Three new buildings earned top prizes in the third annual International Design Awards program sponsored by AIA Continental Europe and Herman Miller Ltd. The awards jury also selected an Internet and telecommunications boutique in Paris for a chapter Award of Excellence.

The jury—architect Gianfranco Franchini, Genoa; Nicola Jackson, chief editor of World Architecture, London; and architect and educator Wilfried Wang, Berlin—recognized the overall quality of all the submissions and complimented the entrants by saying, "We were pleased to have such a high standard of projects to review."

The awards program recognizes architectural achievements in new construction, remodeling/adaptive reuse, historic preservation, interior architecture, urban design, and environmental graphics. The chapter presented the awards April 28 in a ceremony at the Thyssen Museum, Madrid, during its annual meeting, honoring:

• Laboratório Nacional de Investigação Veterinária, Vairão-Vila do Conde, Portugal, designed by João Álvaro Martins da Rocha + José Manuel Gigante Arquitectos, Porto, took first prize and $2,500. The jury commended the building's organization and integration with the site, stating "The laboratories, in their various specific configurations, offer ideal environments for research, while the long, stepping corridor provides a powerful space for communal encounters." The jury also applauded the project's "high level of finishes and the articulation of details."

• A new sports facility in Magglingen, Switzerland, designed by Bauzeit Architekten GmbH, Biel, Switzerland, was awarded the $1,000 second prize. The jury lauded the architect's craft in handling diverse building materials and the superb detailing of the building, which sits on a wooded site. The jury also noted, "The ceiling above the main sports hall filters natural and artificial light to provide optimum conditions for the sportsmen and an uplifting spirit to the whole structure."

• The regional Théâtre du Passage in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, designed by Architects Associated Walter Hunziker + Chi-Chain and Anton Herrmann-Chong, received third prize and $500. The jury praised the architects for successfully resolving "a difficult insertion into the built environment," and noted in particular, "The gradual access from the street, through the garden, through the villa, into the foyer, and to the downstairs restaurant is well appreciated."

• NOOS Shop, Paris, designed by Patrick Mellett + Christine Reinke-Rousseau, Paris, received a chapter Award of Excellence. The jury selected this Internet and telecommunications shop because of "its simple, fresh, clean, flexible, and playful composition on a neutral background with ample and colorful lighting." The jury stated, "All this makes for easy adaption for different possible locations."

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.