The Overall Winner of the SHARE Architecture Awards is InnoRenew CoE, a research institute from Slovenia

Ten category awards were also presented, claimed by architecture firms from Romania, Poland, Hungary, Cyprus, and Slovenia. Additionally, two Highly Commended distinctions were awarded , one to a studio from Poland and one from Cyprus. The jury evaluation sessions and award ceremony took place yesterday in Athens, at the Athens Conservatoire.

The winners were decided after a months-long process, with over 200 projects from 15 countries in Central and Southeast Europe submitted for the competition, of which 75 were shortlisted . These appointed projects were presented live yesterday at the Athens Conservatoire, in front of an international jury led by the renowned American architect Carol Ross Barney, the 2023 recipient of the American Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal. The jury also included other prominent names in the world of architecture, such as Martha Thorne, former executive director of the Pritzker Prize (considered the “Nobel of architects”), Manuela Gato, director at Zaha Hadid Architects (UK), Fokke Moerel, partner at MVRDV (Netherlands), Johannes Baar- Baarenfels Founder of Johannes Baar-Baarenfels Architecture (Austria), Kamran Afshar Naderi, Iranian-Italian Artist, Designer, Architect; Founder of Memar
Magazine & Awards (Iran), Pepe Gascon, Founder of Pepe Gascón Arquitectura (Spain), Assaf Kimmel, Partner at Kimmel Eshkolot Architects (Israel), Fuensanta Nieto, Founding Partner of Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos (Spain), Peter Murray, Co-Founder of New London Architecture and Chairman of Temple Bar Trust (UK), Kerem Yazgan, Co-Founder of Yazgan Design Architecture (Turkey), Roberto Beraldo, Founder of Beraldo & Marras architetti associati (Italy), Esra Aydinoglou, Ambassador of SHARE in Turkey (Turkey), Greta Tresserra, Greta Tresserra, International Consultant in Sustainable Development,, Diogo Brito, Founder OODA (Portugal).

The project declared the Overall Winner of the SHARE Architecture Awards, designed by Slovenian architects Eva Prelovšek Niemelä and Aarne Niemelä, is titled the InnoRenew CoE institute and is the largest wooden building in Slovenia as of today. Designing the building was a complex task beyond the main coordinates of a functional project: to demonstrate how a physical transformation of a place defined as post-industrial could bring new spirit and sociotechnical development through the creation of an engaging scientific hub.

(We are publishing below the complete list of winning projects, each accompanied by a link to the webpage where it is fully described.)

The trophies awarded to the winners during The Grand Ceremony,are crafted from limestone with remarkable plasticity. These works are signed by Vladlen Babcinețchi, a Romanian artist whose pieces are part of public and private collections in London, Moscow, Innsbruck, Bangkok, Bucharest, and Iași.

The shortlisted projects were showcased yesterday in an exhibition at the Athens Conservatoire, designed by architect and designer Iuliana Damir. Both the nominated and winning projects will be part of a traveling exhibition across Europe over the course of a year.

“In line with SHARE Architects’ main objective of elevating Central and South-East European architecture to the global stage, SHARE Architects Awards offer a dynamic platform to showcase and celebrate architectural excellence from this region. This initiative allowed participants to engage directly with a respected jury, providing them with a unique opportunity to receive valuable feedback, expand their professional network, and increase their visibility within the architectural community,” said Eusebia Mindirigiu, Head of Communication for the SHARE Architecture Awards.
With over 27 years of experience in the Central and South-East European markets, SHARE Architects is one of the most active event networks in the region, a trusted platform bringing together architects and contractors to foster innovation and collaboration. It also serves as a constantly updated source of information, supporting the continuous development of specialists and promoting young talent.

Here is the list of winners:

The Overall winner SHARE Architecture Awards 2024

InnoRenew CoE, Slovenia

Their project is The InnoRenew CoE Institute building, the largest wooden building in Slovenia as of today. Design of the building had a complex task beyond the design of a functional building: demonstrate how the physical transformation of a place defined as post-industrial could bring new spirit and sociotechnical development by creating an engaging scientific hub. https://awards.share-architects.com/innorenew-coe/

InnoRenew CoE is an independent research institute established in 2017. Research targets renewable materials and sustainable buildings, specifically innovative approaches to wood and its use, with the goal of transferring scientific knowledge into industrial practice.

Their project also won the Winner for “WORKPLACE – OFFICES/INSTITUTIONAL” Category.

Here are the categories winners:

– Winner of “SPORTS & WELLBEING” Category

Scara Alpine Shelter (Empatic Architecture Studio, Romania)
The project is the result of more than two years of work by a team of professional volunteers and mountain lovers who designed the refuge, assessed the terrain, and coordinated the ascent and construction of materials to the ridge. https://awards.share-architects.com/scara-alpine-shelter/

Empatic Architecture Studio is a Romanian studio, based in the city of Iași, owned by Anca Loghin, an architect specializing in passive buildings “to bring more sensitivity and sustainability.”

– Winner of “HOTELS – RESTAURANTS & BARS” Category
Rossetti Aparthotel (ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN, Romania)

Located in Bucharest’s eclectic urban fabric, Rosetti Aparthotel is a discreet yet significant presence, symbolizing the delicate balance between the past and future.

ROSETTI APARTHOTEL

ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN is a studio founded in 2005 by architect Carmen Tănase, focusing mainly on urban works.

– Winner of “EDUCATIONAL” Category
The new container building of the German School of Budapest
(Bánáti + Hartvig Építész Iroda, Hungary)

The German School of Budapest had to expand quickly for the new school year. The solution was to redevelop an existing container building, boosting capacity and architectural quality without harming the environment.

The new container building of the German School of Budapest

Bánáti + Hartvig Architecture Studio is a significant character on the Hungarian architectural stage. Determinant buildings of Budapest’s architectural character are related to its name, the office is commissioned in significant investments.

– Winner of “HEALTHCARE” Category
Marie Curie. Hospital for Children (Tesseract Architecture, Romania)
The main purpose of this project revolved around the #WeBuildAHospital initiative, building a children’s hospital from scratch, entirely funded by donations and sponsorships—a new wing for the Marie Curie Hospital for Children. https://awards.share-architects.com/marie-curie-hospital…/

TESSERACT ARCHITECTURE is a multidisciplinary team of architects operating across three divisions: medical architecture, architecture, and 3D animation.

– Winner of “RESIDENTIAL SINGLE – USE” Category
LIV House (ateliercetrei, Romania)
The choice of location within the orchard was the main challenge of the project. The house wraps itself around this space, unfolding along the slope of the land. https://awards.share-architects.com/liv-house/

ATELIERCETREI is a partnership practicing design, interior architecture, architecture, and urban planning, based in Cluj-Napoca.

– Winner for “MULTI-UNIT RESIDENTIAL” Category
Urban Spaces 5 / Sfinții Voievozi 20-24 Apartment Building (ADN Birou de Arhitectura – Romania)

Urban Spaces 5 / Sfinții Voievozi 20-24 Apartment Building integrates into a historically and functionally diverse urban area in Bucharest, with spontaneous evolution and gradual densification, embracing fragmentation, differentiation, and alignment with its context.
HTTPS://AWARDS.SHARE-ARCHITECTS.COM/URBAN-SPACES-5-SFINTII-VOIEVOZI-20-24-APARTMENT-BUILDING/

ADBNA, a multiple award-winning architecture studio established in 2003 in Bucharest, competes with two projects.

– Winner of “CULTURAL- HERITAGE” Category
Polish Army Museum (WXCA, Poland)

The spatial concept of the new seat of the Polish Army Museum at the Warsaw Citadel reaches back to the 18th-century urban layout of the site. The architects alluded to motives of military symbolics in their concept, which was expressed by a geometric, disciplined form of the building. https://awards.share-architects.com/polish-army-museum/
WXCA offers a wide range of services, from program consulting to various kinds of project designing: urban and architectural projects, engineering, realization, interior design, and landscape architecture.

– Winner for “COMMERCIAL- RETAIL” Category
Lampadistis Winery (Eraclis Papachristou Architects, Cyprus)

The Lampadistis wine distillery is a deliberately heavy object, placed on a promontory above the village of Kalopanayiotis, and consists of three cylinders that house the three phases of wine production. The uncompromising béton-brut of the exoskeleton is first softened by the treatment of the balustrade structure. https://awards.share-architects.com/lampadistis-winery/

Eraclis Papachristou Architects is one of the most established architectural offices in Cyprus. In 1998 he founded ” E.Papachristou Architects LLC’ in Nicosia. He has been awarded 24 awards in Cypriot and European architectural competitions, including 10 First prizes for public and private projects. In 2006 he participated in the representation of Cyprus for the Venice Biennale and in 2008 participated in the Festival of Architecture in London.

– Winner for “LANDSCAPE – CITY PLANNING” Category
Modernization of Pole Mokotowskie Park (WXCA, Poland)

WXCA architects proposed an approach that could be termed ‘design acupuncture’, which means a sensitive stimulation of the existing space with its own rhythm of biological and social processes.

Modernization of Pole Mokotowskie Park

– Highly Commended
The pedestrian and cycling bridge in Irča Vas near Novo Mesto
(Jereb in Budja Arhitekti, Slovenia)

The pedestrian and cycling bridge in Irča vas proves to be an example of the respectful integration of architecture into the natural environment. With its subtle presence and sensitively designed form, it blends unobtrusively into the beautiful landscape along the Krka River.

The pedestrian and cycling bridge in Irča vas near Novo mesto

Jereb in Budja arhitekti d.o.o. was founded in 2007 by graduates of the Ljubljana Faculty of Architecture, Rok Jereb and Blaž Budja. Their works have won several architectural prizes, including a Plečnik Medal, a Plečnik Award, and a Golden Pencil for excellent realization.

– Highly Commended
The old Municipality Market (Nicosia Municipality, Cyprus)

Priority for the Architectural study was the maintenance – restoration of the building, preserving its architectural details, and the old materials as much as possible. https://awards.share-architects.com/the-old-municipality-market-conservation-and-new-use/