An auditorium in Spain, a public square in Albania and a set of terraced houses in Germany are also in the running, alongside the Psychiatric Center Caritas in Melle, Belgium, by Architecten de Vylder Vinck Taillieu and the Transformation of 530 dwellings in Grand Parc Bordeaux by Lacaton & Vassal, Frédéric Druot Architecture and Christophe Hutin Architecture.  The five projects were selected as finalists for the Mies van der Rohe Prize from a group of 40 projects shortlisted for the award earlier this year. The award is presented every two years to an outstanding work of architecture in Europe. Diverse in scale and use, this year's finalists include a large-scale urban planning work, Skanderbeg Square in Tirana by 51N4E, Anri Sala, Plant en Houtgoed and iRI, and Selgascano's modestly sized multifaceted Plasencia Auditorium and Congress Centre. Also in the running is Terracehouse, a housing complex with a dramatically sloping facade, which was built on the site of a former junkyard in Berlin by Brandlhuber+ Emde, Burlon and Muck Petzet Architekten.
The jury, headed up by Dorte Mandrup, will now visit all five finalists to deliberate on a winner, which will be annoucned in April. The architects will be presented with the award in a ceremony held at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona on 7 May 2019.