Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos from the internationally acclaimed architecture practice, UNStudio, have won this year's Jencks Award.

The Jencks Award is presented annually to an individual or practice who has recently made a major contribution both to the theory and practice of architecture internationally. The presentation of the latest award will take place at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) on Tuesday 16 October 2007, followed by a public lecture.

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UNStudio works across the fields of urbanism, infrastructure, and public, private and utility buildings. Some recent projects include the Light*House in Aarhus, Denmark, the Music Theatre in Graz, Austria and ViLA NM in the US.

Speaking about the Jencks Award, Charles Jencks said: "The New Paradigm in architecture has been theorised for more than ten years but built convincingly by only a few.

"UN Studio, with its Mercedes Benz Museum and recent buildings, is producing an elegant fusion where advanced geometry and brute matter reveal unexpectedly pleasing results, the happy synergy of theory and practice at a high level."

(CL)