OREANDA-NEWS. The jury has now nominated thirteen creative ideas that translate into practice this year's motto 'Discover. Design. Revitalise: Creating housing in unconventional ways'. The 164 projects submitted came from every corner of Germany: the projects nominated came from Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Wurttemberg, Thuringia, Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.

The main prizes, worth a total of EUR 20,000 will go to three private builders and joint building ventures. The other ten projects nominated will receive a cash prize of EUR 1,000. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on 13 June 2013 in Berlin.

“More and more people are coming to appreciate just how attractive ur-ban and rural centres are, but the available housing is limited. Our award is a way of recognising responsible approaches,” explained Dr Axel Nawrath, Member of the Executive Board of KfW. “The projects nomi-nated demonstrate how creative construction projects can revitalise un-used space in the long term and make a positive contribution to the urban landscape.”

Private builders in Germany, who have undertaken a new construction project or a modernisation over the last five years in urban or village cen-tres were eligible for this year's KfW Award. The projects were judged on the basis of the contribution they have made to revitalising public areas. Projects must be successfully integrated into the surrounding environ-ment, and must take into account the former use or traditions of buildings modernised and the location. The jury also looked at energy efficiency and generation-appropriate measures.