BDA Prize Bavaria 2025 – Sustainability and innovation

This year, the Bavarian Association of German Architects (BDA) is once again inviting entries for the prestigious BDA Prize Bavaria 2025. Projects can be submitted until August 2.

The BDA Prize Bavaria is awarded to architects and urban planners and honors outstanding, artistically sophisticated architectural projects. It highlights the best building projects in Bavaria and promotes the exchange of innovative, holistic ideas. This year’s BDA Prize Bavaria 2025 is all about sustainability, with a focus on the further development of existing buildings and the promotion of socially relevant topics in construction.

Special attention is paid to the BDA position paper “The House of the Earth”. It points not only to ecological issues, but also to the relevance of ethical and cultural aspects in urban planning and architecture. These should meet the requirements of the present and the future. By taking these principles into account, building projects can be realized that are not only functionally and aesthetically convincing, but also make a positive contribution to society and the climate.

Resource-conserving construction is a key criterion for the jury of the BDA Prize Bavaria 2025. Projects that stand out through innovative approaches to reducing energy consumption, the use of renewable energies and the use of environmentally friendly, durable materials. Projects that take into account the integration of green spaces, vertical gardens and green roofs to promote ecological diversity and improve the microclimate will also be honored.

The BDA Prize Bavaria 2025 also promotes creative solutions for current and relevant social challenges. The housing shortage is undoubtedly one of them. Architecture and urban planning must focus their work on topics such as innovative housing concepts, modular construction methods, redensification and the conversion of existing buildings in order to create new living space. In addition, a healthy environment must be created by incorporating as much daylight as possible indoors, natural ventilation and the creation of green spaces. By designing mixed uses, public spaces, social infrastructure and communication areas, architects and urban planners can create inclusive, equitable and heterogeneous neighborhoods.

Existing buildings are playing an increasingly relevant role. It conserves resources and preserves the cultural and historical identity of buildings. The BDA Prize Bavaria 2025 particularly honors projects that impress with their creative conversion and careful renovation of existing buildings.

An independent jury for the BDA Prize Bavaria 2025, consisting of renowned architects, experts from related disciplines and representatives of the public, will evaluate the submitted realizations. The jury members listed below visit the nominated projects on site to gain a comprehensive picture. This enables a detailed assessment of the actual implementation of the concepts.

Lukas Imhof, Lukas Imhof Architecture, Zurich

Annelen Schmidt-Vollenbroich, Nidus, Düsseldorf

Frank Schönert, Hütten und Paläste Architekten, Berlin

Marlene Witry, Schürmann Witry Architects, Stuttgart

Maik Novotny, freelance architecture journalist and author, Vienna

This year’s curators are Lisa Yamaguchi and Alexander Fthenakis.

The jury of the BDA Prize Bavaria 2025 selects projects from the large number of submissions that contribute to improving building culture in different ways. Here are the categories in which prizes are awarded:

• Housing
• Building for the community
• Commercial and administrative buildings
• Building in existing buildings/monuments
• Special buildings
• Prize of the jury
• Study prize

The general conditions of each submitted project require a well thought-out, careful integration into the urban landscape. This should be presented and explained in the project description so that the urban design category is not advertised separately.

The award-winning projects serve as examples of best practice and inspire further bold and creative building projects for the future.

The Bellevue de Monaco is an outstanding example of a project awarded the BDA Prize Bavaria 2019 with a focus on “Building in Existing Contexts”. This implementation impressively demonstrates the successful conversion and renovation of existing buildings.

The Bellevue de Monaco, located in Munich, is a listed building that formerly served as a hotel. It has been transformed into a cultural and social center through extensive renovation and modernization. A café on the first floor with extensive glazing serves as a cultural venue, among other things. The remaining multi-storey areas provide affordable living space as well as communal rooms for groups and associations that offer help with asylum and employment advice as well as German courses and homework support. A project that is considered a role model for integration. When restoring the historic building, hirner & riehl architekten placed particular emphasis on preserving the characteristic features and charm of the architecture, while at the same time meeting modern requirements.

This successful, resource-conserving conversion has turned the Bellevue de Monaco into a lively meeting place. It serves to promote intercultural dialog and encounters between a wide variety of people and ideas.

The award of the BDA Prize of Bavaria to the Bellevue de Monaco underlines the importance and value of “Building in Existing Contexts”. It shows how the conversion of historic buildings can create new living spaces that reflect social change and meet the requirements of monument protection.

The BDA Prize Bavaria is awarded to developers and architects in Bavaria for high-quality architecture and urban planning and has a significant influence on the architecture scene in the state. It sets new standards and benchmarks for building culture in Bavaria and promotes equality, heterogeneous communities and climate protection. The award-winning projects inspire future generations of architects, urban planners and developers and contribute to the diversity of the region. The BDA Prize of Bavaria thus remains an important institution of architecture that is oriented towards social and cultural change.