WMU Building Shortlisted for World Architecture Festival Award
PRESS RELEASE: 13 July 2016
The World Maritime University (WMU) building has been shortlisted in the category of Higher Education and Research for an award at the 2016 World Architecture Festival (WAF). Over 340 entries will be considered in one of 32 award categories. Winners of each category will then be considered for the WAF accolade of “World Building of the Year” and “Future Building of the Year”. The final awards will be announced at the WAF in Berlin on 18 November.
“The World Maritime University is proud that its headquarters have been shortlisted for consideration for the esteemed 2016 World Architecture Festival Award. Our new home elegantly merges the history of the Old Harbour Master’s Building with the future encompassed within the dramatic new addition. The stunning environment fosters communication and provides state-of-the art facilities in support of our mission to provide excellence to the global community in maritime and ocean postgraduate education and research. We are grateful to the architects for their exceptional design and to the City of Malmö for their vision in providing such an inspiring environment that reflects and supports the forward-looking mission of our unique institution that is part of the United Nations family. As an environmentally friendly and energy efficient building, it supports our commitment to the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, including its climate change goal. Our gratitude also extends to the Government of Sweden for their continued support since the University was founded in 1983,” stated Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, President of WMU.
Completed by the renowned Danish architect Kim Utzon in collaboration with the Australian architecture firm of Terroir Architects, the building is referred to as Urbana Hängsel, or “Urban Hinge” based on the architects’ design concept of the building serving as an urban hinge between the historic city and the docklands.
The University moved into the state-of-the art facilities in April of 2015. The inauguration took place on 19 May 2015 with a gathering of distinguished speakers and invitees from around the globe. The new facilities have essentially doubled WMU’s floor space offering immense opportunities to support the growth of the University with a new auditorium, multiple research labs, seminar rooms and video-conferencing facilities. The WMU library, which houses an exceptional collection of maritime titles, has quadrupled in size, and vital collaborative spaces for students and faculty are located throughout the building.
On 15 September 2015, the building was awarded the City of Malmö’s highest architecture prize, the stadsbyggnadspriset or City Building Prize based on its contemporary and well-executed design. It also won the Region Skåne Architecture Prize on 13 November 2015 with the jury noting the building as “an exceptional example of spatial composition, architectural details, materials, custom-designed furnishings, and the relationship between the old and the new. The building successfully mediates the space between large scale developments of the City and the intimate scale of the canal.”
