The architects of Stasys Museum, IMPLMNT architects, have received another distinguished recognition for the building’s architecture. This time, the museum has been shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – the EU Mies van der Rohe Award, often referred to as the “Oscars of architecture.” Out of more than 400 submitted projects, the architecture of Stasys Museum was selected among the top 40, according to the museum’s press release.
Previously, the museum’s architects, the studio IMPLMNT architects (architects Aurimas Syrusas, Greta Brimė, Eglė Gečaitė, Aurelija Kniukštaitė, Jonė Virbickaitė, Kotryna Bajorinaitė, Ieva Sirijatavičiūtė, Viktoras Gricius, and Ričardas Bertašius), were awarded the Grand Prix of the National Architecture Awards for the best architectural work as well as the award for the best cultural and social architecture project. They also received the Architecture Award of the Year from the Lithuanian Artists’ Association and the Lithuanian Architects’ Union, and the “½ meter” award for the best recreational architecture project.
The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture / Mies van der Rohe Awards was established in 1988 in Barcelona by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe and the European Union programme supporting the cultural and creative sectors. It is a biennial award recognizing outstanding works of architecture in Europe.
“This means that we managed to address not only aesthetic, but also social and sustainability-related issues. It is gratifying that the museum’s message is successfully reaching beyond Lithuania’s borders; this was the fundamental idea, that the museum would become not just a building, but a phenomenon,” says architect Aurimas Syrusas, speaking about the significance of the recognition.
The EU Mies van der Rohe Awards are internationally recognized as the most important and prestigious architecture prize in Europe. It is one of the European Union’s cultural awards supported by the Creative Europe programme, highlighting outstanding architectural works across Europe and emphasizing the contribution of high-quality architecture to sustainable development and people’s well-being.
Organized in Barcelona by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, the prize defines architectural excellence in a holistic way, evaluating how architectural works integrate the natural, urban, and human environment in order to improve the quality of the places in which we live. Grounded in contemporary understanding, the prize looks optimistically toward the future.
In 2017, an architectural competition was held to select the best building concept. The core of the museum’s architectural concept became three words mentioned by artist Stasys Eidrigevičius in his open letter to the architectural studios participating in the competition – simplicity, logic, and fantasy. These three words became the architectural code of the building. Simplicity is realized through volume, logic through spatial layout, and fantasy through unexpected elements and encoded perspectives within the building’s interiors.
The museum opened its doors in 2024 on the site of the former Garsas cinema center. Named after Stasys and dedicated to the world-renowned artist Stasys Eidrigevičius, the museum has already welcomed more than 70,000 visitors from Lithuania and abroad during its first year. In the public sphere, the museum is even referred to as a small “Bilbao effect,” having become a significant accelerator for the city in cultural and social terms.
The museum features a permanent exhibition of works by Stasys Eidrigevičius, a space for temporary exhibitions, an education area, an information center, a café, and a non-commercial cinema hall.
