During the biennial presentation of the Victor de Stuers Prize on Thursday, November 27, the winners of the 2025 edition were announced. The public prize this year went to De Vief Köp by HVN Architects and MTD Landscape Architects. The Maastricht public rewarded the project for its meaningful contribution to the spatial quality and identity of the city.
2 Jury Prizes
The professional jury awarded 2 jury prizes:
- Urban development plan Polverpark by Martens Willems & Humblé, Landscape: Bureau VERBEEK Landscape Architecture, Architecture: Martens Willems & Humblé, CB5 architects, Architects on the Maas
- Blanche Dael Distillery by Josef Bischofs, Bureau Trans Form
About the Prize
The Victor de Stuers Prize – named after the Maastricht founder of monument care – is awarded biennially by the Architecture Center TOPOS South Limburg and highlights projects that exemplary contribute to architecture, heritage, and urban development.
The Jury
The professional jury consists of experts from the world of architecture, urban planning, and monument care. The chairman of the jury is architect Jo Coenen. The other jury members are René Holten (winner of the Victor de Stuers Prize 2019 and industrial designer), Tom Frantzen (chairman of the Maastricht Aesthetics Committee and architect), and Sofie De Caigny (director of Collections at the New Institute, historian, writer, curator, and lecturer in architectural criticism). Students from the Built Environment program at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences supported the jury in the assessment process.
An Honorary Medal
In addition to announcing the prize winners, the event also paid attention to the awarding of the Honorary Medal of the Province of Limburg to Prof. Ir. Jo Coenen. He received this special provincial distinction from Governor Emile Roemer, in recognition of his exceptional merits for architecture and urban planning in Limburg, the Netherlands, and beyond. The Honorary Medal is only awarded to persons with a very special significance for the province. Coenen is considered one of the Netherlands most influential architects and urban planners, with a body of work that includes the Céramique site and the Maas Market project in Maastricht, as well as the Innovators in Venlo. His long-term commitment to design quality, public responsibility, and connection within the profession serves as an inspiration for a new generation of designers.
Talking About the Future of Maastricht
Prior to the award ceremony, TOPOS presented a brief analysis of the current state of architecture in Maastricht, based on a mini-survey among members and partners. The findings show that there is a need for deepening, dialogue, and shared responsibility for spatial quality. These insights form the prelude to a thematic meeting of TOPOS in the spring of 2026, in which designers, policymakers, developers, and residents will engage in conversation about the future of Maastricht.
