Venice: the Golden Lions

The jury of the 13th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale — comprised of Wiel Arets (President, Netherlands), Kristin Feireiss (Germany), Robert A.M. Stern (USA), Benedetta Tagliabue (Italy) and Alan Yentob (Great Britain) — has decided to confer the awards as follows:

Golden Lion for Best National Participation to Japan
Architecture possible here? Home-for-All. Naoya Hatakeyama; Kumiko Inui; Sou Fujimoto; Akihisa Hirata (Pavilion at Giardini)
Commissioner: Toyo Ito
Deputy Commissioners: Atsuko Sato, Tae Mori
Motivations of the International Jury: The Golden Lion for the Best National Participation, which captures the spirit of Common Ground, is awarded to the Japanese Pavilion in which leading international architect Toyo Ito collaborated with younger architects and with the local community to address in a practical and imaginative way the design of a new centre for a region devastated by a national disaster. The presentation and the storytelling in the Pavilion are exceptional and highly accessible to a broad audience. The jury was impressed with the humanity of this project.

Golden Lion for the Best Project of the Common Ground Exhibition to Urban-Think Tank
Torre David / Gran Horizonte, 2012. Alfredo Brillembourg, Hubert Klumpner and Justin McGuirk (exhibit at Corderie, Arsenale)
Motivations of the International Jury: The Golden Lion for the Best Project embodying the theme of Common Ground goes to Urban-Think Tank and to the people of Caracas and their families who created a new community and a home out of an abandoned and unfinished building. The jury praised the architects for recognizing the power of this transformational project. An informal community created a new home and a new identity by occupying Torre David and did so with flair and conviction. This initiative can be seen as an inspirational model acknowledging the strength of informal societies.

Silver Lion for a promising practice of the International Exhibition Common Ground to Grafton Architects
Common Ground, 2012. Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara (Irland, exhibit at Central Pavilion, Giardini)
Motivations of the International Jury: The Silver Lion is awarded to Grafton Architects as a promising and emerging practice. For their impressive presentation of a new University campus in Lima, connecting to the ideas of Paulo Mendes da Rocha. The jury believes that the conceptual and spatial qualities of this installation demonstrate the considerable potential of this architectural practice in reimagining the urban landscape.

Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to Álvaro Siza Vieira
Awarded by the Board of la Biennale di Venezia, chaired by Paolo Baratta, under director David Chipperfield's proposal.

The Jury has also decided to assign four Special Mentions:

Poland
Making the walls quake as if they were dilating with the secret knowledge of great powers. Katarzyna Krakowiak (Pavilion at Giardini).
Commissioner: Hanna Wróblewska
Curator: Michal Libera
Motivations of the International Jury: Special mention goes to Poland for Making the walls quake as if they were dilating with the secret knowledge of great powers. This brave and bold installation reminds the visitor to listen as well as to look... And to feel the sound of the Common Ground.

United States of America
Spontaneous Interventions: Design Actions for the Common Good. Pavilion at Giardini.
Commissioner/Curator: Cathy Lang Ho
Curators: Ned Cramer, David van der Leer
Deputy Curators: Paola Antonelli, Anne Guiney, Zoe Ryan, Michael Sorkin
Motivations of the International Jury: Special mention goes to the United States of America for Spontaneous Interventions: Design Actions for the Common Good. This interactive installation impressed the Jury with its celebration of the power of individuals to change society in small but effective ways. The unpretentiously simple presentation was a delight.

Russia
i-city. AREP; SPEECH Tchoban/Kuznetsov; David Chipperfield Architects; Valode& Pistre; Mohsen Mostafavi; OMA; SANAA; Herzog& de Meuron; Stefano Boeri architetti; Project MEGANOM; MDP/Michel Desvigne paysagiste; BERNASKONI architecture bureau (Pavilion at Giardini).
Commissioner: Grigory Revzin.
Curator: Sergei Tchoban.
Deputy Curators: Sergey Kuznetsov, Valeria Kashirina.
Motivations of the International Jury: Special mention goes to Russia for i-city. The i-city takes a dialectic approach to Russia's past, present and future and in the process turns us all into digital spies. The jury was drawn into this magical mystery tour and beguiled by its visual presentation.

Cino Zucchi
Copycat. Empatia e invidia come generatori di forma, 2012 (Milan, Italy, exhibit at Corderie, Arsenale).
Motivations of the International Jury: Special mention goes to Cino Zucchi for an installation which "aims to evoke a complex network of relationships that shape our physical environment". The jury believes that this serves as an exemplary reminder of the all-embracing theme of the Common Ground Exhibition.