Balearic Social Housing Model is the OBEL Award winner 2026

Carles Biel Oliver Barceló. (Felanitx, Mallorca, 1979) is an architect trained at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB-UPC), with academic stays at UCLA in Los Angeles, TU Delft in the Netherlands, and ETSAM in Madrid. Early in his career, he collaborated with Carme Ribas and Pere Joan Ravetllat on collective housing projects, and between 2007 and 2009 shared a practice with architect Francisco Cifuentes.

He joined the Balearic Institute of Housing (IBAVI) in 2009, where his work has focused on the relationship between public housing, climate, local resources, and low-impact construction. From 2015 to 2020, he led Life Reusing Posidonia, a European research project in Formentera exploring climate-responsive housing through passive design, locally sourced materials, and the reuse of dried Posidonia oceanica as thermal insulation.

From 2019 to 2023, Oliver headed IBAVI’s Technical Department, contributing to a broader transformation of public housing in the Balearic Islands. His work has centred on reducing embodied carbon and energy demand while reintroducing local materials, craft traditions, and regional building knowledge into contemporary housing.

As part of the IBAVI team, he has contributed to numerous social housing and rehabilitation projects across Mallorca, Ibiza, and Formentera. These projects have received wide national and international recognition, including the 2018 FAD Architecture Award, the 2019 Spanish Architecture Award, the 2021 LIFE Award, the 2022 Architectural Review Emerging Award, and the 2025 Materia Award. The work of IBAVI was also featured in a monographic issue of El Croquis.

In 2025, together with David Mayol, he contributed to the Spanish Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. In 2026, the Balearic social housing model developed through IBAVI, with the key involvement of Carles Oliver and Cris Ballester Parets, was awarded the OBEL Award 2026.

His work combines architectural design, environmental research, public policy, and material experimentation, positioning housing as a field for social, climatic, and territorial transformation.

Cris Ballester Parets. (Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 1986) Graduated in economics from Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona and Ludwig Maximilian University, München. She holds an interuniversity master's degree in corporate social responsibility and sustainability from UNED and Jaume I de Castelló, and a master’s degree in leadership and development of organisations with coaching and neuroscience from the EIDHI International University of California.

She began her professional career as Deputy General Manager at Von der Heyden Group investment company, in the real estate, tourism and renewable energy sectors in Poland and Germany. In 2011, she moved to Anantapur, India as an international aid worker and head of the fair-trade project at the Vicente Ferrer Foundation. After returning to Mallorca, she founded and ran her own company, Tucktuck Community and Tucktuck Style brand. Between 2015 and 2019, she was Director of finance, budgets and projects at the Consell de Mallorca, while leading the creation of the CSR and responsible contracting office. Until May 2022, she was the Managing Director of the Balearic Institute of Housing (IBAVI), and previously served as Housing and Architecture General Manager of the Govern de les Illes Balears.