MVRDV won the Masterplanning Category award, with Glasgow-based Austin-Smith:Lord, as well as other local specialists, for the masterplan design for the St. Enoch, Central, and Blythswood districts. The Glasgow City Council selected MVRDV and Austin-Smith:Lord’s multidisciplinary team in 2016 to work with local communities to help redirect the future wellbeing of Glasgow, one of Europe’s most fascinating cities.

Glasgow’s vibrant core is the heart of Scotland’s economy. Over 135,000 people work in the city centre, which offers Glaswegians and tourists alike a wealth of leisure, culture, retail, and entertainment experiences.

In the past few decades, the city has established an International Financial Services District as well as a regenerated Merchant City area, which have facilitated the growth of the tourism and financial sectors, despite challenging economic conditions. Following on from the work by MVRDV and Austin-Smith:Lord progress is being made to increase city centre population, restore built heritage, develop vacant and under-used spaces, improve and green city centre streets, apply the recommendations of the city’s Connectivity Commission and reduce severance caused by the River Clyde and the M8 motorway.

MVRDVs co-founder Winy Maas: “‘This award serves to support the initiative for a much more vivid, open, collaborative, and experimental city. We need this especially in these days of sanitary controls where a green reprieve, optimism, and energy are necessary, and where energetic cities steer Europe toward a collaborative future.”