In June this year a competition of the best European young architects and designers EUROPE 40 under 40 2009 concluded in Chicago, USA. For the first time a representative of Latvia - architect Juris Mitenbergs (architects’ office AB3D) was among the laureates of the competition. The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies in cooperation with The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design have chosen the most promising architecture and design talents for 2009 representing 19 European countries. Works of the selected authors can be viewed in Contemporary Space Athens (46-48 Megalou Vassiliou, Rouf- Athenes, Greece) from 16 September to 1 November, but during the second week of November they will be exhibited at the symposium The City and the World in Florence, Italy. The laureates were selected out of hundreds of applications by the jury consisting of: Brian Doglas Lee, partner Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Chicago; Mark P.Sexton, director Krueck & Sexton Architects, Chicago; Richard Tomlinson, partner Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Chicago; Christian K.Narkiewicz, president The Chicago Athenaeum. “The selection of laureates and the selection process itself were very complicated,” says Ioannis Karalias, vice-president of The Chicago Athenaeum. “The jury was presented with hundreds of excellent projects and designs, from skyscrapers and large-scale urban planning projects to the highest quality industrial design. It was difficult to narrow the number down to simply 40 design firms (60 designers and partners of firms).””

The competition Europe 40 under 40 has been initiated by The European Centre and The Chicago Athenaeum to spotlight the next generation of successful European architects and designers who will impact future private and public environments, cities, towns, and rural areas in Europe and worldwide.

It should be noted that this is not the first achievement of architect Juris Mitenbergs and the architects’ office AB3D. In March 2008 representatives of the office went to Cannes in France to receive an award of the international competition the MIPIM Architectural Review Future Project Awards 2008. (The competition is organised annually by one of the world’s leading architecture magazines The Architectural Review established in 1895 in London).

More information:

http://www.chi-athenaeum.org/europe40/index.html

Image credits // Latvian architect Juris Mitenbergs. Publicity photo

08.10.2009.