The Mies van der Rohe Award, today one of the most important and prestigious prizes for architecture within the European competition, was first set up in 1987 by the European Union, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe – Barcelona. This prize which involves a total sum of 80.000 EUR is organised and awarded every two years.
In 2013 five finalists were chosen from 335 projects nominated by European institutions and international experts – ultimately the eminent members of the jury chose the new Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavik designed by the Danish architectural firm Henning Larsen in collaboration with the Islandic practice Batteríið and the artist Olafur Elíasson, which was opened in 2011.
