25-9-2025
Exemplary SOS Children's Village
The “Award for Exemplary Buildings in North Rhine-Westphalia” is presented every five years by the Ministry for Regional Identity, Communities, Building, and Digitalization of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in cooperation with the AKNW to the best buildings of the respective period. This year, the state award will be presented for the tenth time. A total of 25 new or renovated buildings and open space designs from across North Rhine-Westphalia will receive the “Award for Exemplary Buildings in North Rhine-Westphalia 2025.”
The range of “exemplary buildings” from the past five years extends from large public buildings to residential developments and office complexes to open space designs and small private homes. A total of 159 buildings were submitted for the award process.
Many of the selected projects, such as SOS Children's Villages, support social interaction in cities and communities or represent further developments within the existing building stock.
The festive award ceremony will take place on February 9, 2026, at the K21 art museum in Düsseldorf.
From the jury statement:
The new SOS Children's Village in the Garath district of Düsseldorf is the result of a regulated competition process. The aim was to bring together the previously scattered facilities in one location and at the same time create a meeting place for the residents of the district. [..]
The design conveys both openness and security. Facades made of natural, vertical wooden slats and extensively greened flat roofs characterize the atmosphere and contribute to the quality of life. The project impresses not only with its sustainable operation, but above all with its social sustainability: it strengthens the district, integrates the neighborhood, and opens up new spaces for encounters. The jury commends a project that is architecturally and urbanistically successful and exemplifies how social tasks, sustainable construction, and inviting neighborhood architecture can be combined.