Iñaki Alday Appointed Dean of the Tulane School of Architecture

Alday joined UVA in 2011 and was chair of its School of Architecture until 2016. In 2016, he was appointed the founding director of the Yamuna River Project, a long-term interdisciplinary program with collaborators in the United States, Europe and Asia, that aims to revitalize both the ecology of the Yamuna River and the essential relationship between the river and life in Delhi. The project involves a UVA team with expertise in architecture, landscape, planning, engineering, environmental science, public-private partnerships, humanities, social and political science and economics.

Aranzadi Park by aldayjover Architecture and Landscape. Photograph © Pedro Pegenaute, courtesy of aldayjover Architecture and Landscape

Iñaki Alday, the Elwood R. Quesada Professor of Architecture at the University of Virginia, has been named the new dean of the Tulane University School of Architecture, effective Aug.1. Alday holds a degree in architecture from Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain, where he served as an associate professor of architecture. He was also a lecturer and visiting professor at several other universities.

“We are thrilled to bring Professor Alday to Tulane as the new dean of our School of Architecture,” Tulane President Mike Fitts said. “He is a designer of great renown and an experienced and innovative administrator. His unique ability to integrate different disciplines in confronting pressing problems in urban design and environmental degradation places him at the forefront of his field and makes him a perfect fit for Tulane.”

With his partner Margarita Jover, Alday is founder and principal of aldayjover architecture and landscape, which is known for its approach to the relationship between cities and rivers as well as for the urban and civic integration of “hybrid infrastructures” that include both natural and built elements. The firm is responsible for numerous landscape works in Spain, including Aranzadi Park, the Water Park and the Recovering of the Gallego River Waterfronts.

The European Urban Public Space Prize, the FAD Prize of City and Landscape, the Garcia Mercadal Prize, the First Prize of Urban Integration and the AZ Awards for the best Landscape Architecture are among the many honors the firm has received.

Jover, an associate professor of architecture at UVA, will join Alday on the architecture faculty at Tulane. She holds a degree in architecture from Polytechnic University of Catalonia and has served as a professor at BAU-School of Design in Barcelona and a lecturer and visiting professor at several universities in Europe.

Alday replaces Kenneth Schwartz, who served as dean of the Tulane School of Architecture since 2008. Schwartz will join the faculty of the School of Architecture and continue his role as director of Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking.

Exterior view of the Interpretation Center of Agriculture and Livestock of Pamplona. Photography © Pedro Pegenaute

Exterior night view of the Interpretation Center of Agriculture and Livestock of Pamplona. Photography © Pedro Pegenaute

Render © sbda +Tranvías de Zaragoza. Zaragoza Tram. By Aldayjover Arquitectura y Paisaje

Tram line. Zaragoza Tram. By Aldayjover Arquitectura y Paisaje. Photography © José Hevia.

Iñaki Alday and Margarita Jover. Photograph by Borja Ballve

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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.