Back in January, the Akademie der Künste in Berlin announced architect Florian Beigel as this year’s winner of the Gross Kunstpriese Berlin / Berlin Grand Art Prize 2013. The German-born architect will receive the 15,000 Euro prize in a ceremony this Monday 18 March at the Akademie (Pariser Platz). Florian Beigel was selected to receive the award by members of the Akademie jury: Francine Houben, Matthias Sauerbruch and Axel Sowa, who praised the 72 year old for the unique combination in his career of research and practice, characterized by “creative and intellectual rigor”:
“He has served as an influential teacher in London who has inspired and shaped a whole generation of young architects ...His work is never ideological and opinionated, but precise and elegant. Beigel has made a significant contribution to the pan-European architectural discourse of the present and is a valuable force in making connections between academic reflection and the practice of architecture.”
With over 40 years of experience and knowledge, Beigel founded the Architecture Research Unit (ARU) at London Metropolitan University, where he works in partnership with Philip Christou. The special feature of the ARU is its combination of practice and teaching, meaning Beigel has worked from this research base to realize some influential building projects which have included the Half Moon Theatre and the modernization of Bishopsfield Housing in London as well as the Paju Book City and Youl Hwa Dang Publishing House projects near Seoul in South Korea.
Whilst space will be limited at the Monday night ceremony, Beigel and Christou will be lecturing on their practice at the Akademie (Hanseatenweg) on the following day Tuesday 19 March. It should be a fascinating talk.
Monday 18 March
Berlin Grand Art Prize 2013
Presentation
8pm, Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz,
Tuesday, 19th March
Berlin Art Prize 2013
Lecture
7pm, Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg
