Either independently or jointly with his office staff MVRDV, Winy Maas has had a strong influence on architecture at the turn of the 20th into the 21st century. The starting point of MVRDV’s research-based design method is a continuous consideration of contemporary urbanism, and of society conditioned by such urbanism. mvrdv is thus engaged in the issues of density, capacity, and mixed-use programs that freely combine urban, and rural models. Also, MVRDV are pioneers in the use of modern digital tools, which they employ for simulations of different versions of complex processes and mechanisms, which buildings and urban systems should accommodate. The building forms themselves, and their typological solutions are a result of a light-hearted approach to aesthetics which owes equally to modern tradition, popular culture, and the broadest repertoire of urban scenes. From Villa vpro to the market hall in Rotterdam, through numerous publications and educational work, Winy Maas reinterprets the existing patterns in surprising ways, proposing ambitious urban visions, and introducing innovative concepts to the development of global architectural discourse.

ORIS TEHNOPLAST AWARD FOR AN EXCEPTIONAL ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT

IDIS TURATO, SPORTS HALL AND SQUARE, KRK CROATIA

Primary school Fran Krsto Frankopan in the historic centre of Krk is an excellent example of an active dialogue of contemporary architecture with topography and urban morphology. The Sports Hall and Square in Krk is a confident continuation of this dialogue and creates a new social focal point of the city; in the meaning of its identity and use. The shaping of the building is based on decomposition and fragmentation, procedures which correspond to contemporary architectural tendencies. At the same time, however, they enable the sports hall and the square to be articulated as an assemblage of new elements which grow from the old layers. The controlled imperfection, accentuated tactility and diverse textures of experimentally produced prefabricated low-technology elements overlap with the rich ambience marked by the patina of the time. The Oris award is given to the radical and socially useful project which is not submissive in relation to the context, but completes the local environment in an authentic way and connects it to the global cultural movements. With this project Idis Turato confirms the fruitfulness of the integration of a research-based, designed and educational architectural work.