The awards ceremony for the Richard H. Driehaus Architecture Competition and the Building Arts Prize have taken place in Madrid on Wednesday 14 June.

The sponsor of the awards, US financier, philanthropist and INTBAU UK Trustee, Richard H. Driehaus and the Minister of Public Works, Íñigo de la Serna, presented the awards from the Ministry of Public Works, at the Arches of Nuevos Ministerios.

Mr. Driehaus, who opened the ceremony said: “My goal in creating these new competitions is to start a desperately needed movement to course correct before the various factors – tangible and intangible – that constitute a sense of place, are no longer available to anchor us. The work of the honourees gives me reason to be hopeful about the future of the precious historic built environment, of cities and villages across the globe”

First to receive their prizes were the artisans awarded with the Building Arts Awards, created to recover endangered trades, without which the long-term preservation of heritage is imperilled. The honourees in the four categories were: the Garrido Rus brothers in metalwork; Carlos Martín in vaults; the Blanco Ublade brothers for their work with esparto, and Manuel Navarrete for his carpentry work, who received their awards from Mr. Driehaus and the Minister of Public Works. They all expressed their appreciation for this initiative that gives visibility to nearly forgotten trades essential to architecture.

The Driehaus Architecture Competition prizes were created with the goal of recovering the historical heritage of Spanish towns; in this case, Vejer de la Frontera and Grajal de Campos, selected during the first phase of the competition. The competition offered a great opportunity for many towns that could not afford the rehabilitation of their architectural spaces due to lack of resources.

After the second phase of the competition, Granada based architect Juan Moya and Basque architects Imanol Iparraguirre and Aritz Díez were announced as winners for their projects for Grajal de Campos and Vejer de la Frontera.

Juan Moya’s studio received its award for the project “Abriendo a Cal y Canto” which proposed a new extension of Vejer de la Frontera in its western edge, creating a staggered group of buildings spread at the foot of the windmills. In turn, Imanol Iparraguirre and Aritz Díez received their award for their “Lazarus Project”, which reconstructs some of the buildings that used to stand at the Plaza Mayor de Grajal de Campos to use them as housing and commercial premises. They both thanked the jury for having selected their projects for the award.

Richard H. Driehaus ended the ceremony by saying: “Thank you to all of the winners for your steadfast commitment.  You and your work are an inspiration, as well as an important bridge between the past and the present”.

After the conclusion of the ceremony, the exhibition with a sample of the winning projects was officially opened. It will remain open to the public from 15 June to 22 July at the Arches of Nuevos Ministerios.

For further information on the Driehaus Architecture completion winners visit the INTBAU website here.

For further information on the Building Arts Awards visit the INTBAU website here.

Images from the exhibition now open 15 June to 22 July at the Arches of Nuevos Ministerios