The Fondazione Teatro dell'architettura announces the eighth edition of Swiss Architectural Award (2021-2022).

The Fondazione Teatro dell’architettura is pleased to announce the eighth edition of Swiss Architectural Award (2021-2022).

The Swiss Architectural Award aims to promote a kind of architecture that is sensitive to contemporary ethical, aesthetic and ecological issues and can facilitate public debate. The CHF 100.000 prize is awarded, on a biennial basis, to architects not older than 50 years, without distinction of nationality, who have completed at least three significant works. The candidates are selected and proposed to the jury by the committee of advisors appointed by the Foundation.

From its seventh edition (2019-2020), the Swiss Architectural Award is promoted by the Teatro dell'architettura Foundation, which has taken up the legacy of the BSI Architectural Foundation (promoter of the award from 2007 to 2018) ensuring its continuity. The Award also enjoys the support of the Accademia di architettura dell’Università della Svizzera italiana, which ensures its organization and promotion.

As with the previous edition, the Swiss Architectural Award 2021-2022 involves the three Swiss Schools of Architecture in his judging panel: USI – Accademia di architettura, Mendrisio; EPFL – ENAC, Section d’Architecture, Lausanne; ETHZ – Departement Architektur, Zurich.

The jury of the eighth edition is chaired by Mario Botta and composed of Walter Angonese (Director of the Accademia di architettura, USI), Stéphanie Bru (winner, with the Paris-based studio Bruther, of the seventh SAA edition), Dieter Dietz (Director of the Section d’Architecture, EPFL-ENAC) and Tom Emerson (Dean of the Departement Architektur, ETHZ).

With this cooperation, which reaffirms the Award’s national importance, the Swiss Architectural Award confirms it is one of the best endowed and most prestigious architectural awards, by virtue of an advisory committee consisting of internationally renowned architects and critics.

This year, the committee of advisors consists of Manuel Aires Mateus, Lisbon (Portugal); Solano Benitez, Asunción (Paraguay); Angelo Bucci, São Paulo (Brazil); Marianne Burkhalter, Zurich (Switzerland); Sean Godsell, Melbourne (Australia); Junya Ishigami, Tokyo (Japan); Shelley McNamara, Dublin (Ireland); Valerio Olgiati, Flims (Switzerland); András Pálffy, Vienna (Austria); Elisa Valero, Granada (Spain); Paolo Zermani, Parma (Italy).

The aim of the Award is to recognize and enhance architects from around the world who have made a significant contribution to the contemporary architectural culture through their work, demonstrating particular awareness of environmental balance.

The winner will be announced by the end of 2022, and the award ceremony will take place in the spring of 2023 in Mendrisio, at the Teatro dell’architettura of the Università della Svizzera italiana, in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition of the works submitted by the candidates.