ARCHITECTURE IS A PUBLIC CONCERN

Every two years, architects turn their attention to Barcelona. This
is because it is here inside the German Pavilion – designed by
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich for the 1929 Barcelona
International Exposition – that the "European Union Prize for
Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Prize" is awarded.
The prize is considered Europe's most important award for
groundbreaking architecture. It is therefore both a seismograph of
future developments and a snapshot of the diversity of the current
construction tasks. Established offices compete alongside young,
up-and-coming architects, with entries selected in a multi-stage,
interdisciplinary selection process. The focus of the competition
is on the cultural role of architecture in the construction of our
towns and cities, and prize-winners receive confirmation from the
professional world while being provided with a springboard with
which to reach a broader public. Since 2016, architect Anna Ramos
has been the director of the Fundació Mies van der Rohe. In our
podcast today, we talk to Anna Ramos about the balancing act of
fulfilling the public mission for the goals set by the Fundació and
at the same time developing new formats and themes for the
architectural discourse.