also for their conceptual ingenuity. The works demonstrated great creativity and almost poetic sensitivity to the environmental constraints and material applications. The jury ’s choice of winning entries was made no easier by the outstanding level of innovation demonstrated within this category. After much deliberation, the jury was able to make their final and unanimous decisions.
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