2025 CSCAE ARCHITECTURE Awards. Spanish projects that respond to contemporary challenges

The Spanish National Council of Architects (CSCAE) held the fourth edition of the 2025 Architecture Awards at the Fernán Gómez Theater in Madrid. Formally established in 2021, the recognition aims to bring architecture closer to society, expanding the dissemination and social understanding of the values of architecture and urban planning.

The nine winning proposals, chosen from among 27 finalists, were recognized for their outstanding work, social, ethical, and cultural involvement, which contribute to the promotion of thoughtful and meaningful architecture. The projects demonstrate a commitment to the common good and sustainability, responding to major contemporary challenges.

On this occasion, the Gold Medal for Architecture was awarded jointly to architects and urban planners Joan Busquets and Fernando de Terán, and the Lluís Comerón Graupera Architect Award was awarded to volunteer architects in natural disasters such as the DANA.

Library of a Thousand Suns by Miguel Ángel Díaz Camacho, MADC & Partners SLP. Photograph by Javier Callejas (fotógrafo en Verosímil).

The Jury in charge of the fourth edition of the CSCAE Architecture 2025 Awards presented a total of nine awards: six awards for values and three special distinctions. The selection was made from a series of 201 works initially selected by the Selection Committees established by the Official Colleges of Architects and Regional Councils, within their respective territories. The selected proposals stand out for their innovation, inclusion, and quality of design.

"In contrast to the simplification of repetition and immediate performance, good architecture asserts the value of a good project that is sensitive to the context and capable of bringing emotion and meaning to the built space. It is the architect who, with their vision, culture, and ethical commitment, brings irreplaceable value."

Marta Vall-llossera, President of the CSCAE.

Six projects awarded for their values

Library of a Thousand Suns by Miguel Ángel Díaz Camacho, MADC & Partners SLP. [MAD] Spain.
Sustainability and Health Award (universal values).

Library of a Thousand Suns by Miguel Ángel Díaz Camacho, MADC & Partners SLP. Photograph by Javier Callejas (fotógrafo en Verosímil).

The project responds to a long-standing demand from the Butarque neighborhood: it is the first public library built by Madrid City Council in Villaverde. It stands out for its sensitivity to the landscape, climatic, and social challenges of the context, becoming a climate refuge and a new hub for community life.

A line over the Cervol in Vinaròs by SBP Ingenieros + Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos, (Vinaros, Castellón, Spain).
Hábitat Award (basic values of Architecture and Urbanism).

A line over the Cervol in Vinaròs (Castellón) by SBP Ingenieros + Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos. Photograph by Roland Halbe.

Through a lightweight bridge that connects the coastal paths, the mouth of the Cervol River into the Mediterranean is transformed into a harmonious space where nature, community, and culture converge. The clarity and subtlety of the intervention, which, like a silk thread, weaves the landscape together and integrates with it, are valued.

Bird and Mammal Refuge and Water Reservoir by Temperaturas Extremas Arquitectos + Adelino Magalhães Associates. [Kirchberg] Luxembourg.
New Bauhaus Award (cultural and artistic values).

Bird and Mammal Refuge and Water Reservoir by Temperaturas Extremas Arquitectos + Adelino Magalhães Asociado. Photograph by Miguel Fernández Galiano.

Located in a Natura 2000 forest, the refuge minimizes its environmental impact through architecture that blends with the ecosystem, allowing for clear landscape integration. It demonstrates how architecture can be both sculpture and refuge for life, while ensuring aspects such as circularity, the use of local materials, and solutions that promote the responsible use of resources.

The CONCÉNTRICO Festival. [Logroño] Spain.
Commitment Award (recognizes other forms of professional practice).

Concéntrico, Logroño International Architecture and Design Festival 2025 by Various authors. Cultural Foundation of the Architects of La Rioja and Javier Peña Ibáñez. Photograph by Josema Cutillas.

Organized by the Cultural Foundation of Architects of La Rioja and Javier Peña Ibáñez, Concéntrico promotes innovation in public spaces, transforming Logroño with architectural interventions that encourage social interaction and reflection on the urban environment. It illustrates the power of architecture as a tool to transform the city, build community, and enhance heritage.

Rehabilitation of the Tobacco Factory and Cinema Victoria by fadg estudio. [Santa Cruz de Tenerife] Spain.
Rehabilitation Award (values associated with rehabilitation, renovation, and regeneration).

Renovation of the Tobacco Factory and Cinema Victoria by fadg estudio. Photograph by Flavio Dorta.

The intervention has brought back to life two buildings that had been closed since 1975, almost 50 years ago, and highlights all their structural and decorative elements. The project stands out for its commitment to restoring a building of great historical and cultural value to the life of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Stabilization of the Urban Anthropic Cave System by Aguado + Vellés + Aperte (Tomelloso, Ciudad Real, Spain).
Profession Award (Professional and Ethical Values).

Stabilization of the Urban Anthropic Cave System in Tomelloso by Aguado + Vellés + Aperte. Photograph by Javier Longobardo.

The proposal uses structurally very efficient masonry forms built through the reinterpretation of traditional techniques: lime-based concrete and aggregates from the cave itself, with solid brick permanent formwork. The proposal is recognized for its successful structural solution, which treats the Tomelloso caves not as a problem, but as an opportunity for urban and heritage regeneration.

Special Distinctions

KUNSTSILO Museum by Mendoza Partida + BAX Studio + Mestres Wage. [Kristiansand] Norway.
Spanish Architecture Prize.

Kunstsilo by Mestres Wägue, MendozaPartida, BAX studio. Photograph by Alan Williams.

KUNSTSILO Museum by Mestres Wägue, MendozaPartida, BAX studio. Photograph by Alan Williams.

The KUNSTSILO project transforms a former grain silo into an art museum, regenerating the industrial port of Odderøya in Kristiansand, Norway. The renovation preserves its structure and materiality, respecting its historical memory and integrating it into the urban and cultural fabric.

Strategy for the Renaturalization of Urban Hydrological Channels by Rodrigo Vargas González. [Santa Cruz de Tenerife] Spain.
Spanish Urban Planning Award.

Strategy for the Renaturalisation of Urban Watercourses in Santa Cruz De Tenerife by Rodrigo Vargas González. Photograph by Rodrigo Vargas González.

The proposal integrates urban planning into the improvement of collective well-being and sustainability. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the strategy prioritizes habitability and the right to a decent environment through the restoration of public and natural spaces, reinforcing the cultural and ecological identity of the urban landscape.

Strategy for the Fluvial Restoration of the Manzanares River by aldayjover arquitectura y paisaje. [MAD] Spain.
Spanish Urban Planning Award.

Fluvial Restoration Strategy for the Manzanares River in the Municipality of Madrid by aldayjover arquitectura y paisaje (Iñaki Alday, Margarita Jover, Jesús Arcos y Francisco Mesonero). Photograph by aldayjover arquitectura y paisaje.

The environmental and social restoration of the Manzanares River allows for the recovery of biodiversity, improving water quality, reducing ecosystem fragmentation, and promoting its resilience. It reflects a multidisciplinary approach based on innovative solutions based on nature and biodiversity, contributing to increasing the territory's resilience.

Mérida Congress and Exhibition Center (Badajoz) by Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos. [Mérida] Spain.
Permanence Award.

Mérida Conference and Exhibition Centre by Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos. Photograph by Fernando Alda.

Located on the western bank of the Guadiana River, in the city of Mérida, this emblematic project creates a complex program that combines the uses of a music auditorium, theater, opera house, and exhibition center. It stands out for its fundamental role in the cultural and social life of the city and its solid, timeless character, which integrates with the urban and natural environment, establishing clear and respectful connections.

Architects and urban planners Busquets and De Terán.
Gold Medal for Architecture.

This award is the highest distinction bestowed by the profession. Established by the CSCAE in 1981, the Gold Medal of Architecture recognizes the efforts of individuals and institutions that ennoble the architectural profession with their work. Architects and urban planners Joan Busquets (Barcelona, 1946) and Fernando de Terán (Madrid, 1931) are this year's recipients.

"These two architects express the importance of urban planning as an inseparable part of architecture, serving a more just and balanced society."

Jury of the 2025 CSCAE ARCHITECTURE Awards.

Volunteer architects in natural disasters.
Lluís Comerón Graupera Architect Award.

The distinction recognizes interventions such as those carried out after last fall's events following the DANA, which affected numerous regions of the country, the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano in La Palma (2021), or the Lorca earthquake in Murcia (2011).

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More information

Miguel Ángel Díaz Camacho. MADC & Partners SLP

MADC & Partners SLP is an architectural firm based in Madrid, Spain, founded in 2000 by Miguel Ángel Díaz Camacho and Almudena Antolín Moreno. The firm focuses on a variety of projects, with its core activities being sustainability, urban design and management, architecture, energy, academic writing, teaching, and research.

Miguel Angel Díaz Camacho (founding partner) holds a PhD in Architecture and holds a PhD in Architecture (UPM, ETSA Madrid). He is the studio's director and principal designer. He is also a university professor (ETSA UNAV), researcher, writer, and architectural critic. He also serves on the Scientific Committee of the Association for Sustainability and Architecture (ASA) and is certified as a Passivhaus Designer. He is the author of, among other books, the books "Paragraphs of Architecture. Core(oh)graphy" (2016) and "Architecture and Climate Change" (2018).

Almudena Antolín Moreno (founding partner) holds a degree in Business Administration with a double degree in Human Resources and Marketing (UCM, Complutense University, Madrid). She is the studio's manager and commercial director and is also responsible for the design and production of models in the architectural studio.

MADC & Partners SLP presents itself as a firm based on knowledge, creativity, and commitment: attitude as a prerequisite and necessary condition for any professional activity. Aware of the growing importance of knowledge and specialization, MADC & Partners SLP establishes its work through written reflection, teaching, and research: a way of understanding architecture as one of the most important expressions of culture. Creativity and innovation are fundamental elements of its work: only ideas can change the world. Creativity requires the appropriate framework, and that is why MADC takes special care in designing its own lifestyle, workspace, and even the composition of its team: a learning ecosystem based on hybrid and multidisciplinary profiles from which each project is approached as a glocal challenge: global + local. Its social and environmental commitment connects its daily work with the current reality of the planet, working through various non-profit associations on topics such as climate change, renewable energy, urban ecology, and zero-waste architecture.

The studio has also won numerous awards in recent years:

Idea competitions:

- 2022 First Prize. Renovation of the Pío XII Educational Center, Parla, Madrid.
- 2020 First Prize. Renovation of the historic building at Castellana 19, Madrid. With RLA Arquitectos.
- 2019 First Prize. Public Library in Villaverde, Madrid City Hall.
- 2014 First Prize, Jury and Public Prize. "Noble Materials" (article). Argentine Architecture Biennial BIA-AR 2014.
- 2012 MADRID THINK TANK, "Zero Waste Economy" concept selected by COAM for the development of a platform for returnable components.
- 2006 Second Prize. Renovation of Domingo Gascón Square, Teruel (Spain). With Antonio Puerta and Arturo Peris.
2006 First Prize. Two viewing platforms, cafeteria, and restroom, "Cerro de los Perdigones," Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid.
2005 First Prize. 18 Terraced Houses in Parla, Madrid. With Antonio Puerta and Arturo Peris.
2005 Runner-up Prize. Renovation of the Plaza Mayor in Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid. With Antonio Puerta and Arturo Peris.
2004 Runner-up Prize. Competition for 211 VPP Housing Units in the slum area of Padre Ayala, Ciudad Real. With Gonzalo Ortega.
2001 First Prize. National Competition for the Nautical Club and Marina, Bueu, Pontevedra. With Jorge Valseca.

Awards for constructed works:

2025 Selected work, CSCAE ARCHITECTURE Awards. Higher Council of the Colleges of Architects of Spain. Project: Library of a Thousand Suns (Madrid).
.- 2025 MATCOAM Awards, Sustainability Category. Official College of Architects of Madrid. Project: Library of a Thousand Suns (Madrid).
.- 2025 Finalist, MINI Awards, Madrid Design Festival. Project: Library of a Thousand Suns (Madrid).
.- 2025 Runner-up. AMAD Award for the best wooden construction in Spain during 2024. Project: Library of a Thousand Suns (Madrid).
.- 2024 First Prize. Rebuild 2024. Project: Renovation of the historic building at Castellana 19 (Madrid). With RLA Arquitectos.
.- 2009 Selected Project. Ademo Foundation, International Exhibition and Catalogue "Madrid 100% Architecture", COAM. With Jorge Valseca.

Jörg Schlaich, Rudolf Bergermann. SBP

Schlaich Bergermann Partner is a company active in all areas of structural engineering, founded in 1980 by Jörg Schlaich and Rudolf Bergermann, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.

From the initial idea to the final implementation, they work holistically to find innovative technical solutions. They pursue optimal project outcomes by actively following the design principles of lightweight, resource efficiency, and design quality. The efficiency, high performance, and qualifications of their office are due to their experienced and trusted staff, who have successfully worked together for many years.

Since its founding in 1980, Schlaich Bergermann Partner has been a pioneer in the field of lightweight, efficient, and resource-saving structures. They have developed and implemented solar thermal systems for energy generation. They have accompanied the development of photovoltaics since its inception and now also operate globally in this segment with a wide range of technologies.

Curiosity and courage are their driving force. At SBP, innovation covers a broad spectrum: it includes sustainable developments in the construction sector, the development of better design tools, and the use of new materials and construction methods.

From the initial idea to the final product, they work holistically to find innovative technical solutions. They seek the best project results by actively following the design principles of lightness, resource efficiency, and design quality. The efficiency, high performance, and qualifications of their office are due to their experienced and trusted staff, who have been successfully working together for many years.

Temperaturas Extremas. AMANN, CÁNOVAS, MARURI

Amann, Cánovas, Maruri, architecture firm established by: Atxu Amann Alcocer, Andrés Cánovas Alcaraz and Nicolás Maruri Mendoza.

Atxu Amann Alcocer. Madrid 1961. Architect by the ETSA of Madrid. Doctorate from ETSAM with outstanding Cum Llaude, 2007. Urban Planning Technician from the Urban Studies Center of I.E.A.L. (M.A.P.) Scholar of the Technische Hoschule of Darmstadt (Germany) in CAAD. Director of the magazine Arquitectos. Director of the Postgraduate courses in Editorial Design for the European Social Fund. Professor in the postgraduate courses of Editorial Graphic Design at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Madrid. Professor of the Department of Architectural Graphic Ideation of ETSAM

Andrés Cánovas Alcaraz. Cartagena 1958. Architect by the School of Architecture of Madrid. Prometheus Scholarship at Tecniche Hoschule. Darmstatd. Germany. Director of the "Monographs of Architects" Collection. Director of the "Monographs of Buildings" Collection, Director of the "Crítica de Arquitectura" Collection, Director and editor of the magazine Arquitectos, 1987-2006, Professor of the CSDM of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Faculty of Fine Arts of the Complutense University, European Design Institute, Coordinator of several postgraduate courses in Graphic Design Editorial in the Faculty of Fine Arts, the European Institute of Design and the European Social Fund. Faculty of Fine Arts, UCM, Professor of the Master of Aesthetics and Theory of Arts of the Autonomous University, Professor of Design Master of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Salamanca, Professor of the Master of Intervention in the Heritage of the ETSAM Professor of the Tourism Master of the UPC of Barcelona.

He has been secretary of the Final Project Project Tribunal at ESTAM. UPM. Deputy Director of the Spanish Architecture Biennial. Director of the Summer Course at the University of Almería. Visiting Professor at the Universities of Salamanca, San Sebastián, La Coruña, Seville, Navarra, Valencia, Polytechnic of Cartagena, SEK of Segovia, Alfonso X, Advanced Architecture Institute of Barcelona, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, London AA, Montpellier, Rome Tre , Calgliari, Toulouse, Javeriana from Bogotá, Chicago IIT and Arizona CAPLA. He is a professor of Projects of the ETSAM Academic Coordinator of the MCH of the ETSAM. UPM and Director of the Projects area. Professor of the subject "Sociology of Housing".

Nicolás Maruri Mendoza. Madrid 1961. Architect by the School of Architecture of Madrid. Doctorate from ETSAM with outstanding Cum Llaude, 2007. Prometheus Scholarship at Tecniche Hoschule Darmstatd. Germany. Master's Degree in Building from Columbia University. NY. He is a professor in the Projects Department of ETSAM. He has been: Secretary of the Court of the ETSAM End-of-Degree Project and Visiting Professor at the University of Arizona. He has given conferences in London AA, San Sebastian, SEK of Segovia.

Francisco Burgos, Ginés Garrido. BURGOS - GARRIDO

Francisco Burgos and Ginés Garrido founded their architecture office based in 2002, in Madrid. The office has an open structure with frequent collaborations with other architects in Spain and abroad. It is a practice with experience in national and international housing projects, cultural and administrative facilities and urban design.

Francisco Burgos. Graduated with honors in School of Architecture UPM, Madrid, where he got his Ph.D. with distinction cum laude. He is Professor at the Department of Architectural Design, ETS Architecture UPM, Madrid and visiting professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture of the The University of Arizona, in the Graduate School of Architecture, Harvard University, in the Facultad de Arquitectura of Universidad Central Santiago de Chile, in the School of Architecture. University of Minnesota. Minneapolis, USA and in the Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Universidad Pontificia Católica de Perú [UPCP]. Lima.

Ginés Garrido. Graduated with honors in School of Architecture UPM, Madrid, where he got his Ph.D. with distinction cum laude. He is Professor at the Department of Architectural Design, ETS Architecture UPM, Madrid and visiting professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. The University of Arizona, in the Escola Técnica Superior d'Arquitectura. UPC. Barcelona, in the Akademie der Bildenden Küste. Wien, in the Ecole d'Architecture Athenaeum, EAAL Lausanne, in the Graduate School of Architecture,Harvard Universit, in the Facultad de Arquitectura. Universidad Central Santiago de Chile, in the School of Architecture. University of Minnesota. Minneapolis, USA and in the Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Universidad Pontificia Católica de Perú [UPCP]. Lima.

Adelino Magalhaes. AMM arquitectura

AMM arquitectura is a practice based in Madrid, led by, Adelino Magalhaes and Denis Calle Facal. Adelino Magalhaes has been a design professor at E.T.S.A.M., Madrid since 2016. Denis Calle Facal brings dynamism, knowledge of new technologies and experience in managing and monitoring projects daily.

Adelino Magalhaes. Architect. Faculdade de Arquitectura do Porto (FAUP) 1997. SCHOLARSHIP ERASMUS Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid (ETSAM), and with Leonard for developed his training as an architect. He has completed postgraduate studies in Cooperation for Human Settlements Development in Third World Countries, which focused on urban and habitability instruments applied in Latin America. He has been a professor at Universidad Europea de Madrid.

AMM architecture is the continuation of the professional career of Adelino Magalhaes: who co-founded F8 architecture and directed the Madrid studio between 2000 and 2010, was part director of works at the Reina Sofía Museum of Contemporary Art, by Jean Nouvel, and is currently a professor of projects at the Polytechnic University of Madrid and recently, already as AMM architecture, it has won several international architecture competitions that are taking place in Luxembourg, Switzerland, Spain and Portugal. His 20 years of experience in projects and works in Madrid allow him to know the local professional environment perfectly, with a good knowledge of local regulations regarding schools and extensions as well as having a wide network of contacts of different professionals in the sector of construction.

The studio has extensive experience in schools in the Community of Madrid since 2012 when it won the first prize for the development of a public-private management school in Humanes. AMM developed the basic project and execution of the school, with a capacity for 600 students of infant, primary and secondary education, canteen services and sports areas. In addition to the project for the main building, the temporary school was developed and built in parallel for the rehousing of students during the duration of the works. In addition to the Santo Ángel school, AMM has carried out several rehabilitation and expansion works in educational centres, such as the conditioning of common areas of the UNED teaching centre in Segovia.

Fernando Arocha Ferreiro, Deiene González Uriarte Estudio FADG

Estudio FADG was founded by architects Fernando Arocha Ferreiro and Deiene González Uriarte, in Tenerife, in 2020.

They approach project development with a perspective of analysis, research and experimentation, from which we feed the creative process with data, concepts, challenges and aspirations.

Fernando Arocha Ferreiro.- At the end of 2017 he wins the competition for the Reform of the Palacio de Carta -building cataloged as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC)-, organized by the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. He is currently a member of the Historical Heritage Commission of COACTFE and a member of the Municipal Heritage Council of San Juan de la Rambla, on appointment by COACTFE.
Since 2024, he has been a professor of Projects at the School of Architecture of the European University of the Canary Islands.

Deiene González Uriarte.- In 2015 she collaborates in London with Amanda Levete (AL_A) in the project of the Museum of Arts and Technology of Lisbon (MAAT). In 2016 she works with Modelical in the development of several commercial and residential projects in BIM, and also participates in the Algomad 2016 conference on BIM, Computing and Reality. After finishing his studies in 2017 he returns to London and collaborates with Amanda Levete (AL_A) and AHMM studios, carrying out both competitions and international projects including Maggie's Cancer Care Centre in Southampton, and the renovation of the Galeries Lafayette in Paris.
He is currently a member of the Municipal Heritage Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, appointed by COACTFE.

José Antonio Aguado Benito

José Antonio Aguado Benito was born in 1966. Architect by the ETSAM (1991) and doctorate by the University of Castilla-La Mancha (2020), with the thesis Miguel Fisac, construcción por analogías, rated outstanding cum laude.

He began his career collaborating with studies such as those of Marian Álvarez-Buylla, Joaquín Ibáñez, Yago Bonet Correa and Antonio Fernández Alba. Later he worked in structures with Alfonso Gómez Gaite (GOGAITE) for studios such as Paredes-Pedrosa, Mansilla y Tuñón, Alas-Casariego or Rojo-Fernández Shaw.

Since 1991 he develops his professional practice in his own studio together with Emilia Benito. In 2019 he received the RABACHT Award for the rehabilitation of the Hospital de la Santísima Trinidad de Torrijos (Toledo).

Specialist in structures and installations, he collaborates regularly with studios such as Plantea, TAKK, Adam Bresnick or Foro arquitectos. He has participated in ephemeral assemblies in numerous cities in Europe and Australia.

Javier Vellés Montoya

Javier Vellés Montoya is a Spanish architect born in Bilbao, Spain, in 1943.

He studied at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura in Madrid. For several years, he worked closely with Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oíza. He completed his studies and began teaching, first in drawing courses (1972-1975), and after completing his studies in Project III and Final Project. In 1975, he opened his studio.

Some of his most important works include the restoration and reinforcement of the walls of Melilla, the complete restoration of the Chapel of San Isidro and the Bishop's Chapel, both in the Church of San Andrés in Madrid, and the Umbráculo in Cercedilla (the latter with architect María Luisa López Sardá).

He has been associated with the School of Architecture of the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Toledo (eaT) since its founding.

In 2018, he published the book Oíza, a cross between a biography and a monograph, offering a personal account, from his perspective as a disciple, of Oíza's life and work. He received the 2018 COAM First Prize ex aequo for the book.

Juan ALonso Aperte

Juan Alonso Aperte holds a PhD in geology and is a professor of ground engineering at the Toledo School of Architecture. He was a finalist in the 13th BIAU 2024 for his work on "Stabilization of an urban anthropogenic cave system in Tomelloso." He published "Study of the behavior of foundation soils and stone materials under the effect of environmental and climatic variables" and "Analysis of soil-structure interaction in unique buildings." He has worked on the thermo-hydro-chemical-mechanical modeling of the centralized temporary storage field in Villar de Cañas, Cuenca, in the remodeling of the Fleta Theater in Zaragoza, and on the stabilization of vaults under the Corral de Don Diego.

Boris Bezan, Mónica Juvera. BAX studio

BAX studio is an architecture firm directed by Boris Bezan and Mónica Juvera, renowned architects and winners of numerous national and international awards, with projects in Spain, Slovenia, Finland, Norway and Mexico. Based in Barcelona, the practice has a well designed network of collaborators that allows it to work all over the world. Both partners combine professional praxis with teaching at different universities, and were visiting professors at the School of Architecture of the University of Texas at Austin in 2018.

The practice specialises in creating unique, coherent architecture solutions that encompass social aspects, landscape, structure and sustainable design. Its way of working ensures proposals that are well thought through, and the best solutions and singular ideas are produced by a process of intensive team work. At the same time, its compact structure allows complete dedication of the partners throughout the project, from the general idea down to the smallest detail.

Héctor Mendoza, Mara Partida. Mendoza Partida

Mendoza Partida is an international architecture practice based in Barcelona, created in 2017, is the product of the symbiosis and connection between Héctor Mendoza and Mara Partida.

Héctor Mendoza. PhD in Architectural Design (UPC Cum Laude), M.Arch. AA Achitectural Association School of Architecture, London. Architecture Degree ITESO, Guadalajara, Mexico. Founding Partner of MENDOZA PARTIDA Architecutal Studio based in Barcelona (before MX_SI).

Vice Dean at ETSAB UPC since 2018, and Lecturer at the Architectural Representation Department since 2008. Guest Faculty at different international universities, like DRURY in Missouri USA, UACJ in Ciudad Juarez, or the CHINA ACADEMY of ARTS in Hangzhou directed by Professor Wang Shu.

Before founding his own studio with Mara Partida, he gained experience at well known architecture studios like Massimiliano Fuksas in Rome, Mateo Architects in Barcelona, Brissac Gonzalez in London, and Op Team in Barcelona.

Mara combines her professional activity with academic work and research. She is Lecturer at the Architectural Design Department at ETSAB UPC since 2008, and she has been appointed Guest Faculty at different international universities, like DRURY in Missouri USA, UACJ in Ciudad Juarez, or the CHINA ACADEMY of ARTS in Hangzhou directed by Professor Wang Shu.

Mara obtained the Conacyt scholarship in 1999 for PostGraduate studies at the Architectural Association in London and UPC in Barcelona. Before founding her own practice, she collaborated with Architect Ricardo Legorreta in Mexico City, and with Del Campo Montoliu Architects in Barcelona.

Maria Mestres, Magnus Wåge MESTRESWÅGE Arquitectes

Mestres Wåge Arquitectes was founded by Maria Mestres and Magnus Wåge in 2005 and is a studio with an international vocation, based in Barcelona with strategic partners in Norway and Portugal.

They believe in creativity as key element in realizing complex projects and in an open and inclusive architecture that adapts to change. In short, the projects are developed considering the lifespan of the building.

The work method is based on collaboration and dialogue, between professionals and client. To make this easier the projects are developed in BIM, a work tool that they have 12 years of experience with, and that permits exchange of information, formal control of the architecture, economy and program.

Magnus Wåge is coordinator of the 3rd year in the Bergen School of architecture(Norway), Maria Mestres is member of the BIM board of the COAC (catalán architect unión). Both are members of Building SMART Spanish Chapter.

Rodrigo Vargas González

Rodrigo Vargas González is an independent architect who trained at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC 2007) and completed a Master in Urban and Territorial Development at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC 2012).

Rodrigo Vargas develops his independent professional activity as a specialist in strategic urban and territorial planning, in which projects of certain relevance have materialised such as the ‘Diagnostic Study of Urbanisation in the Canary Islands’ and the ‘Methodological Guide to the Urban Agenda in the Canary Islands’, carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Ecological Transition of the Government of the Canary Islands between 2021 and 2023. He has also coordinated and led the pilot project funded by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda for the drafting of the ‘Action Plan of the Urban Agenda of Candelaria’.

In 2019 he joined the team of the Urban Ecology Agency of Barcelona as an urban technician, where his main work consists of data analysis based on urban sustainability indicators.

In addition, he is a member of the UNESCO Chair at the University of Lleida and the 3R City Observatory, from which he promotes initiatives aimed at urban rehabilitation and regeneration.

Margarita Jover, Iñaki Alday. aldayjover

aldayjover Arquitectura y Paisaje is an architectural practice founded in 1996 with offices in Barcelona and Virginia (USA) and consists of two partners architects, Margarita Jover and Iñaki Alday, director of the Department of Architecture at the University of Virginia, three architects, team leaders and a variable number of architectural associates and students of final years of career. Its main workload refers to projects and project managers of facilities and public buildings and public spaces and landscape interventions. It has also developed various projects and work-family and multifamily housing and interventions in heritage buildings.

Among the major awards include the European Prize for Urban Public Space (2002), two first prizes Garcia Mercadal (2001 and 2005) and the FAD Award City and Landscape (2009), finalist of the Biennial of Spanish Architecture on two occasions (2005 and 2009), FAD Award (2002), the Ibero-American Biennale of Architecture (2004) and the European Landscape Prize (2008), and the Nomination Award for European Architecture Mies van der Rohe (2009). His works have been exhibited at the Cité de l'Architecture in Paris and the NAI in Rotterdam.

Iñaki Alday (Zaragoza, 1965) is a partner with Margarita Jover of aldayjover Arquitectura y Paisaje, an office founded in 1996 that deals with public works and landscape architecture with a careful and specific common approach to the site. Among others, he has been awarded the FAD Award (2009), the European Prize for Urban Public Space (2002) and the García Mercadal Award (2001 and 2005), besides being a finalist in the Spanish Architecture Biennial (2005 and 2009) or the Ibero-American Architecture Biennial (2004). Has been an associate professor of Architectural Projects at the ETSA del Vallès (UPC) between 1996 and 2005, and holds master's teaching in several courses and specialization courses in different universities. He is the author of the books "Learning from All Your Houses" (Ed. UPC), "ARQ CAT" (Ed. COAC) about contemporary Catalan architecture and "Water Park" (ACTAR), founded and directed between 2003 and 2005 the magazine "Z Arquitectura." In May 2011, Iñaki Alday was appointed Chair of the Department of Architecture and the Ellwood R. Quesada Professor of Architecture of the University of Virginia, as Full Professor (tenured).

Iñaki Alday is co-director of the Yamuna River Project. Alday's work is characterized by promoting a new attitude in response to the professional and academic challenges facing the transformation of our environment. Find the role of architecture and architects, as an interdisciplinary work and integration of scales, along with new non-traditional programs such as hybrid infrastructures. Social and environmental ethics are some of the challenges that must be faced with a global vision.

Margarita Jover Biboum (París, 1969) is a partner with Iñaki Alday of aldayjover Arquitectura y Paisaje, an office founded in 1996 that deals with public works and landscape architecture with a careful and specific common approach to site. Among others, he has been awarded the FAD Award (2009), the European Prize for Urban Public Space (2002) and theGarcía Mercadal Award (2001 and 2005), besides being a finalist in the Spanish Architecture Biennial (2005 and 2009) or the Ibero- American Architecture Biennial (2004). She was a Project professor and Department of Interiors coordinator of BAU school between 1998 and 2009, visiting professors at several colleges, and maintaining activity in several master teachers and specialization courses in different universities. Is the author of "Water Park" (ACTAR) and jury in awards such as Europan (2009) and FAD (2010).

Margarita Jover has been appointed Faculty Research at the University of Virginia, a position to be taken in January 2012.

Fuensanta Nieto, Enrique Sobejano. Nieto Sobejano

Nieto Sobejano is an architectural studio founded in 1985 in Madrid by Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano.

Fuensanta Nieto (Madrid 1957) and Enrique Sobejano (Madrid 1957), are graduated architects by the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid (ETSAM) and Master of Science in Building Design por la Graduate School of Architecture and Planning (GSAPP), Columbia University, New York (USA). Are partners of the office Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, with headquarters in Madrid and Berlín.

Enrique Sobejano is Design Professor at the Universität der Künste Berlin (Germany) and Fuensanta Nieto is an Design Associate Professor in the School of Architecture at the Universidad Europea de Madrid. Both have been guest professors and lecturers at various universities and institutions within and outside Spain. From 1986 to 1991 was Director of ARQUITECTURA magazine, of Official College of Architects of Madrid.

Sobejano Nieto's work has been published in numerous magazines and books in Spanish and international, such as Casabella, METALOCUS, The Sketch, Architectural Review, Domus, Architectural Record, Detail, A + U, etc, and has been exhibited, among other places, Venice Biennale (2000, 2002, 2006) and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York (2006). They have received the National Award for Restoration of the Ministry of Culture (2008), the Nike Prize BDA (Bund Deutscher Architekten) (2010) and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (2010).

Among his recent works include Madinat al Zahra Museum (Córdoba), Moritzburg (Germany), Colegio de San Gregorio (Valladolid) and the Conference Centres of Mérida and Zaragoza.

Javier Peña Ibáñez

Javier Peña Ibáñez, (1985, Logroño) architect. Graduated from the Polytechnic University, Higher Technical School of Madrid | ETSAM. Javier specializes in the dissemination and research of citizen participation, with the aim of generating a critical dialogue at the edge of architecture, through architectural practice, media and video-art.

He won the International Urbanism and Gender + Urban + Human Competition and the Young Art Exhibit La Rioja 2009 and 2010. In 2011, within the framework of the "I also get involved" project, he presented the Cásate con ... installation, in the International Architecture Festival eme3 (Disseny HUB Barcelona) and in the Arquerías room (Nuevos Ministerios, Madrid). He has been invited to work in Logroño in the EXP project in 2011, Habitar el Patio. During this period he coordinated the communication project, @laRADIOPATIO, on a real and virtual neighborhood patio. In 2012 Javier presented the project Cité surprise, cité surprenant at the Festival des Architectures vives (Montpellier, France), Bingo! Urban Tour in the framework of the participar.de platform of the Goethe Institut in Matadero Madrid, as well as the collective project Teulades in Girona within the creative residence Movic. In 2013 he participated in the international fair of emerging art JUST Madrid with the first piece of the project Ciudad Doméstica. Next June he will be present at the Madrid urban trends festival MULAFest and with the production Faceless Solidarity that he will carry out under the direction of Gloria Transmedia for the Germán Sánchez Ruipérez Foundation.

Javier was Ambassador of the Arquia Proxima 2012 program of the Caja de Arquitectos Foundation, architect of CYAN mag and independent curator Ariadna Cantis in exhibitions in Matadero Madrid, Círculo de Bellas Artes, Casa Encendida or the Embassy of Spain in Panama.

He has given conferences in the Atlantic Market of Contemporary Creation (MAAC, Tenerife), Forum QUAM WIKpolis (ACVic Center d'Arts Contemporànies, Vic-Barcelona), International Architecture Festival eme3 (COAC, Barcelona) and the Inclusive Urbanism Seminar (organized by the Government of the Basque Country in Vitoria-Gasteiz).

Joan Busquets

Joan Busquets (El Prat de Llobregat, Spain, 1946) is an architect, urban planner, and Professor of Urban Design at the Graduate School of Design (GSD), Harvard University, since 2002. He earned his degree in Architecture in 1969 and completed his doctorate at the School of Architecture of Barcelona (ETSAB) in 1975, where he also served as a professor and co-founded the Laboratory of Urbanism of Barcelona (LUB). From 1979 to 2002, he was a visiting professor at international universities such as Urbino, Bouwcentrum, Leuven, Rome, Lausanne, Geneva, the AA in London, and Tsinghua.

In the 1980s, as coordinator of the Urban Planning Department of Barcelona, he was involved in planning the city for the 1992 Olympics and the New Areas of Centrality. Among other initiatives, railway infrastructure and the waterfront were major priorities, along with the improvement of neighborhoods and existing cultural facilities as urban subcenters, with particular emphasis on the revitalization of Barcelona’s Old City. In 2014, he led the initial phase of the update of the Urban Master Plan of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (PDU-AMB) as research director. The results were exhibited in Barcelona, Cambridge, Chicago, and Shanghai, and published in the exhibition catalogue and other publications.

Through his firm, BAU – B. Arquitectura i Urbanisme, founded in 1992, he has worked on the design and implementation of urban projects and planning strategies both in Spain and internationally. His work includes plans such as the «Special Plan for Toledo» (1995) and the PXOM and Port of A Coruña (2013); as well as urban projects across Europe in The Hague, Delft, Geneva, Rotterdam, Lisbon, Trento, Toulouse, or Avignon, among others; and around the world in Singapore, São Paulo, Shanghai, Ningbo, and Montreal.

Among the many national and international awards he has received are the Spanish National Urbanism Prize in 1981 (for the Master Plan of central Lleida) and 1985 (for the Improvement Plan for the Sant Josep neighborhood in Barcelona); the Toledo Foundation Prize in 1996; the European Gubbio Prize (Italy) in 2000; the Erasmus Prize 2011 (Netherlands), for «his contribution to the design of the public space of the city»; the Catalonia Culture Prize 2011 (CoNCA); and the Grand Prix Spécial de l'Urbanisme of Paris 2012 (France). He received the Patrick Abercrombie Prize 2021 from the International Union of Architects and, since 2016, has been a full member of the Académie d’Architecture of France.

His applied research on specific territories has been published in the GSD’s Case Study series, with studies on New Orleans, Lisbon, Manhattan, Chicago, Shanghai, Osaka, Rotterdam, Hangzhou, among others; as well as his theoretical research in books such as Barcelona: The Urban Evolution of a Compact City, Regular City: A Manual for Designing Grids and Urban Fabrics, Expos as Great Urban Projects, Present and Future, and his most recent Modern Architecture and the City: A Quick Immersion.

Fernando de Terán

Born in Madrid in 1931, Fernando de Terán studied drawing, painting, and architecture at the Escuela Superior Técnica de Madrid (ETSAM). He graduated in 1961 and earned his PhD in Architecture in 1966 and his PhD in Urban Planning in 1967. He has devoted himself primarily to urban planning, authoring numerous professional works on urban analysis, planning, and design, and having also held management positions. However, his work is primarily intellectual in nature, both for his analysis of the evolution of the theoretical foundations of urban planning and for his approach to urban history, not as an understanding of the city of the past, but as a way of understanding the city of today.

He was Technical Director of the Madrid Metropolitan Area (1977-1980) and Professor of Urban Planning at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, at the School of Civil Engineering (1980-1993), and at the School of Architecture (1993-2001), where he headed the Department of Urban Planning and Territorial Planning. He was also Director of the Institute for Local Administration Studies (1985-1987). He is an honorary professor at the Argentine Universities of Mendoza and La Plata, as well as at the Latin American Faculty of Environmental Sciences (UNESCO Chair).

He combines his professional work with his intellectual activity as a researcher, teacher, and writer, and has an extensive list of publications in planning theory and urban history. He is the author of fourteen books, has collaborated on many others, and has published numerous articles and essays. His book "Madrid" won the Madrid City Council Urban Planning Award in 1993. His book "Historical Atlas of Spanish Urban Planning" won the 2024 Madrid Architects' Association Award. In 1969, he founded the first Spanish urban planning journal, "City and Territory," which he edited until 1989. He also founded and edited the magazine "Urban" (1997-2007).

In 2000, he received the Gold Medal for Urban Planning from the Community of Madrid and, in 2002, he joined the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, where he served as secretary general from 2010 to 2014, the year in which he became its director. Since 2020, he has been honorary director of this prestigious institution.

In 2005, he received the King Jaime I Award from the Generalitat Valenciana for Urban Planning, Landscape, and Sustainability.

He has combined his primary professional dedication to urban planning with a limited practice of painting, notable for exhibitions in Madrid in 1995, 2000, and 2012.

Published on: July 4, 2025

Cite:

metalocus, AGUSTINA BERTA

"2025 CSCAE ARCHITECTURE Awards. Spanish projects that respond to contemporary challenges" METALOCUS. Accessed

<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/2025-cscae-architecture-awards-spanish-projects-respond-contemporary-challenges> ISSN 1139-6415