Baltanás
Irurita, Baztán, Navarra
La Fresneda, Teruel
The jury highlighted the proposal’s handling of the project spaces, the architectural design for the proposed new volumes, and their structural and functional definition. The approach was notable for its organizational clarity, its suitability to the wine-cellar district in formal and material terms, and its technical feasibility.
Given the high quality of the other proposals, the jury, consisting of representatives of the various bodies involved in organizing the competition and of the Baltanás town council, awarded special mentions, endowed with €2,000 each, to two projects: “Al Cotarro”, by Ramón Andrada González-Parrado and Alfonso Zavala Cendra, with a proposal that was praised for the way in which the new buildings are integrated into the cellar complex as well as for its plan for the existing roads, improving the connection between the hill and the village center; and “Los Corros del Cerrato”, by the Franco-Spanish architecture firm Patio b, consisting of Blanca Aguilar and Benoît Soulié, which was noted for its detailed analysis and comprehensive plan for upgrading the roads concerned, and its linkage with the landmarks of the cellar district and the means of access from the village center. Also appreciated was the proposed buildings’ well-judged integration into the existing ensemble.
The proposal was highlighted for offering the best solution for an overhaul of Plaza de Rebote, ensuring that it will be suitable for playing the form of Basque pelota known as laxoa. The proposal was also noted for the spatial and functional treatment envisaged for the house known as Dolantxea, in terms both of the use to be made of it and of the construction solution. The proposal overall exhibits a high degree of clarity in the organization of spaces, a notable sensitivity to the site’s formal and material context, and technical feasibility.
Given the high quality of the other proposals, the jury, consisting of representatives of the various bodies involved in organizing the competition and of the relevant town council, awarded special mentions, endowed with €2,000 each, to two projects: “¿Preparado para jugar?”, by Ramón Preciado Jiménez and Miriam Larumbe Vinuesa, with a proposal also noted for its plan for the square, facilitating the use of the space for playing the sport of pelota, and its project for the Dolantxea house, with a rehabilitation respecting local building tradition and clearly defining the character and the building systems involved in the project; and “Ventana abierta”, by the team consisting of Luis Felipe Pérez Villanueva, María del Carmen Crespo Pérez, and Laura de la Mata Morales, noted for the way in which it envisages the treatment of public spaces such as the connection between Plaza de Rebote and the adjoining streets, the refurbishment proposed for the venue for the sport of pelota, and the rehabilitation of the Dolantxea house using building systems based on local architecture.
This proposal was praised for the quality of its urban and architectural approach, notable for a well-judged arrangement of volumes, its handling of the road network, and the sensitivity shown in integrating the various volumes into the landscape. The jury also appreciated the design of the house for public rental, nicely reflecting the character of La Fresneda’s architecture and liable to become a model replicable in future projects in this setting.
Given the high quality of the other proposals, the jury, consisting of representatives of the various bodies involved in organizing the competition and of the relevant town council, awarded special mentions, endowed with €2,000 each, to two projects: “Fraxinus Excelsior”, by Víctor Guimerá Millán and Maria del Pilar Rama Lara, with a proposal that was praised both for the quality of the urban arrangement envisaged and for the way in which the new buildings are blended into the existing fabric; and “The Town on the Hill”, by Nefeli Eforakopoulou and Michael Cradock, which was noted for the sensitivity with which it integrates urban elements characteristic of local architecture along with the way in which it resolves the connection between the church and the hilltop, site of the cemetery and of the proposed kitchen garden area.
This booklet presents the results of the second phase of the Richard H. Driehaus Architecture Competition, the 2025 Building Arts Awards and the 2024-2025 Donald Gray Training Grants, organized by the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the collaboration of INTBAU Spain, and the High Council of Institutes of Architects of Spain.
The award ceremony for the Richard H. Driehaus Architecture Competition was held on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at the Segovia campus of IE University. The event was presided over by Susana Alcalde Amieva, Deputy Director General of the Institute of Cultural Heritage of Spain, alongside representatives of the organizing institutions: Miguel Larrañaga Zulueta, Vice-Rector for Students at IE University; David Jeffrey Goodman, Dean of the IE School of Architecture & Design; José Franqueira Baganha, Vice President of the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation; Susana Moreno Falero, Dean of COACYLE, representing the Spanish Council of Architects’ Associations; and Alejandro García Hermida, Executive Director of the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation and Chair of the juries for both initiatives.
In the context of the awards ceremony, it has also been inaugurated the exhibition “Matter. Know-how. Place ”, which will be open to visitors until October 11 at the IE Creativity Center, located in the Royal Mint of Segovia. This exhibition explores the active role and potential of construction trades in both architectural education and contemporary practice.
Among the works featured are those of the winners of the Building Arts Awards, the award-winning design proposals from the sixth edition of the Richard H. Driehaus Architecture Competition, and a selection of work carried out by the master craftsmen and apprentices who received the most recent Donald Gray Grants for the Building Arts.
The exhibition presents not only the work rewarded in 2025 but also that honored in 2024, of Julio Barbero, a specialist in lime renderings and one of the leading masters of the sgraffito technique so characteristic of Segovia; Friedrich Bramsteidl, who has revitalized the craft of water-powered hammer forging in Spain from Mazonovo, in Santa Eulalia de Oscos, Asturias; Sebastián Pérez, from Fuentes de Andalucía in Seville, a master mason and brick carver; and Max Rutgers, a master carpenter working from the Alt Empordà region of Girona. The exhibition also features the work of Sebastián Pérez and Max Rutgers in training the apprentices José González Pérez and Paul Schickhofer.
The exhibition also includes a section dedicated to the work led by Wesam Al Asali, professor and coordinator at IE School of Architecture and Design, who oversees the collaboration with the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation. Al Asali has developed initiatives that integrate artisanal knowledge into architectural education and practice, bridging contemporary design with traditional building techniques. His educational work includes workshops with local craftspeople and the use of technologies such as augmented reality to explore new methods of learning and creation.
In this vein, and through drawings and references to specific works, the exhibition is presented as an educational tool aimed at inspiring new approaches to architectural education—approaches in which construction and material experience take a central role in the learning process.
