World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize Winners

2008

ADGB Trade Union School

Awarded to Brenne Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH for the restoration of the ADGB Trade Union School (1928–1930), designed by Hannes Meyer and Hans Wittwer in Bernau, Germany.

The ADGB Trade Union School in Bernau, Germany, is a highly significant monument that reflects the design ideals of functionalist architecture from the classical age of modern architecture. The legacy of the Bauhaus is present in the innovative use of materials, the building’s exposed concrete, and the external glass corridor. After decades of neglect, the province of Brandenburg, the owner of the complex, decided to restore the building as to use as a trade school and give it new life as a working building.

ADGB Trade Union School

The restoration by Brenne Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH, under the patronage of Handwerkskammer Berlin, overcame the difficulties of a complex site, neglect, political turmoil, and limited financial resources. It demonstrated the unique challenges of conserving Modern architecture and the influential role that it continues to play in our architectural heritage.

In 2017 the ADGB Trade Union School was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site "the Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau."

2010

Zonnestraal Sanatorium

Awarded to Bierman Henket architecten and Wessel de Jonge architecten for the restoration of the Zonnestraal Sanatorium (1928–1931), designed by Johannes Duiker and Bernard Bijvoet in Hilversum, Netherlands.

The Zonnestraal Sanatorium, an iconic modern building in Hilversum, the Netherlands, was built to have a short life. Its original design, completed in 1931, was based on the belief that harboring tuberculosis patients would become outdated with the invention of new cures. This proved to be true. Zonnestraal was celebrated as a significant monument in the early years of the modern movement even while it was under construction, but fell into disuse and disrepair.

2014

Viipuri Library

Awarded to the Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Viipuri Library for The Central City Alvar Aalto Library, Vyborg, designed and completed by Alvar Aalto from 1927 to 1935 in Vyborg, Russia.

An icon of twentieth-century architecture, Viipuri Library is one of Alvar Aalto’s most important buildings from the years where he was adventurously exploring a new modernist vocabulary. Despite early and widespread acclaim for the library, its survival was never assured. Access to the building was limited, and even the preservation state was uncertain due to war, unstable political relations, and changes in international borders that the led to the former Finnish city of Viipuri becoming Vyborg, part of the expanded territory of the USSR.

Viipuri Library

After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the library restoration began in earnest, led by Finnish architects in conjunction with Russian colleagues and an array of international supporters. The library was included on the World Monuments Watch in 2000 and 2002 in support of these efforts.

The Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Viipuri Library masterfully ensured the survival and revival of Aalto’s masterpiece, overcoming decades of inappropriate alterations and lack of financial resources, restoring it to its original design as a municipal library. The conservation of Viipuri Library advanced the field of modern heritage preservation and showed that it is possible to save significant modern architecture that remains at risk.

2018

Karl Marx School

Awarded to Agence Christiane Schmuckle-Mollard for the preservation of Karl Marx School, designed and built by André Lurçat in 1933 in Villejuif, France.

Designed and constructed by French architect André Lurçat in a communist Paris suburb, the Karl Marx School was celebrated and described as “the most beautiful school in France” upon its inauguration in 1933. Designed according to functionalist principles that emphasize simplicity of form, Lurçat’s design draws attention to them by maximizing natural light. By the 1990s, though continuously occupied by schools, the poorly maintained complex was in danger of being lost.

In 1996, the Karl Marx School was listed as a National Historical Monument in France, bringing new resources for a restoration. Under the guidance of Agence Christiane Schmuckle-Mollard restoration maintained the interconnected interior and exterior spaces and recovered the lost color scheme of the building. The school ensemble was updated to new regulations and transformed into a twenty-first century center for education to continue being an object of pride for the locals and proving the social relevance of architecture.

2018 Special Mention

Unity Temple

To Harboe Architects, PC for their project at Unity Temple designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1908 in Oak Park, Illinois.

Originally completed in 1908, Unity Temple is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s greatest works and one of the most important early works of modern architecture anywhere in the world. As with many religious structures, the building suffered from decades of deferred maintenance.

Following previous but partial restoration projects in the 1970s and 1990s, a major preservation effort began at the site in 2013. Harboe Architects, PC spent nearly a year conducting in‐depth research, and two years physically restoring and modernizing the structure. Work included extensive structural concrete repairs, installation of new roof systems, including two large new skylights, and restoration of all interior plaster, paint, wood finishes, art glass windows, and light fixtures. This sensitive restoration ensures the survival of one of the seminal works modern architecture.