The 12th edition of the European Prize for Urban Public Space, an initiative of the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), has seen the participation of a total of 297 projects, corresponding to 35 European countries. Last June, the international jury chose a total of 10 finalist works for the General and Seafront categories, 5 for each category. 

The European Prize for Urban Public Space is a biennial and honorary competition that, since 2000, recognizes the best interventions for the creation, transformation and recovery of public spaces in European cities. This year, the official award ceremony took place at the CCCCB, in Barcelona.

The international jury awards the 2024 European Prize for Urban Public Space in the General category to the Park on the Warsaw Uprising Hill, the work of the topoScape and Archigrest studios. As for the Seafronts category, incorporated into the competition to highlight the role of coastal cities in the face of extreme weather events, the winning project is the improvement of the beach and redevelopment of the edge of the port of Porto do Son, municipality of A Coruña, the work of the CREUSeCARRASCO and RVR Arquitectos studios.

In the case of the winning project in the General category, the park on the Warsaw Uprising Hill, the Jury highlights the fact that the project offers a public space that connects in an innovative way with the memory of the place, revitalizing an urban area and honouring its history, creating a unique integration between memory, leisure and local ecosystem.

On the other hand, in the category of Seafronts, the 2024 European Prize for Urban Public Space has distinguished the project for improving the beach and redevelopment of the edge of the port of Porto do Son, municipality of A Coruña, the work of the studios CREUSeCARRASCO and RVR Arquitectos. The jury considers that the project solves the previous poor coexistence between the port and urban activities of Porto do Son, and favors direct contact between the city and the sea.

Warsaw Uprising Hill Park by topoScape and Archigrest. Photograph by topoScape y Archigrest.
Warsaw Uprising Hill Park by topoScape and Archigrest. Photograph by topoScape y Archigrest.
Porto do Son by CREUSeCARRASCO y RVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Luis Díaz Díaz.
Porto do Son by CREUSeCARRASCO y RVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Luis Díaz Díaz.

The Jury especially values ​​the project's ability to embrace the memory of this place through its materiality: the rubble that makes up the hill, coming from the remains of the Second World War, is transformed into concrete to create the new structures of the park. The design recognizes that the space and experience of citizens become part of a collective memory, approaching history. Not through monumentalism, but through a material, ecological and pedagogical lens. The park becomes a memorial in itself. The project stands out for recognizing the complexity of public space, which comprises multiple layers of meaning and interaction. Reconfiguring the traditional aesthetic of an urban park, it reimagines the park as a deep ecological entity, accepting invasive species and embracing an element of “unfinished” imagination that encourages user engagement and reveals a new aesthetic for urban parks.

Warsaw Uprising Hill Park by topoScape and Archigrest. Photograph by topoScape y Archigrest.
Warsaw Uprising Hill Park by topoScape and Archigrest. Photograph by topoScape y Archigrest.

As regards the Porto do Son project, winner of the Seafront category, the Jury highlights its dual purpose: to renaturalise the seafront with dunes protecting an existing park and to reconstruct the relationship between port activities and the local community. The project solves the poor coexistence between port and urban activities in Porto do Son and favours direct contact between the city and the sea. In this regard, the project's bold and even radical decision to preserve the old wall that protects the city from a particularly rough sea, placing the new facilities on the back, is highly valued. These new facilities will bring new urban life to a space that was previously reserved exclusively for port facilities.

Parque en la Colina del Levantamiento de Varsovia por topoScape y Archigrest. Fotografía por topoScape y Archigrest
Porto do Son by CREUSeCARRASCO y RVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Luis Díaz Díaz.

The members of the Jury particularly applaud the fact that the project demonstrates a deep understanding of the problems it addresses, including the need to protect and integrate architecture and seafront defences; the urgency of ensuring access to water for all members of the community by connecting this experience as much as possible with the urban fabric; the need to provide infrastructure that improves pedestrian use of the promenade and the importance of safeguarding and restoring natural systems in a situation of urbanisation and climate change. This approach is managed with honesty, care and extensive architectural experience, resulting in a design that responds to urban needs and is respectful of natural systems.

The finalist works in the General category are:

· Paseo de la Boca de la Mina. Reus, Spain. Batlleiroig.
· Seven interventions in Monte. Castel San Pietro, Switzerland. StudioSer.
· Exhibition Palace. Charleroi, Belgium. AgwA and architecten jan de vylder inge vinck.
· Urban forest. Tbilisi, Georgia. Ruderal.

The finalist works in the Seafront category:

· Redevelopment of the Dún Laoghaire baths. Dublin, Ireland. DLR Architects’ Department, A2 Architects.
· Seafront promenade. Palamos, Spain. He studied Martí Franch Landscape Architecture, Ardevol Consultors Associats.
· Maritime park. Rimini, Italy. Benedetta Tagliabue - EMBT Architects.
· Beach boulevard. Delfzijl, Netherlands. LAOS landscape urbanism.

More information

Batlleiroig is an architecture multidisciplinary office based in Barcelona, that combines the practice of Planning, Landscaping and Architecture. Founded in 1981 by Enric Batlle and Joan Roig, it is made up of over 140 technicians from various disciplines. Committed with the environment and involved in the search for solutions to solve our planet's climate emergency, Batlleiroig has been talking about Landscape and Nature since its foundation.

With a holistic view, which always seeks to link the definition of urban to the logic of landscape, a visionary commitment to innovation and a stable, diverse, and constantly formed team, Batlleiroig works in three different disciplines: City and Territory, Landscape and Public space, Architecture and Construction. Areas in which they intervene, trying to be highly specialized in each of them, but without forgetting the essential transversality that is required today to develop any project.

The versatility of their work and the implication that it demonstrates to ensure the well-being and health of people, in addition to recognition, has given them the credibility and rigor to be considered, on the international scene, one of the leading practices in solutions linked to the future development of cities.

Medal CSCAE from the Superior Council of the Associations of Architects of Spain in 2017 for their business performance and FAD 2012 Prize for Architecture and Criticism, they have also received numerous awards for their built work, among which are: The International Architecture Awards in 2020 and in 2014, Landscape of the Year WAF 2018, several Catalonia Construction Awards, IAKS-International Olympic Committee Award 2015, multiple WAF Awards and the European Prize for Urban Public Space 2004.

Their work is presented in the monographic publications: Merging City and Nature. Actar (2022); Batlle i Roig, Building with Nature. AV Monographs Num 20, Arquitectura Viva (2017); Batlle i Roig Architecture 2008-2018. TC Cuadernos (2017); Twenty Gardens 1981-2011. Paisajismo (2011); Batlle i Roig Architecture 1996-2009. TC Cuadernos (2009); Architecture Described. Actar (2000), among others.

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"Since spring 2019 Jo Taillieu, Inge Vinck and Jan De Vylder go their own way with jo taillieu architecten and architecten jan de vylder inge vinck. architecten de vylder vinck taillieu stays the joint and active platform for a part of the ongoing projects and future perspectives. After ten successful years, the time has come for new challenges, new projects and new perspectives for the future."


Architecten De Vylder Vinck Taillieu have built a solid work ranging from reform of housing and family houses to public and institutional buildings. The studio formed by Jan De Vylder (1968), Inge Vinck (1973) and Jo Taillieu (1971) belongs to the new generation of Belgian architects who has done a generational change in Belgian architecture, becoming one of the most interesting national architectures the current scene.

They became internationally known from various reforms carried out almost entirely in the Flemish city of Ghent: Verzameld Werk gallery, the Twiggy store, or houses 43, Rot-Ellen-Berg and Rampelken. His work cleverly combines respect for preexistences with a lyrical way of understanding architecture as DIY, as a construction inside buildings in a kind of game of Russian dolls. In his projects there are strange games of transparency, reflection (by using reflective materials), irony (with the use of local materials and techniques), optical illusions of duplicating and copying existing buildings ... and all this results in an extremely personal architecture.

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CREUSeCARRASCO is an architecture studio based in A Coruña founded in 1994 by Juan Creus (Cée, 1966), doctor of architecture and tenured professor of projects at the ETSA of A Coruña, and Covadonga Carrasco (Ribadeo, 1965).

In 2021 they have been Mentioned by the CSCAE Spanish Architecture Award and the Galician Architecture Award for the Social Center in Cornido. Also Second Prize for the Juana de Vega Architecture Award for Casa Elías in Corcubión and, with a project about the Cans Festival, they participated again in the Venice Architecture Biennale with the Spanish Pavilion. They are creators of the recent MUV, Art Center of the María José Jove Foundation, the first 100% virtual museum in Spain. In 2016 they received the Galician Architecture Award and the BEAU Award (both for Casa Chao in Corcubión), also participating (with Remodeling of the Port of Malpica) in the Venice Architecture Biennale with the Spanish Pavilion, winner of the Golden Lion They have been nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award (2015 - Casa Chao) and won the Ar+d Emerging Architecture Award, granted by Architectural Review and the RIBA (2011 - Malpica). They were also Special Mention at the FAD Awards (2014 - Casa Chao) and Special Mention of the Jury at the BEAU (2011 - Malpica). They have won the ENOR Galicia Award (2007 – Lonja de Fisterra), COAG de Obra Nova (2011 – Casa Mercedes in A Coruña), Espazo Público (2011 - Malpica and 2000 – Plaza in Lugo) and Rehabilitation (2002 – Fundación Luís Seoane) , as well as the Juana de Vega Architecture Award (2018 – Casa C, 2015 – Casa Chao and 2013 – Casa en Redonda). In 2007 they were the participating Galician studio in the V Encontros Internacionais de Arquitectura. There are different monographic publications on his work, such as the books 1+1 (Uzina), Architecture 2000-2012 (TC), Remodeling of the Port of Malpica (OYS), Lonxa de Fisterra (Atlante) and Fundación Luis Seoane (Concello da Coruña).

Juan Creus is the creator and co-director of the magazine O monografías and author of books such as A Terra das Mil Belezas, Terra o Viaxe á Fin da Terra (also with Covadonga Carrasco), both collaborate in different magazines and forums related to the territory and the architecture. From his studio they publish the magazine RESINA. With his interventions they intend to reinvent the nearby landscape as a generic form.
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Benedetta Tagliabue was born in Milan and graduated from the University of Venice in 1989. In 1991 she joined Enric Miralles’ studio where she eventually became a partner. Her work with Miralles, whom she married, includes a number of high profile buildings and projects in Barcelona: Parque Diagonal Mar (1997-2002), Head Office Gas Natural (1999-2006) and the Market and quarter Santa Caterina (1996-2005), as well as projects across Europe, including the School of Music in Hamburg (1997-2000) and the City Hall in Utrecht (1996-2000).

In 1998, the partnership won the competition to design the new Scottish Parliament building and despite Miralles’ premature death in 2000, Tagliabue took leadership of the team as joint Project Director and the Parliament was successfully completed in 2004, winning several awards.

She won the competition for the new design of Hafencity Harbor in Hamburg , Germany, for a subway train station in Naples and for the Spanish Pavilion for Expo Shanghai 2010 among others.

Today under the direction of Benedetta Tagliabue the Miralles-Tagliabue-EMBT studio works with architectural projects, open spaces, urbanism, rehabilitation and exhibitions, trying to conserve the spirit of the Spanish and Italian artisan architectural studio tradition which espouses collaboration rather than specialization.

Their architectural philosophy is dedicating special attention to context.

Benedetta has written for several architectural magazines and has taught at, amongst other places, the University of architecture ETSAB in Barcelona. She has lectured in many international architectural Forums as, for example, the RIBA, the Architectural Association and Bartlett School in, London, the Berlage Institut in Amsterdam, and in USA, China and South America.

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Published on: October 30, 2024
Cite: "Winning projects of the 2024 European Prize for Urban Public Space" METALOCUS. Accessed
<http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/winning-projects-2024-european-prize-urban-public-space> ISSN 1139-6415
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