We were in Barcelona at the invitation of the Fundacio Mies van der Rohe to attend the 2026 EU Mies Prize for Contemporary Architecture Granting Ceremony and Exhibition, at the Palau Victòria Eugènia and Barcelona Pavilion. We were honoured to be among the Irish nominees, nominated by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland for our project Living in a Landscape.

A strong and timely theme throughout the awards and discussions was the Jury’s focus on working with existing buildings— exploring architecture through reuse, adaptation and transformation. This is particularly resonant with the focus of Jane’s Master’s studio at Queen's University Belfast, where adaptation and re-use is central to the studio’s work.

The excellent series of panel talks from finalists and winners offered thoughtful insights into these approaches. Particular highlights included the collaboration between finalists Assemble, BC Architects, H arquitectes and the LUMA Foundation on their project in Arles, transforming the Magasin Électrique into a new materials research centre. Equally compelling was the presentation by the winners, AGWA and architecten jan de vylder inge vinck, on reuse as a process of transformation at their project in Charleroi, Brussels.

The exhibition itself was a wonderful opportunity to see models drawn from the archives of the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, beautifully displayed throughout the Palau and a highly valuable resource. The event concluded with a very enjoyable closing party at the Palau.

While in Barcelona, we also took the opportunity to revisit two key projects: the Fundació Joan Miró by Josep Lluís Sert, and the Jardí Botànic de Barcelona by Carlos Ferrater. An enjoyable few days of discussion, reflection and inspiration.

The full list of 2026 Nominees can be found here https://eumiesawards.com/architecture-emerging/the-410-nominees/