Jimenez Lai winner of the inaugural Lisbon Triennale Millennium BCP Début Award

The announcement took place at Lisbon’s Electricity Museum, on the evening of September 12, marking the first day of the opening week of Close, Closer, the third Lisbon Architecture Triennale.

The award was presented by Fernando Nogueira, President of Millennium BCP, following a welcome address by José Mateus, chairman of the Lisbon Triennale and Beatrice Galilee, Chief Curator of Close, Closer.

One of three international initiatives (two awards and one open call) launched by Close, Closer to broaden participation and showcase innovative, boundary-pushing talent in this year’s Triennale, the Début Award distinguishes a young architect or studio under 35 on outstanding work, development of original design thinking and the pursuit of critical ideas with a monetary prize of €5,000.

Beatrice Galilee applauded the work of the jury, who narrowed the more than 180 entries of outstanding quality from around the world to a shortlist of ten finalists whose “Range and originality, substance and quality are testament of a vibrant new generation of practitioners shaping the discipline”.

Jimenez Lai was chosen for the originality and range of his body of work, whose uncompromising and thought-provoking approach to formalism lends it an exploratory vein that, in the words of the jury, is crucial to the future of architecture.

Début Award Shortlist:

Assemble, London, UK
Atelier Hirschbichler, Zurich, CH
Bureau Spectacular/Jimenez Lai, Chicago, US FALA, Porto, PT
Frida Escobedo, Mexico DF, MX
Gruppe, Zurich, CH
Léopold Lambert, New York, US
SAMI, Setúbal, PT
SO - IL, New York, US

The international jury of the Début Award was formed by:

Eva Franch I Gilabert (ES), founder of OOAA and Director of Storefront for Art and Architecture.
Ou Ning (CN), activist, curator, editor, artist and urban researcher.
Tatiana Bilbao (MX), founder of studio Tatiana Bilbao S.C.
Beatrice Galilee (UK), chief curator of Close, Closer.
Diogo Seixa Lopes (PT), founder of studio Barbas Lopes, Arquitectos.