SOM Foundation announces the winner of the 2023 European Research Prize
21/02/2024.
[Chicago] USA
metalocus, ANA GARCÍA LUJÁN
metalocus, ANA GARCÍA LUJÁN
The SOM Foundation has announced the winner of the 2023 European Research Prize. A team from the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya will carry out research that contributes to this year's theme, «Adaptation of housing strategies to respond to new realities.
Within the framework of the project "Open system for the urban regeneration of housing estates: a case study in Barcelona", the REARQ research group and ETSAB students will design and play with adaptations of an open system created for the rehabilitation of multifamily homes in the Besòs neighborhood in the southwest of Barcelona. The main researchers of the project are Pere Joan Ravetllat, Còssima Cornadó, Marta Domènech and Sara Vima-Grau.
Within the framework of the project "Open system for the urban regeneration of housing estates: a case study in Barcelona", the REARQ research group and ETSAB students will design and play with adaptations of an open system created for the rehabilitation of multifamily homes in the Besòs neighborhood in the southwest of Barcelona. The main researchers of the project are Pere Joan Ravetllat, Còssima Cornadó, Marta Domènech and Sara Vima-Grau.
Open System for the Urban Regeneration of Housing Estates: A Case Study in Barcelona by REARQ UPC.
Open System for the Urban Regeneration of Housing Estates: A Case Study in Barcelona by REARQ UPC.
Open System for the Urban Regeneration of Housing Estates: A Case Study in Barcelona by REARQ UPC.
Open System for the Urban Regeneration of Housing Estates: A Case Study in Barcelona by REARQ UPC.
In 2021, the SOM Foundation introduced the European Research Prize as an extension of the US-based Research Prize. The European Prize of 20,000 euros is awarded annually to an interdisciplinary team led by professors based in Europe to conduct research that contributes to the theme of the SOM Foundation.
Participants are professors teaching in a professionally accredited bachelor's, master's or doctoral program in architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, urban planning or engineering in Europe. The research must be carried out in an academic institution. Core members are expected to work collaboratively with faculty from other disciplines, professionals, organizations, or community representatives in addition to students enrolled in the studio or seminar.
Open System for the Urban Regeneration of Housing Estates: A Case Study in Barcelona by REARQ UPC.
Participants are professors teaching in a professionally accredited bachelor's, master's or doctoral program in architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, urban planning or engineering in Europe. The research must be carried out in an academic institution. Core members are expected to work collaboratively with faculty from other disciplines, professionals, organizations, or community representatives in addition to students enrolled in the studio or seminar.
Open System for the Urban Regeneration of Housing Estates: A Case Study in Barcelona by REARQ UPC.
“It is inspiring that the SOM Foundation funds opportunities for deepening research in our field. The shortlisted applications for the European Research Prize all presented inspiring visions of how academia and the profession of architecture aspire to affect and influence city making in varying circumstances. With sustainability, reuse, and the social life of the city in focus, the projects this year present an inspiring picture of the future profession.”
"The main objective of this research is to design different adaptations of an open system for rehabilitating existing multifamily buildings in large modern residential complexes and to test them in the field. Convinced that the most sustainable approach is the rehabilitation and improvement of existing housing, the city of Barcelona has been exploring more comprehensive, large-scale interventions in a built environment where, so far, only scattered buildings have been improved.
The research group REARQ has a strong line of investigation and teaching focused on rehabilitating large modern residential complexes. Recently, thanks to an award from the Barcelona City Council, REARQ designed a full-scale prototype of an “abstract” or open system for improving habitability and energy efficiency in existing buildings. With this foundation, the group will design adapted versions for residential buildings in the Southwest Besòs neighborhood and test their impact and potential for improvement. The main hypothesis is that, with adaptations, this system can provide a strategy that takes into account the collective, environmental, and social dimensions of multifamily housing while also improving specific features.
Kieran Long, juror.
The research group REARQ has a strong line of investigation and teaching focused on rehabilitating large modern residential complexes. Recently, thanks to an award from the Barcelona City Council, REARQ designed a full-scale prototype of an “abstract” or open system for improving habitability and energy efficiency in existing buildings. With this foundation, the group will design adapted versions for residential buildings in the Southwest Besòs neighborhood and test their impact and potential for improvement. The main hypothesis is that, with adaptations, this system can provide a strategy that takes into account the collective, environmental, and social dimensions of multifamily housing while also improving specific features.
Open System for the Urban Regeneration of Housing Estates: A Case Study in Barcelona by REARQ UPC.
The research will connect master’s and doctoral students’ academic activities with scientific-technical experimentation based on the design, development, and testing of different adaptations to the prototype, in the context of the needs expressed by the local administration and neighborhood associations. This research can provide significant improvements to existing housing rehabilitation strategies, in this case through coordinated, consensus-driven implementation by different stakeholders in a neighborhood where an urban regeneration strategy is beginning to unfold."
This year’s jury was led by SOM Foundation Executive Director Iker Gil and included Nana Biamah-Ofosu (Architect and director, YAA Projects; Tutor, Architectural Association; and Lecturer, Kingston School of Art, London), Meredith Bowles (Founding Director, Mole Architects, Cambridge; Visiting Professor, The University of Suffolk; and Faculty, University of Cambridge Department of Architecture), Kieran Long (Director, ArkDes, The Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design, Stockholm), and Tatjana Schneider (Professor, Architectural Theory; Head, Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture and the City and the Architecture and Engineering Collection, Technische Universität, Braunschweig).
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Pere Joan Ravetllat Mira, Carme Ribas Seix. RAVETLLAT-RIBAS
Pere Joan Ravetllat Mira. Architect. Professor of Projects at the School of Architecture of Barcelona (ETSAB) since 1982. In 1984 he received a Fullbright scholarship to study the "Master of Science of Building Design" at the Columbia University of New York, and graduated in this same university in 1985. Doctor by the UPC in 1994.
Professor in 2004. Responsible for the V-VI Projects course. Co-editor of the magazine A-30 during the period 1986-88, he has also collaborated in several national and international journals with articles of opinion and own work made, since 1985, with Carme Ribas Seix. He is the author of the book "Blocks of Homes: a contemporary perspective", coauthor of the books "Habitatge i Tipus" and "Habitatge i Context Urbà to Catalan Architecture" and of several monographs on the subject of housing published by the ETSAB.
Carme Ribas Seix. Architect. Professor of Projects at the School of Architecture of Barcelona (ETSAB) since 1987.
From 1996 to 1998, she is a professor of interior projects at the ELISAVA School. Between 1998 and 2001 she is also a Project Lecturer in the degree of Landscaping at the ETSAB.
Between 1981 and 1986 he was architect of the Servei d'Elements i Urban Projects of the Barcelona City Council, where he made several projects related to urban design.
Co-editor of the magazine A-30 during the period 1986-88, she has also published her own work in several national and international journals, made since 1985 with Pere Joan Ravetllat Mira. In 1985 he obtained the Diploma of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia from the Landscape Architecture Course.
Professor in 2004. Responsible for the V-VI Projects course. Co-editor of the magazine A-30 during the period 1986-88, he has also collaborated in several national and international journals with articles of opinion and own work made, since 1985, with Carme Ribas Seix. He is the author of the book "Blocks of Homes: a contemporary perspective", coauthor of the books "Habitatge i Tipus" and "Habitatge i Context Urbà to Catalan Architecture" and of several monographs on the subject of housing published by the ETSAB.
Carme Ribas Seix. Architect. Professor of Projects at the School of Architecture of Barcelona (ETSAB) since 1987.
From 1996 to 1998, she is a professor of interior projects at the ELISAVA School. Between 1998 and 2001 she is also a Project Lecturer in the degree of Landscaping at the ETSAB.
Between 1981 and 1986 he was architect of the Servei d'Elements i Urban Projects of the Barcelona City Council, where he made several projects related to urban design.
Co-editor of the magazine A-30 during the period 1986-88, she has also published her own work in several national and international journals, made since 1985 with Pere Joan Ravetllat Mira. In 1985 he obtained the Diploma of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia from the Landscape Architecture Course.
Còssima Cornadó
Còssima Cornadó is an architect and Associate Professor and Serra Húnter professor at the Department of Architecture Technology at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB), as well as a member of the REARQ group. She has led competitive research projects in the field of rehabilitating buildings and evaluating their safety and habitability.
She coordinates the undergraduate course “Construction IV” on building diagnosis and rehabilitation. She also coordinates the course “Techniques for the Rehabilitation of Safety Conditions” in the MBARCH-RRA master’s program and supervises master’s theses from MarqETSAB and MBARCH-RRA within the research seminar. Her research activity has provided useful contributions in assessing buildings and their possibilities for improvement.
She has directed and participated in technology transfer projects with the Barcelona City Council related to the pre-diagnosis of residential buildings in vulnerable neighborhoods, which have led to an advance in diagnostic methodologies for large built stocks. These projects have served as a starting point for the design and implementation of public preferential assistance programs for housing rehabilitation. Finally, she has served as a representative member of the UPC to the Barcelona Housing Consortium’s Social Housing Council since 2021.
She coordinates the undergraduate course “Construction IV” on building diagnosis and rehabilitation. She also coordinates the course “Techniques for the Rehabilitation of Safety Conditions” in the MBARCH-RRA master’s program and supervises master’s theses from MarqETSAB and MBARCH-RRA within the research seminar. Her research activity has provided useful contributions in assessing buildings and their possibilities for improvement.
She has directed and participated in technology transfer projects with the Barcelona City Council related to the pre-diagnosis of residential buildings in vulnerable neighborhoods, which have led to an advance in diagnostic methodologies for large built stocks. These projects have served as a starting point for the design and implementation of public preferential assistance programs for housing rehabilitation. Finally, she has served as a representative member of the UPC to the Barcelona Housing Consortium’s Social Housing Council since 2021.
Marta Domènech
Marta Domènech is an architect and lecturer and Serra Húnter professor at the Department of Architectural Projects at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB), as well as a member of the REARQ research group at the UPC.
Previously, she was a researcher at the ETH Zurich and collaborated with UN-Habitat and various artistic institutions, conducting projects and prototypes that integrate traditional construction techniques and the study of the possibilities and limits of self-construction by incorporating new tools and contemporary technology. Her academic and professional work has received numerous national and international awards and grants.
She also coordinates the Contemporary Project track of the MBARCH focusing on new spatial strategies for the Architecture of collective living, and is the director of “Architecture and Re-invention,” an undergraduate course on architectural design that focuses on the intervention and rehabilitation of existing buildings as contemporary residential complexes.
Previously, she was a researcher at the ETH Zurich and collaborated with UN-Habitat and various artistic institutions, conducting projects and prototypes that integrate traditional construction techniques and the study of the possibilities and limits of self-construction by incorporating new tools and contemporary technology. Her academic and professional work has received numerous national and international awards and grants.
She also coordinates the Contemporary Project track of the MBARCH focusing on new spatial strategies for the Architecture of collective living, and is the director of “Architecture and Re-invention,” an undergraduate course on architectural design that focuses on the intervention and rehabilitation of existing buildings as contemporary residential complexes.
Sara Vima-Grau
Sara Vima-Grau is an architect, researcher in the REARQ group, trainee professor at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB), as well as a PhD candidate having completed her doctoral studies with a scholarship from the Ministry of Science.
She specializes in analyzing the existing residential stock and designing public policies and architectural interventions for the urban rehabilitation of residential buildings in vulnerable areas. Her doctoral research has focused on analyzing living conditions, with specific applications in case studies of Barcelona’s Raval and Southwest Besòs neighborhoods. She has participated in competitive projects and agreements with the REARQ group, codirecting cooperation and technology transfer projects in Barcelona.
These projects have involved extensive participatory processes and fieldwork with local communities and associative networks. She teaches the course “Techniques for the Rehabilitation of Living Conditions” and “Rehabilitation of Large Residential Complexes” and participates in the research seminar. In the project, she will collaborate in analytical and project design tasks, coordinating teaching activities and the participation of different stakeholders, from doctoral students to neighborhood associations and experts from the public administration.
She specializes in analyzing the existing residential stock and designing public policies and architectural interventions for the urban rehabilitation of residential buildings in vulnerable areas. Her doctoral research has focused on analyzing living conditions, with specific applications in case studies of Barcelona’s Raval and Southwest Besòs neighborhoods. She has participated in competitive projects and agreements with the REARQ group, codirecting cooperation and technology transfer projects in Barcelona.
These projects have involved extensive participatory processes and fieldwork with local communities and associative networks. She teaches the course “Techniques for the Rehabilitation of Living Conditions” and “Rehabilitation of Large Residential Complexes” and participates in the research seminar. In the project, she will collaborate in analytical and project design tasks, coordinating teaching activities and the participation of different stakeholders, from doctoral students to neighborhood associations and experts from the public administration.
Foundation SOM
SOM Foundation. Founded in 1979, the SOM Foundation’s goal is to advance the design profession’s ability to address the key topics of our time by bringing together and supporting groups and individuals, each with the highest possible design aspirations.
The Foundation’s award programming was established in 1981 and currently offers five annual awards across the United States, Europe, and China. The awards support students and faculty of architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, urban design, and engineering to undertake rigorous interdisciplinary research that can help shape our future.
The Foundation was established in 1979 under the initiative of SOM Design Partner Bruce Graham who served as its first chair. The award program began with the ambition to improve architectural education by enabling recent graduates to expand their knowledge through travel. The generous fellowships provided an important platform for self-driven inquiry and an opportunity for recipients to advance their design thinking outside of an academic institution. Graham and the Board of the SOM Foundation were champions of the cause and fiercely believed in the importance of experiencing architecture in different ways and engaging with a multiplicity of thought.
Since 1981, over 2.8 million dollars have been awarded to support the work of individuals across the globe. The Foundation’s award program has grown over the years to include a wider field of design and engineering, and to recognize the work of recent graduates alongside leading educators and researchers. As we look toward the future, we plan to continue to strengthen that support and focus on research, advancing the design profession’s ability to address key topics of our time through interdisciplinary research and design exploration. We do so through redefining our awards program, expanding our network of fellows and partners, and building on past efforts.
Awards such as the SOM Foundation Research Prize, European Research Prize, Structural Engineering Fellowship, China Fellowship, and Robert L. Wesley Award are the backbone of the Foundation. The awards provide economic and institutional support to design leaders and students to advance their career and share their research with the public. This research is framed around topics identified each year, such as Humanizing High Density, Shrinking Our Agricultural Footprint, Examining Social Justice in Urban Contexts, and Envisioning Responsible Relationships with Materiality.
The Foundation’s award programming was established in 1981 and currently offers five annual awards across the United States, Europe, and China. The awards support students and faculty of architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, urban design, and engineering to undertake rigorous interdisciplinary research that can help shape our future.
The Foundation was established in 1979 under the initiative of SOM Design Partner Bruce Graham who served as its first chair. The award program began with the ambition to improve architectural education by enabling recent graduates to expand their knowledge through travel. The generous fellowships provided an important platform for self-driven inquiry and an opportunity for recipients to advance their design thinking outside of an academic institution. Graham and the Board of the SOM Foundation were champions of the cause and fiercely believed in the importance of experiencing architecture in different ways and engaging with a multiplicity of thought.
Since 1981, over 2.8 million dollars have been awarded to support the work of individuals across the globe. The Foundation’s award program has grown over the years to include a wider field of design and engineering, and to recognize the work of recent graduates alongside leading educators and researchers. As we look toward the future, we plan to continue to strengthen that support and focus on research, advancing the design profession’s ability to address key topics of our time through interdisciplinary research and design exploration. We do so through redefining our awards program, expanding our network of fellows and partners, and building on past efforts.
Awards such as the SOM Foundation Research Prize, European Research Prize, Structural Engineering Fellowship, China Fellowship, and Robert L. Wesley Award are the backbone of the Foundation. The awards provide economic and institutional support to design leaders and students to advance their career and share their research with the public. This research is framed around topics identified each year, such as Humanizing High Density, Shrinking Our Agricultural Footprint, Examining Social Justice in Urban Contexts, and Envisioning Responsible Relationships with Materiality.
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