(NEWS) WMU Building Receives Architecture Prize

November

2015

WMU New Building Receives Region Skåne Architecture Prize

PRESS RELEASE
Malmö, Sweden – 13 November 2015

The World Maritime University’s (WMU) new building has been awarded the 2015 Region Skåne Architecture Prize. The award was announced on 13 November with WMU’s Urbana Hängsel or “Urban Hinge” receiving the prize. Completed by the renowned Danish architect Kim Utzon in collaboration with the Australian architecture firm of Terroir Architects, Urban Hinge refers to the architects’ design concept of the building serving as an urban hinge between the historic city and the docklands.

The Region Skåne Architecture Prize is awarded in cooperation with the Swedish Association of Architects of Skåne. The Urban Hinge received the award based on the design of the building as well as how it transforms the surroundings and returns the historic Old Harbour Master’s building to a maritime use. Announcement of the award stated that the “Urban Hinge is 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.”

WMU President, Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry stated, “The World Maritime University is proud that its headquarters has received the esteemed Region Skåne architecture award. Our extraordinary new home reflects and supports the forward-looking mission of this unique institution that is part of the United Nations family. We are proud to know it is making a recognizable contribution to the architectural environment of the City of Malmö and the region of Skåne. The exceptional environment fosters cross-communication and provides state-of-the art facilities to support our mission to provide excellence to the global community in maritime and ocean postgraduate education and research. We are grateful to the City of Malmö for providing the University with such an inspirational home and a true learning environment. Our gratitude also goes to the Government of Sweden for their continued support since the University was founded in 1983.”

The University moved into the state-of-the art facilities in April and was inaugurated on 19 May 2015 with a gathering of distinguished speakers and invitees from around the globe. The new facilities of nearly 6,000 square meters 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 already awarded the City of Malmö’s highest architecture prize, the stadsbyggnadspriset or City Building Prize based on its contemporary and well-executed design.

PHOTOS: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B5VGmBAHJ2dZbWNmRnk0SHp6VzQ&usp=sharing

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