The finalists for the DEUBAU prize have been decided

Innovative, imaginative and excitingly contrasting: This was the jury's assessment of the submissions for the 26th DEUBAU Prize. In the first round of the competition, the experts around the Chairman, Professor Christian Baumgart, selected the 15 finalists from 45 applications. These young architects will have the chance to receive the prize which will be donated by the city and Messe Essen, will be endowed with Euro 15,000 and will honour outstanding contributions to society's development with regard to construction culture.

The qualifiers for the final round are: Atelier ST Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH; CBAG Architekten / Christina Beaumont; Dratz & Dratz Architekten; Jan Rösler Architekten; klinkenberg | architektur; KNOWSPACE ARCHITECTURE + CITIES / Erhard An-He Kinzelbach; Köppen Rumetsch Architekten / Matthias Köppen; Löser Lott Architekten GmbH / Katharina Löser; ludwig.schönle; marc benjamin drewes ARCHITEKTUREN + Jeon-Hoon Kim; Studio Anna Heringer; Teleinternetcafe; tillicharchitektur; Vickers Krieger Architekten Partnerschaft mbB / Arnd Vickers as well as Weyell Berner Architekten.

Location-Related, International and Sustainable

Professor Johannes Kappler, Specialist Director of the DEUBAU Prize, praised the multifaceted nature of the submitted works: "These are outstanding examples of a wide spectrum of diverse construction tasks from different regions." One particularly conspicuous feature for the members of the jury was the increased number of projects in rural areas which were distinguished by the sensitive examination of the peculiarities of the respective locations as well as by the preservation of the characters of these locations. At the same time, there were also more submissions with projects from Asia. They addressed the subject of the intelligent handling of the traditional house types and skilled manual construction methods there. The point of resource efficiency was the leitmotif of the applications. A lot of projects were put into effect using local, recyclable materials or passive energy sources.

The Chairman of the Jury, Christian Baumgart: "The high quality of the applications highlights the significance of the DEUBAU Prize. It is the most important and oldest mark of distinction for young architects in Germany. I thank Messe Essen for the great commitment to promoting young architecture over many years and am proud to have the pleasure of becoming the Chairman of the Jury." The body of high-ranking experts was composed, amongst others, of represenatives of Bund Deutscher Architekten ("Association of German Architects"); Bund Deutscher Baumeister, Architekten und Ingenieure ("Federation of German Master Builders, Architects and Engineers"); Verband Deutscher Architekten- und Ingenieurvereine ("Association of German Architects and Engineers Societies"), Deutsche Akademie für Städtebau und Landesplanung ("German Academy for Urban Development and Regional Planning") and the City of Essen. In the next step on November 20 and 21, 2015, the finalists will present their works to the experts in detail in the second stage of the competition. The winners will be established then. The DEUBAU Prize will be awarded within the framework of Deubaukom. The most important construction trade fair for Western Germany and the BeNeLux states will take place at Messe Essen from January 13 to 16, 2016.