Jury of the Erich Mendelsohn Prize 2023 for Brick Architecture appointed

In the 15 years of its existence, the Brick Architecture Award has gained international relevance and thus reflects the wide variety of design possibilities with the traditional as well as sustainable building material. In this year's sixth round, this development is expressed not least by the new eponym Erich Mendelsohn. He is regarded as one of the most influential architects of the modern age and has had an impact far beyond the borders of Germany - from England to Palestine to the USA. In the last round of the Brick Architecture Prize 2020, two Grand Prix were awarded for the first time, to the Catalan firm Barozzi Veiga and Escobedo Soliz from Mexico. The participation of both architectural firms in this year's jury session gives the panel a strong international reputation.

For Susanne Wartzeck, President of the Association of German Architects BDA, this is the second time she has participated in the jury: "The high quality of the worldwide submissions and the creative use of building materials impressed me at the last jury meeting. I am looking forward to many new projects that stage the brick in a bold and surprising way." A total of five architectural experts were appointed to the jury:

- Susanne Wartzeck, President of the Association of German Architects BDA.

- Ulrich Brinkmann, editor of Bauwelt

- Fabrizio Barozzi, Barozzi Veiga, Grand Prix winner 2020

- Andrés Solíz Paz, Escobedo Soliz, Grand Prix winner 2020

- Silvia Schellenberg-Thaut, Atelier ST

In 2023, the Newcomer Award will be presented for the fourth time to projects by students and up-and-coming architects. As editor-in-chief of the architecture magazine Baumeister, which presents the Newcomer Award in partnership with the Initiative Bauen mit Backstein (Brick Building Initiative), Dr. Fabian Peters is particularly looking forward to the submissions from up-and-coming architects: "We are thrilled when young architects tackle the traditional building material of brick." The three-member newcomer jury is made up of:

- Benedikt Hotze, Press Officer, Association of German Architects BDA

- Franziska Käuferle, Franziska Käuferle Architecture, Newcomer Winner 2020

- Dr. Fabian Peters, Editor-in-Chief Baumeister

The independent juries make their decisions in a two-stage, anonymous selection process: After nominating the best projects from all entries, the winners of the competition are chosen in a second round. The Erich Mendelsohn Prize for Brick Architecture, worth a total of 10,000 euros, is awarded in the following categories:

- Residential construction/storey housing

- Office and commercial buildings

- Public buildings, leisure and sport

- Single-family house/ semi-detached house

Additional awards are given for:

- Refurbishment/Sustainability/Energy Efficiency.

The award ceremony will take place in Berlin in September. Prize money will be awarded proportionally to the Grand Prix winner and the Gold winners in each category. The distribution is at the discretion of the jury.

The competition, which was first held in 2008, is awarded every three years and has become one of the largest architecture prizes. Since 2011, the competition has been organised by the Initiative Bauen mit Backstein together with the Association of German Architects BDA. Entries for the Erich Mendelsohn Prize 2023 for Brick Architecture can be submitted until 30 April via the online entry portal: erich-mendelsohn-preis.com/entry