30.07.2008 – 15:40

BSI SA

Thirty under 50 architects in the running for the BSI Swiss Architectural Award 2008

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Lugano (ots)

The exhibition of works submitted by candidates will be opened to
public by the14 November 2008

On November 13th the prize-giving ceremony will
take place in Mendrisio, to award the CHF 100,000 offered by the BSI
Architectural Foundation, with the support of the Federal Office for
Culture in Bern and the Accademia di architettura in Mendrisio.

On 17 September 2008, the winner of the first "BSI Swiss
Architectural Award" will be announced by the architect Mario Botta,
Chairman of the award's Jury. The award - promoted by the BSI
Architectural Foundation, with the support of the Federal Office for
Culture in Bern and the Accademia di architettura of the Università
della Svizzera Italiana in Mendrisio - is given to architects aged
under 50, of any nationality, "that contributed, thanks to their
work, to contemporary architectural culture showing a particular
sensitivity towards environmental balance".

Thirty candidates from 15 countries are in the running for this
first edition of the award. They were selected by an international
committee of advisors made up of internationally respected architects
and architecture critics. The Jury for the prize comprises Mario
Botta, the Chairman, architects Emilio Ambasz (New York) and Valentin
Bearth (Chur), who is also the Director of the Accademia di
architettura in Mendrisio, as well as Zhi Wenjun (Shanghai) and
Davide Croff, a former President of the Venice Biennale.
(For short biographies of the members of the Jury, see Attachment 1)

"For BSI Bank, investing in culture has always meant helping to
raise awareness of the importance of science and the arts in our
daily lives and for the sustainable development of society",
commented Alfredo Gysi, Chairman of the Executive Board of BSI AG and
Member of the BSI Architectural Foundation. "Thanks to the merger of
Banca del Gottardo into BSI, our commitment has now extended to
architecture with the awarding of this prize. The award is the
culmination of two years of work by the Architectural Foundation,
which was set up by Banca del Gottardo and which now forms a valuable
part of the heritage of the whole BSI Group".

Mario Botta added: "This award represents an opportunity to
recognise and raise the international profile of architects who can
make an outstanding contribution to contemporary architectural
culture. It is also a good occasion to reflect critically on ideas
that favour first an ethical and then an aesthetic approach. The
names selected can be considered as some of the most important
architects working internationally today. Their sensitivity and
professional commitment in their countries of origin highlight their
diverse hopes (both fanciful and realistic), in contrast to the
contradictions and confusion that are rife today in the debates
within the field".

This is the first edition of the competition, which will be held
every two years. The prize fund is CHF 100,000. The award is
attributed to an architect aged under 50, of any nationality, who has
produced at least three major works that meet the aims of the
competition.

The candidates are selected by a team of international advisors,
each one of whom can nominate up to three entrants who meet the
criteria and objectives of the award. The members of the team of
advisors are: Laurent Beaudouin, Nancy, Gonçalo Byrne, Lisbon,
Alberto Campo Baeza, Madrid, Massimo Carmassi, Florence, Roberto
Collovà, Palermo, Kenneth Frampton, New York, Dan S. Hanganu,
Montreal, Yung Ho Chang, Beijing, Kengo Kuma, Tokyo, Paulo Mendes da
Rocha, São Paolo, Boris Podrecca, Vienna, Anant Raje, Ahmedabad and
Bruno Reichlin, Paris and Mendrisio.
(For short biographies of the advisors, see Attachment 2)

The candidates for this year's award are: 3LHD (Sasa Begovic,
Marko Dabrovic, Tanja Grozdanic, Silvije Novak), Zagreb (Croatia),
Adjaye Associates, London (UK), Jesus Aparicio, Madrid (Spain),
Solano Benitez, Asuncion (Paraguay), Gion A. Caminada, Vrin
(Switzerland), Alfonso Cendron, Venice (Italy), Dominique Coulon,
Strasbourg (France), Richard Francis-Jones, Sydney (Australia), the
NEXTenterprise (Ernst J. Fuchs, Marie-Therese Harnoncourt), Vienna
(Austria), Sean Godsell, Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Thomas
Heatherwick, London (UK), Rick Joy, Tucson (USA), Alberto Kalach,
Mexico City, Francisco Mangado, Pamplona (Spain), Mansilla & Tuñon,
Madrid (Spain), Francisco and Manuel Aires Mateus, Lisbon (Portugal),
Rahul Mehrotra, Mumbai (India), Quintus Miller and Paola Maranta,
Basel (Switzerland), Marco Navarra - Studio Nowa, Caltagirone
(Italy), OFFICE dA (Nader Tehrani, Monica Ponce de Leon), Boston
(USA), Valerio Olgiati, Chur (Switzerland), Promontorio Architectos
(João Perloiro, João Luis Ferreira, Paulo Perloiro, Paulo Martins
Barata, Pedro Appleton, Adrian Beloso-Baker), Lisbon (Portugal), Sasa
Randic, Idis Turato, Rijeka (Croatia), Joao Alvaro Rocha, Maia
(Portugal), Enric Ruiz Geli (Cloud 9), Barcelona (Spain), S-M.A.O.
(Juan Carlos Sancho, Sol Madridejos), Madrid (Spain), Beniamino
Servino, Caserta (Italy), Shuhei Endo, Osaka (Japan), Antonio Jimenez
Torrecillas, Granada (Spain) and Wang Shu, Hangzhou (China).

The winner will be announced on Wednesday 17 September 2008, at a
press conference to be held in the Spazio inBSI at the BSI
headquarters in Via Magatti 2, Lugano, Switzerland.

The prize-giving ceremony will take place on Thursday 13 November
2008 at the Accademia di architettura in Mendrisio, Switzerland. At
the same time, the works submitted by the candidates will go on
display in the gallery of the Accademia, and a catalogue of the
exhibition will be published in both Italian and English.

Calendar of events

• 17 September 2008, spazio inBSI, Via Magatti 2, Lugano, Switzerland Press conference to announce the winner of the competition.
• 12 November 2008, Mendrisio, Switzerland, Accademia di architettura, Palazzo Canavée Press conference attended by the winner, and preview of the exhibition of works submitted by candidates.
• 13 November 2008, Mendrisio, Switzerland, Accademia di architettura, Palazzo Canavée Awards ceremony and inauguration of the exhibition of works submitted by candidates.

The exhibition

Dates:         14 November 2008 - January 2009
   Opening times: Tuesday-Sunday 1pm-6pm. Closed Monday. Admission  
                  free
   Catalogue:     In Italian and English, on sale to the public

The BSI Architectural Foundation promotes knowledge, training and
research in the field of architecture. It presents a biennal
architectural award (BSI Swiss Architectural Award) and sponsors
activities and projects as part of that event, including exhibitions,
publications and presentations. The BSI Architectural Foundation is
one of the BSI AG Foundations.

BSI AG was founded in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1873, and is the
oldest bank in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. Since 1998 it has
been 100%-controlled by the Generali Insurance Group. BSI specialises
in asset management and related services for private and
institutional clients, and is present in the major financial markets
worldwide.

Contact:

Chantal Stampanoni Koeferli
Corporate Communication
Phone: +41/91/809'45'61
Fax: +41/91/809'40'50
E-Mail: chantal.stampanonikoeferli@bsibank.com
Internet: www.bsibank.com

Nicola Navone
Segretario del Premio BSI Swiss Architectural Award
c/o Archivio del Moderno
via Lavizzari 2
CH 6850 Mendrisio, Switzerland
Phone: +41/58/666'55'00
Fax: +41/58/666'55'55
E-Mail: navone@arch.unisi.ch