European Copper in Architecture Awards 14

Design Award

Overall Winner:
Project - Archeology Museum of Vitoria, Spain
Architects - Mangado y Asociados SL

The Archaelogy Museum of Vitoria in Spain shares a courtyard with the historic Palace of Bendana, closing off the space and replacing the backs of other buildings. The design makes extensive use of cast bronze elements to create contrasting elevational treatments. From outside, continuous vertical fins create an impenetrable wall with a few, deep-set windows, while the glazed courtyard facades are screened with a strong vertical matrix.

The overall effect is of an ageless fortress in an urban setting, revealing more of its nature and growing increasingly open as you approach and enter the courtyard. The architects, Mangado y Asociados S L describe the building as 'a compact jewel box concealing the treasures that history has entrusted to us'. The theme is carried through with conviction to the dramatic exhibition spaces where white, glazed daylight prisms pierce through the dark floors and ceilings, with thick outer walls containing the exhibition displays.

Further details and images

The Mediacomplex 22@ project resulted from a partnership between the city of Barcelona, 22@ - an organisation for the development of new technologies - and a commercial company. Its pivotal location sees Barcelona's orthogonal grid intersect with the Avinguda Diagonal - an area with an industrial heritage. The project brings together a diversity of activities including research, teaching, production and creativity - all associated with the audiovisual world.

The design, by Patrick Genard y Asociados and Ferrater & Asociados, responds directly to the strong local urban framework while meeting the complex programme and is divided into two, polarised elements. The Factory is a solid horizontal block, aligned with an existing 19th century industrial building as a simple continuation. In contrast, the vertically orientated Tower expresses in its plan the changes in street pattern below. The Factory is opaque and smooth with panels of perforated copper filtering the daylight while the Tower presents a strong vertical grid of deeply recessed, copper-faced screens shading the glazing. But both elements share common proportions and extensive use of copper as a unifying material.

Further details and images

The Clip House in Madrid, Spain - designed by Bernalte-Leon y Asociados - is a highly sculptural design defined by sinuous curving bands of copper cantilevered from a vertical concrete spine and enveloping the main spaces. The design concept reflects the international lifestyle of its owner rather than making any response or concessions to its surburban setting. Internal spaces for living, work and sleep flow freely, served by top-lit circulation within the concrete spine.

Expansive diffused glazing infills between the copper bands flood the spaces with light while clear glazed panels just to the narrow frontage and subdividing internal spaces allow views through. The dramatic copper bands, made up of numerous small pieces of copper and lined internally with timber, form a continuous skin of the house, shaping the architectural spaces, occasionally breaking through to the inside. They can also be seen as a graphic device - perhaps reflecting the client's background in advertising - and part of the simple language created by the interplay of different materials.

Further details and images

Commended:
Project - House in Ticino, Switzerland
Architect - Davide Macullo Architetto

The second individual home to be shortlisted - the Ticino house in southern Switzerland - couldn't be more different to Clip House. Davide Macullo Architetto's sensitive design responds to its beautiful rural setting and makes the most of a sunny hillside with outstanding views.

A cave-like entry at the lower level is sheltered by the landscape with service spaces set into the hillside. The simple square plan of the main living areas above is pierced on each side by the landscape, forming protected courts and breaking up the building into small monolithic volumes. This grouping reflects a cluster of typical rural buildings that once stood on the site and the new house follows the original building's footprint.

A modular formal arrangement of copper mesh panels characterises the building's external skin, protecting the timber envelope and screening large areas of glazing. Other building elements are clad in copper sheet as part of a restrained palette of sustainable materials.

Further details and images

In Copenhagen, Denmark, the Frederikskaj housing project makes the most of its harbourside location with 152 light and spacious apartments overlooking the regenerated canal district. Apartment layouts are flexible, extending outside onto generous balconies, with full-height glazing maximising daylight and views. Social living is concentrated around a new canal and well-designed landscaping, creating a link to the harbour: the building literally has its feet in the water.

Dissing + Weitling arkitektfirma's cool design uses quality materials reflecting nautical references - textured and flat copper, hardwood windows and glass - but in a thoroughly modern way. The understated but beautifully detailed copper skin gives the building a solidity in dialogue with its concrete frame that is entirely appropriate in this commercial area. The architects see the building as 'like a luxury liner, docked in the harbour' - a slickly designed, unified entity.

Further details and images

Discretionary Award for Innovation

Project - House of Fraser Store, Bristol, UK
Architect - Stanton Williams Ltd
Artist - Susanna Heron

This large retail building is characterised by massive cubic volumes clad largely with fossil-rich, Roach bed Portland stone. Other materials continue the organic theme, catching light, shade and even rain in different ways, including large panels of bronze, each weighing up to 160kg. Individual panels were deliberately cast to produce patterns of a rich texture with as much variation and relief as possible. The sinuous edge of the junction between milled and textured areas suggests molten metal. Milling of the bronze panels and treatment of glass were developed in close collaboration with artist Susanna Heron.

This discretionary award for innovation was made by the judges for the innovative use of copper to enhance a large building, making its public face more interesting. It also recognises the creativity and care taken by all those involved in realising an artistic intent in a permanent form.

Craftsmanship Award

This 1930s house is converted into a language school, combining intricate traditional features and crisp, contemporary detailing, united by copper.

'This small project incorporates in situ hand work in copings, perimeter trims and flashings with moulded copper tiles and neat fabricated cladding, all complementary and installed with great attention to detail. A very attractive application of copper in its natural finish'.

This is a large-scale building incorporating pre-patinated copper fins, fascias and other elements, plus a 100m-long mono-pitched copper roof with expressed gable.

'Although predominantly comprising prefabricated cassette panels, the quality of the actual application on site appears very neat, accurate and altogether commendable. An exemplary combination of good fabrication and installation'.

A modest school building (with a 120 year design life as part of its sustainable ethos), this includes classic uses of copper.

'Traditional in situ seamed roofs in 'long-strip' mill finish copper with conventional perimeter trims, all worked precisely. Copper gutters and downpipes have been assembled and installed with care. Projects like this rely on the commendable skills and experience of craftsmen on site.'

The winning and shortlisted projects will appear in a special feature in The Architectural Review and this is available as a reprint.
View/save pdf copy - European Copper in Architecture Awards 14
For a hard copy please contact helpline@copperdev.co.uk.

All projects entered are featured on the European Copper in Architecture website www.copperconcept.org under the Awards 2009 tab.