The Rafael Manzano Prize for New Traditional Architecture is intended to disseminate the value of traditional architecture as a benchmark for the architecture of our time. Since 2012 it has served to recognise careers that have been outstanding in this field in Spain and Portugal, contributing especially to the continuation of traditional architecture, both in the restoration of architectural and urban heritage and in the building of new work which, based on local tradition, is able to blend harmoniously into such ensembles.
It was first awarded in October 2012 in a ceremony held at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (Madrid). In 2017, thanks to the collaboration of the Fundação Serra Henriques and the Ordem dos Arquitectos, and with the high patronage of His Excellency the President of the Portuguese Republic, the prize was extended to Portugal, being granted to practitioners in either of the two countries.
It is organised by the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation, with the collaboration of INTBAU Spain, INTBAU Portugal, Kalam, the Fundação Serra Henriques, the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and the Ordem dos Arquitetos, and with the high patronage of His Excellency the President of the Portuguese Republic. All that thanks to Richard H. Driehaus.
This award does not intend to honor the architects whose works best represent the latest architectural trends, or those whose interventions involve avant-garde transformations of our heritage; on the contrary, it is addressed to those architects whose work has contributed to the preservation, continuation and adaptation to contemporary needs of the building, architectural and urban traditions which define the identity of the places where they were built.
Thus, they are practitioners who, instead of seeking notoriety and novelty through their works, play an important role which is not sufficiently honored because the results, often remain unnoticed, precisely due to their evident continuity with the past.
This award is trying to correct this situation in both countries, honoring those who have been developing this kind of work, and helping to promote a better practice in the preservation works of our architectural and landscape heritage, while its particular traditional identity is more threatened than ever because of the progressive homogenization it is suffering.
The winner is awarded a €50,000 prize and a commemorative plaque, thanks to the generosity of the American philanthropist Richard H. Driehaus.
The Jury is each year comprised of a group of professionals renowned in the field of the defense of traditional architecture and the restoration, both internationally and locally in Spain and Portugal.
The Jury is each year comprised of a group of professionals renowned in the field of the defense of traditional architecture and the restoration, both internationally and locally in Spain and Portugal.
This year 2024, the jury is chaired by Leopoldo Gil Cornet and the members are Robert Adam, José Baganha, Melissa DelVecchio, Leon Krier, Michael Lykoudis, Rafael Manzano, Enrique Nuere and Stefanos Polyzoides. Alejandro García Hermida acts as Secretary of the Jury.
Jury member
Robert Adam is well-known in the UK and internationally as a major figure in the development of traditional and classical architecture, as a pioneer of contextual urban design, a designer of furniture, an author and a scholar. He works with clients on a range of projects including major private houses, extensions to historic buildings, and public and commercial buildings. He has extensive experience in masterplanning, speculative housing, has pioneered objective coding, and is a visiting professor of Urban Design at Strathclyde University. As well as many awards for his architecture, Robert was named 15th Richard H. Driehaus Prize Laureate in 2017 by the University of Notre Dame.
Adam has advanced the acceptance of traditional design in the British architectural profession and continues to be an active member of many architecture organisations and institutions. He has been a prolific author on the theory and practice of traditional architecture and urbanism since 1975. Of particular note are the books Classical Architecture: a complete handbook (1990) and The Globalisation of Modern Architecture (2012), a humorous book The Seven Sins of Architects (2010), and Classic Columns: 40 years of writing on Architecture (2017).
Adam has a particular interest in research, and through his firm has published research on masterplanning trends and on social trends in the 18 to 34 age cohort. Robert continues to lecture widely in the UK and has undertaken lecture tours of the USA, Russia, China, Iran and Brazil.
Jury member
A graduate in Architecture of the Oporto School of Fine Arts and Lisbon Technical University (UTL), with a PhD from the Basque Country University (UPV). In 1991 he founded his own practice, from which he designed residential, hotel, retail and urbanism projects that continue the traditions of the regions in which he works. He has lectured at the Architecture Faculties of the Portuguese Catholic University in Viseu and Sintra and been a visiting lecturer at several European universities. He founded INTBAU Portugal, cofounded the European Council of Spatial Planners and is a member of the board of the Architectural Heritage Chapter of the Portuguese Institute of Architects. The quality of his work has earned him international awards such as the 2011 European Prize for the Reconstruction of the City given by the Philippe Rotthier Foundation, or the Rafael Manzano Prize in 2017.
Jury member
An architect graduated from the University of Notre Dame and with an M.Arch from Yale University. She joined Robert A.M. Stern Architects in 1998 and has been a Partner since 2008. Her works include Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing; two new residential ensembles at Yale University; two buildings for the Harvard Business School and one for the Harvard Law School; the Stayer Center for Executive Education at the University of Notre Dame; the Heavener Hall at the University of Florida; and the new Business College at the University of Nebraska. Earlier in her career Ms. DelVecchio worked with Scott Merrill on residential and commercial projects at the Duany Plater-Zyberk designed towns of Seaside and Windsor in Florida, and for Mark P. Finlay Architects in Connecticut on a broad range of residential projects. She has lectured at Yale University and been a visiting lecturer at professional associations and other universities, such as the University of Notre Dame or the Polytechnic University of Madrid.
Secretary of the Jury
PhD in Architecture and MA in Conservation and Restoration of Architectural Heritage from the Madrid Polytechnic University School of Architecture, where he has been Associate Professor since 2019.
He has been Associate Professor at the Alfonso X el Sabio University (2009-19), Visiting Scholar at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture (US, 2016) and guest lecturer at universities such as Yale, Miami, Colorado, Liverpool or Politecnico di Milano, among others. His professional practice has been devoted to traditional architecture and building and the restoration and study of historic buildings, largely in Spain and Morocco, along with the creation and management since 2012, thanks to Richard H. Driehaus, of the initiatives run today by this Foundation. He is also the CEO of Kalam Corporation in the USA, a board member of the NGO Terrachidia and cofounding Vice-Chair of INTBAU Spain. Recognitions of this work include the 2015 INTBAU Excellence Award, the 2019 Hispania Nostra Award, a Special Mention in the 2019 EU-Europa Nostra Awards, the 2021 Philippe Rotthier European Architecture Prize, and the 2021 National Craft Award.
President of the Jury
A graduate in Architecture of the Navarra University School of Architecture, where he was later a lecturer and Coordinator of the Architectural Refurbishment and Restoration specialisation programme. He has served as an architect in the Historic Heritage Department of the Navarra Government’s Directorate General for Culture–Príncipe de Viana Institute since 1986. During his time in this body his restoration work on various Navarran historic buildings and ensembles has been honoured with the National Prize for the Restoration and Conservation of Cultural Assets (1998), the Silver Medal of the Spanish Association of Friends of Castles (2000), the 2012 Europa Nostra EU Cultural Heritage Award, and the 2012 Rafael Manzano Prize for New Traditional Architecture, among other distinctions. He is a member of the Partal Academy and of the Catalan Sant Jordi Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
Jury member
An architecture and urbanism consultant, as well as a designer, author and lecturer. He is known for his pioneering role in advocating the rationality and the technological, ecological and social modernity of traditional urbanism and architecture. He studied at Stuttgart University in 1967, but gave up his course to work with James Stirling in 1968-74. Since then he has combined writing and teaching with the practice of urban planning and architecture at various locations in Europe and the Americas. He has lectured at the Architectural Association and the Royal College of Arts in London as well as at the universities of Princeton, Virginia, Notre Dame and Yale. From 1987 he was advisor to the Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, and responsible for general planning and architectural coordination at Poundbury in Dorset. Other outstanding developments of his are Heulebrug in Belgium, built to his 2000 masterplan in collaboration with DPZ; and in Guatemala, with Estudio Urbano, Paseo Cayalá, since 2003, El Socorro, since 2015, and Nogales, since 2020. Currently Krier is developing new urban projects in Virginia, Colorado and England. Also, since 1990, he has worked concurrently as an industrial designer for Giorgetti and Assa Abloy.
Jury member
He was the Francis and Kathleen Rooney Dean of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, where he has served as professor of architecture since 1991. He has devoted his career to the building, study and promotion of traditional architecture and urbanism. His activities feature the organization of several major conferences that have been collaborations between Notre Dame and other organizations including the Classical Architecture League and the Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America, A Vision of Europe and the Congress for New Urbanism. The international conference and exhibition entitled The Art of Building Cities, took place in 1995 at the Art Institute of Chicago and was the first event in this country to specifically link the practice of contemporary classicism with the new traditional urbanism.
Dean Lykoudis is the co-editor of: Building Cities, published in 1999 by Artmedia Press, and The Other Modern exhibition catalogue published in 2000 by Dogma Press. At Notre Dame, Dean Lykoudis has served the School in a number of capacities, first as the Director of Undergraduate Studies, then as Associate Chair and Chair prior to becoming Dean. As Director of Undergraduate Studies for over 10 years he was the principal organizer of the new classical and urban curriculum, and Dean Lykoudis established several new initiatives within the School of Architecture.
Since 2003, he has served as chair of the Richard H. Driehaus Prize jury. The Driehaus Prize honors, promotes and encourages architectural excellence that applies the principles of traditional, classical and sustainable architecture and urbanism in contemporary society and environments. A graduate of Cornell University, Dean Lykoudis earned his Master’s degree from the University of Illinois’ joint business administration and architecture program. Prior to joining the Notre Dame faculty, he worked as a project designer and architect for firms in Florida, Greece, Connecticut and New York. He has directed his own practice since 1983 in Athens, Stamford, CT. and now in South Bend, IN. His work has been published in the national and international architectural journals as well as in the popular press. He has lectured at universities around the country and abroad as well as to professional and civic organizations.
Jury member
An graduate in Architecture of the Madrid Polytechnic University, and since 1966 professor of General Art History at the Seville University School of Architecture, where he is also Dean. He has devoted his life to the study of Classicism and in particular the Islamic world, and he has built new traditional buildings and restored numerous historic constructions in Spain, the US and the Middle East. He was Director-Conservator at the Reales Alcázares palace in Seville and the caliphal town of Medina Azahara near Córdoba, and chaired the works committee of the Royal Board of Trustees for the Alhambra and the Generalife. He is a member of many Spanish academic bodies, including the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts. His work has been distinguished with the Gold Medal for the Fine Arts, among other awards, and he is also Commander (with a plaque) of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise. He also won the Richard H. Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture in 2010, prompting Richard Driehaus to institute a prize in Spain bearing his name – the Rafael Manzano Prize – and thereby originating the initiatives run today by this Foundation and giving rise to all that we do.
Jury member
An Architecture and Urbanism graduate of the University of Princeton. His career has engaged with a broad span of architecture and urbanism, along with their history, theory, design and teaching. He is cofounder of the Congress for the New Urbanism and, with his wife Elizabeth Moule, a partner in the firm Moule & Polyzoides, since they established it in Pasadena, California, in 1990. From 1973 to 1997 he was Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Southern California and currently he is Dean of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture (Indiana). He is co-author of Los Angeles Courtyard Housing: A Typological Analysis (1977), The Plazas of New Mexico (2012), and author of R.M. Schindler, Architect (1982), among many other publications. He also helped recover significant parts of the architectural and urban history of Southern California by organizing various distinguished exhibitions their catalogs: Caltech 1910–1950: An Urban Architecture for Southern California, Myron Hunt 1868–1952: The Search for a Regional Architecture, Wallace Neff: The Romance of Regional Architecture, and Johnson, Kaufmann Coate: Partners in the California Style.
Jury member
He graduated in Architecture from the School of Architecture of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and holds a Ph.D. from the same university since 1967. He is a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (Madrid), of the Academia de San Telmo (Málaga), of the Real Academia de San Miguel Arcángel (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), of the Academia del Partal and a member of the board of trustees of the Alhambra and the Generalife (1986-1995).
Since the 80s, he focuses his activity both in restoration and in teaching, becoming an specialist in historic carpentry, having written diverse books and articles on this topic. He was an Associate Professor at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid School of Architecture (till 2008) and invited lecturer in various courses, workshops and conferences on wood in restoration and rehabilitation at many Spanish Universities and Insitutes of Architects, as well as in Rome.
His work obtained multiple awards such as the Rafael Manzano Prize 2016, among others.
The award is named after the architect Rafael Manzano Martos, who has devoted his practice to the preservation of the Spanish architectural and urban heritage both through restoration works and designing new architectures based on this heritage, what lead him to win the international 2010 Richard H. Driehaus Prize, becoming the first and by now the only Spanish architect having received this award.
The Rafael Manzano Prize for New Traditional Architecture is organised by the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation, thanks to Richard H. Driehaus and Kalam and with the collaboration of INTBAU Spain and INTBAU Portugal, with the collaboration of Kalam, the Fundação Serra Henriques, the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and the Ordem dos Arquitetos. This initiative was recognized with the high patronage of His Excellency the President of the Portuguese Republic.
The Traditional Building Cultures Foundation seeks to foster and promote the study, protection, teaching, dissemination and conservation of the traditional building, architecture and urbanism characteristic of the various regions of the world.
INTBAU Spain develops its initiatives to promote traditional building, architecture and urbanism and serves as a platform for collaboration and exchange of information, contributing to the promotion of other related initiatives organized by its members and other institutions linked to the network itself.
INTBAU Portugal is a chapter of the INTBAU Central Office (International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture Urbanism), which is an international educational charity which works under the Patronage of its founder HRH The Prince of Wales to promote traditional building, the maintenance of local character, and the creation of better places to live.
Kalam is a leading international company specializing in the field of heritage restoration and the rehabilitation of historic buildings. In its commitment to the necessary quality and rigor in its work, it preserves traditional trades through its own consolidated staff and continuous training. Among its values, it promotes best practices and values the building and restoration arts and crafts.
The Fundação Serra Henriques was established in Portugal in 1997 for the promotion of education, culture and science; paying special attention to the study of the national territory for local development and improvement of cultural heritage. Since 2015, it has represented the Association of European Cities and Regions for Culture in Portugal. In 2012 it established the National Prize for Architecture and Urbanism, Archiprix Portugal, in collaboration with the Archiprix Foundation (The Netherlands) as well as la Ordem dos Arquitectos in collaboration with all the Portuguese universities and their best end-of-degree projects in Architecture.
The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de san Fernando is one of the eight Royal Academies of national scope integrated into the Institute of Spain that aims to promote artistic creativity, as well as the study, dissemination and protection of the arts and cultural heritage. Currently it is composed of fifty-six academics in total, among whom is Rafael Manzano Martos and other personalities of recognized prestige in the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, music, film, graphic art, photography, design and history, and art theory.
La Ordem dos Arquitectos is the public association representative of all the architects who practice in Portugal. The institution regulates professional activity and its mission is to ensure constitutional interest in the correct ordering of the territory: for a quality urbanism, for the defense and promotion of the landscape, the built heritage, the environment, the quality of life and for the right to architecture.
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