The building of the city is the common denominator for the candidate and winning projects of the 2009 Mies van der Rohe Awards. The Opera House in Oslo by Snhetta, built to house the Norwegian National and Ballet, is the winner of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - 2009 Mies van der Rohe Award. The Emerging Architect Special mention was awarded to STUDIO UP/ Lea Pelivan and Toma Plejic, for Gymnasium 46 09 N / 16 50 E in Koprivnica, Croatia. This publication illustrates both projects, together with the other four finalists and the 43 projects chosen by the jury, by means of plans, photographs and explanatory texts. Selection includes works by: Snhetta, Studio Up, Atelier Marc Barani, Grafton Architects, RCR Aranda Pigem Vilalta, Studio Fukas, Ateliers Jean Nouvel, BIG, David Chipperfield Architects, Dominique Perrault Architecte, Foreign Office Architects, Herreros Arquitectos, Jakob+MacFarlane, Lacaton & Vassal architectes, Mangado y Asociados, MVRDV, Neutelings Riedijk, Architecten, Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, njiric+ arhitekti, Office of Architecture in Barcelona, Substance, Zaha Hadid Architects, and many more.