Daidalos Architecture Prize: On the value of substance

The Austrian Society for Architecture titled its annual theme this year “Stop Building Now! – Everything will be converted”. This call for a widespread halt to new construction probably goes too far for some. Nevertheless, it is high time to pause. Not every construction project is necessary, not every individual interest has to be implemented.

Renovations and conversions are the focus of the “Valuable Substance” category of the Upper Austrian Daidalos Architecture Prize.

A restriction on the area to be dedicated to construction projects would have a dampening effect on new construction projects in rural areas and on the outskirts of the city. In addition to the dedication of building land in rural areas, valuable buildings are being demolished in many cities in order to make new buildings possible.

The maxim still prevails that a high rate of new construction is synonymous with dynamic economic performance. This is not necessarily true. Especially not when all negative consequences are taken into account.

Social added value

Another problem is the often generalized idea that new buildings best represent their own time or are an expression of modernity. Formally, that may be true. A new house usually looks more “modern” than an old one. However, if you consider the long lifespan of buildings, this view loses its relevance. Ultimately, architecture is too lazy to be able to follow current trends and fashions on a broad basis. The built environment is a mix of different times and stylistic eras. And it always leaves room for the present.

This is precisely the charm of what we see built in town and country. In this respect, the historical inventory has an existential significance. This is particularly true in everyday contexts such as simple settlements and townhouses, whose value is often downplayed when it comes to demolition.

If one takes the built environment seriously as a factor in the identification and legibility of urban and cultural history (i.e. what essentially shapes us), then, among other things, monument preservation must also pay more attention to objects that fall below the category of outstanding architectural monuments.

Inventory as a resource

For example, when historical and early modern buildings in Linz are constantly being torn down and disappearing from the cityscape, the question of the actual need arises

maneuverability and the “awareness” behind it. Those who advocate careful, thoughtful use of such building materials are often characterized as anti-progressive nostalgics. It is often the same architectural offices that can do both: aesthetically and functionally well thought-out new buildings and, if required, the equally high-quality adaptation of existing structures. There are many excellent examples of the latter in Upper Austria. In individual cases, it may mean more planning time or more effort to deal productively with existing buildings in order to put them to new or improved use. However, if you consider the life cycles of buildings already mentioned, this is put into perspective.

Many, sometimes quite unspectacular, projects show that a synthesis of old and new that respects existing buildings can lead to high-quality architecture in every respect. And the advantages have long been known when it comes to pressing environmental issues. The aesthetic, cultural and ecological added value for society is worth the effort.

None of this is a plea for backwardness or refusal to progress. Quite the opposite: the Daidalos category “Valuable Substance” sees itself as a contribution to an important, future-oriented process. We look forward to many exciting, groundbreaking submissions.

Upper Austria’s Daidalos Architecture Prize: Application

1. Who? Architectural offices, civil engineering offices and interdisciplinary project teams (e.g. urban planners, landscape planners) are invited to submit submissions.
2. What? Projects that are completed at the time of submission will be accepted. The projects may not be older than around six years (completion after January 1, 2018), with the exception of the special award for proven buildings. This is about objects that were completed between 1990 and 2012.
3. How? Up to five photos (no renderings, photo rights must be stated), up to five plan representations and an explanatory text with up to 1500 characters can be included. Further information can be found at nachrichten.at/daidalos. The link to the submission itself, which is processed digitally, can also be found here. The deadline for entries is January 21, 2024.
   The Daidalos categories are “Valuable Substance”, “Ingeniously Planned”, and “Special Prize for Proven Buildings”.

The OÖNachrichten awards the Upper Austrian Architecture Prize Daidalos with the Chamber of Civil Engineers for Upper Austria and Salzburg, other partners are Energie AG, Hypo Oberösterreich, WAG, the State of Upper Austria, Neue Heimat, WSG and the afo architekturforum Oberösterreich.

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