2012 marked the seventh presentation of the biennial ECOLA Award, which pays tribute to the use of plaster as a distinguishing architectural element in both new and old buildings.
A total of 140 projects by 19 architects from 13 European countries were nominated for the architectural prize. 100 of the nominated projects also met the CO2—optimised construction criterion, a category that pays special recognition to projects that combine design quality with outstanding energy-efficient planning.
As is tradition, the meeting of the judging committee took place at the Berlin branch office of Sto AG. Chaired by Jørgen Bach from the Aarhus-based architectural office Arkitema Architects, the five-person judging committee awarded four first prizes and a special commendation.
Projects which caught the judges attention, earning them first place awards included the Atrium House on the Swedish Baltic island of Gotland, the Phantom Opera Restaurant in Paris, the Wohnhaus Schmuck building in Frankfurt am Main, the Noivoiloro Civic Center in Erba, Italy and the Spanish Concert Hall in Aguilas.
For a full list of ECOLA winners and descriptions of the winning projects, visit www.ecola-award.eu/en
Image Courtesy of www.ecola-award
