They have been chosen: On September 8, 2023, the Building with Brick Initiative announced this year's winners of the Erich Mendelsohn Award for Brick Architecture at the official award ceremony in Berlin. The jury's assessment focused on two areas in particular: social housing and refurbishment. The Clos Pachem Winery by Catalan firm Harquitects impressed the panel with its pioneering approach of interweaving aesthetic and technical elements and was accordingly awarded the highest distinction, the Grand Prix. 

Grand Prix Winner Harquitects is not a new face at the Brick Architecture Prize. With their unmistakable style of unrendered brick walls in the interior, the architects from Barcelona have already impressed the juries of the three preliminary rounds. The technically and aesthetically convincing, careful renovation of the Clos Pachem Winery has now won the Grand Prix for the first time. Dealing with the existing building and the materials available on site is one of two focal points that the jury has set not only for the Grand Prix, but in all categories. In addition, the second major question of architecture is that of affordable living space for all. With this in mind, the jury presented three gold awards in the residential construction category for the first time: Three outstanding examples in three European cities demonstrate in exemplary fashion how brick creates residential and living spaces with meaning and character. 

From the Grand Prix to the Newcomer project, one thing is clear across all categories: brick is a material that is able to tell stories thanks to its tradition and longevity - and at the same time is up to the challenges of the future. 

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