The ten photographs selected to enter the final phase of the New Buildings prize promoted by Matrix4Design in collaboration with URBAN Photo Awards and dedicated to the architectural icons that have changed the face of cities in the last ten years have finally been announced.
The images were selected by Matrix4Design editor Andrea Boni and photographer Federica Nardese on the basis of criteria that combine the formal quality of the shot with the emotional power of the image: each photograph stands out from the others for its innovative visual research and its ability to communicate in an original way the architectural identity of the building in its context, in keeping with the spirit of Matrix4Design.
Waiting to discover the name of the winning shot, which will be announced in mid-September, here is the overview of the finalist photos, with some information on the iconic buildings represented in the images.
Maria Francesca Bertoli – Stazione AV Mediopadana Reggio Nell’Emilia
Known as the “White Wave”, the Reggio Emilia High Speed Railway Station was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and inaugurated in 2013. The structure is a fundamental part of the redevelopment project of the city’s North area and makes it the main gateway, also thanks to a system of bridges.
Alan Antonio Gallo – Generali Building
The Hadid Tower or Generali Tower (also known as “Lo Storto”), designed by Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid and inaugurated in 2017, is one of the three skyscrapers, the second in height, included in the CityLife project, whose aim is the redevelopment of the former Milan Trade Fair area; the building houses the headquarters of the Generali Group’s offices in Milan.
Rebeka Legovic – UniCredit Tower Milan Porta Nuova
The UniCredit Tower has been the tallest skyscraper in Italy since 2014: with its total height of 231 metres it is part of a complex of three buildings arranged in a semicircle around Piazza Gae Aulenti in Milan and was designed by Argentine architect César Pelli.
Gaia Marangon – Turning Torso
Turning Torso is the neo-futurist residential skyscraper built in Malmö, Sweden, by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and inaugurated in 2005. It is the tallest building in Scandinavia and is considered the first “twisted” tower ever built.
Yasser Alaa Mobarak – Baku
The Heydar Aliyev Center is the large multi-purpose complex completed in 2012 by Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid in Baku, Azerbaijan, and known for its curved and sinuous architecture.
Cristiano Musardo – Bord Gáis Energy Theatre – Dublin N.2
The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (originally Grand Canal Theatre) is the performing arts theatre designed by American architect Daniel Libeskind in the Docklands of Dublin, Ireland. Opened to the public in 2010, it is Ireland’s largest fixed-seat theatre.
Enrico Raimondo – Aerodynamically Static
Napoli Afragola is an Italian high-speed railway station near Naples located on the Rome-Naples high-speed line; it was designed by the Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, who conceived it as a bridge over the tracks, and was inaugurated in 2017.
Oscar Rialubin – Desert Rose
The National Museum of Qatar, opened in Doha in 2019, was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and is known as “Desert Rose” for the peculiar shape of its façade.
Philippe Sarfati – RAI Hotel Amsterdam
The Nhow Amsterdam RAI Hotel was designed by the Dutch architecture firm OMA in 2014 in Amsterdam as part of a large multi-purpose complex: it stands out for its structure consisting of three triangular volumes stacked one on top of each other.
Maj-Britt Torhoff – BrawoPark
BraWoPark is the name of the large Business & Shopping Center designed by the German architectural firm Papendieck, Rade & Partner in Brunswick, Germany, in 2016. It represents the core of the redevelopment plan for the area adjacent to the city’s railway station.
From September 28th to October 10th, 2020, on the occasion of Milano Re-Design City, the ten finalist photographs will be exhibited at Solferino Lab, Fima Carlo Frattini, Megius and Scarabeo‘s showroom located in via Solferino 36 – Milan. Stay tuned!
