David Chipperfield Architects' design for the Neues Museum in Berlin, Germany, has been handed the 2011 European Union (EU) Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award.

The attraction reopened in 2009 for the first time in 70 years, following the completion of an extensive EUR212m (£187m) redevelopment project.

Originally launched in 1855, the Neues Museum closed when World War Two broke out in 1939 and suffered extensive damage in bombing raids during the six-year conflict.

David Chipperfield Architects' renovation of the museum was selected for this year's award from a shortlist of six by the European Commission and Mies van der Rohe Foundation.

"The reconstruction of the Neues Museum is a testament to the collaborative process undertaken in a demanding climate of public opinion," said Chipperfield.

"The result is evidence not only of the efforts of the professional team but of the commitment of the client and the city authorities to engage in this rigorous and articulated process."

Mohsen Mostafavi, chair of the award jury, said: "It is an exemplary demonstration of what collaboration can achieve in the context of contemporary European architectural practice."

Bronks Youth Theatre in Brussels, Belgium (MDMA); MAXXI Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome, Italy (Zaha Hadid) Architects; and the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece (Bernard Tschumi Architects) were shortlisted as part of the final.

The other shortlisted schemes were Concert House Danish Radio in Copenhagen, Denmark (Ateliers Jean Nouvel) and Rehabilitiation Centre Groot Klimmendaal, Arnhem, Netherlands (Architectenbureau Koen van Velsen).

The Emerging Architect Special Mention award was picked up by Ramon Bosch and Bet Capdeferro, for their work on Collage House in Girona, Spain.

Image: Ute Zscharnt