The Bauherrenpreis, awarded by the Central Association of Austrian Architects, honors construction projects which are exemplary in the realization of their building task, execution, architectural design, social commitment, and innovative character – exceptional solutions that have come about through intensive cooperation between builders and architects. Behind every realized project stands not only an architect, but also a builder. The role of the builder does not necessarily have to be limited to the financial foundation of the object to be planned and built – or the urban planning situation – but can be a creative generator, a dialectical symbiosis for the realization of an idea. Great buildings, high-quality architecture, exemplary urban planning are based just as much on a – often communal – concept and an articulated need as on the artistic and creative potency of the designer. In the ideal case, the vision of the architect and the builder intensify to exemplary results. Recognizing this often essential role of the builder and acknowledging it with a prize was – 40 years ago – the idea that we brought to realization in the Central Association of Austrian Architects. High-caliber juries judge not primarily buildings, but processes and results of a dialectical procedure between architect and builder, which is reflected in high-quality, unconventional, exciting, exemplary, and forward-looking architecture and joint action – often against great resistance. The bond with the distinguished builder – who is not necessarily just the financier, but can also be the user or idea donor, the one responsible for the concept and its implementation – is honored. Since 1967, this prize from the Central Association has accompanied Austrian architectural development – it is often copied at home and abroad – and is thus a valid testament and documentation of the active forces in the shaping and formulation of our environment. Text by Hans Hollein, until 2007 President and until his death in 2014 Honorary President of the Central Association of Austrian Architects.