The 'Casa al Pradet', by Clara Crous Arquitectura, and the 'Casa 1627', by Harquitectes, Arquitectures ex aequo Award

The headquarters of the Demarcation of Girona of the Col·legi d ' Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC) hosted this evening the awarding of the 26th edition of the Architecture Awards of the Regions of Girona , one of the most relevant cultural actions within the architecture and construction sector in the province. The event, which was attended by more than 300 people, was conducted by the journalist Mar Poyato , and was attended by the dean of the College of Architects of Catalonia , Guillem Costa; from the Councilor for Research and Universities of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Joaquim Nadal; of the vice-mayor, 1st lieutenant of the Mayor's Office and Councilor for Promotion of the Girona City Council, Gemma Geis; from the deputy of the Provincial Council of Girona, Vanessa Peiró; from the president of the Girona Region of the COAC , Marc Riera, and other authorities related to the world of architecture and culture.

During the evening, prizes were awarded to eight works : seven awarded by the jury from among the 24 works that passed the selection phase in the categories of Architecture, Interiors, Landscapes and Ephemerals , and the Prize of l' Opinió , chosen by the public among the 80 works presented, with more than 2,300 votes through the portal www.premisarquitecturagirona.cat . Casa al Pradet in Vilamacolum, by Clara Crous Arquitectura , and Casa 1627 in Pals, by Harquitectes have won the award in the Architecture category, with mentions for Intervention in the Torre de les Hores in Cervià de Ter, by Fortià Arquitectes , and Reconstruir Can Lluci in Maià de Montcal, by Celobert cooperative and Marcel Prats Gómez . The prize in the interiors category it has been awarded to Equilibri restaurant in Olot, by Bayona Studio , in Landscapes it has been awarded Ritual in Olot, from NUA arquitectures , the Efímers prize was won by Raigs de llume in Olot, by Francisco Spratley Studio , while Sea of Reality in Girona , by the students of the master's degree in Design and Production of Spaces (UPC School – CCCB) taking the Opinion Award.

Quality participation

The jury, formed by Izascun Chinchilla as president, and Anna Noguera and Silvia Blanco as members, reflects on the projects presented and points out that they have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the works, with a wide variety of proposals in which the common denominator it's the good job He also points out the great professional training to integrate architectural projects into the social, economic, landscape and cultural context in which they arise: "Choosing the best, among such a large and high-quality participation, has been really complicated. There is a lot of construction of reduced dimensions, and in particular the single-family house, which seems to lend itself more to experimentation and, in some cases, to innovation. A very significant percentage of the projects take into account sustainability strategies, are aware of the climate emergency and face it with a proactive attitude. There are also a significant number of projects that explore the particular conditions of the regions of Girona, their craft tradition, their cultural heritage, their landscape, their vernacular wisdom, their gastronomic customs or the use of space free or its industrial production, as the case may be”.

Les fosques (Celrà)

The jury comments that, for decades, town councils, ministries or councils, among others, have been the promoters of much of the best quality architecture. That's why he draws attention to the administrations, pointing out that "it seems that this public impulse has disappeared or waned in a worrying way. We call on institutions to make an effort to democratize access to commissions and promote quality architecture."

This year, the diploma that the selected and awarded architects and promoters receive is illustrated with a drawing by Maria Rubert de Ventós, doctor of architecture and professor of urban planning at the UPC. The piece, lent on the occasion of the celebration of the 26th edition of the Awards, is part of a series of screen prints of streets and urban spaces in different cities. The work, which is entitled "Dance of blind windows", emerges from a game of sparks and fissures that gives life to an architectural scene of depth and movement.

Two samples and a catalog

This year's awarded and selected works can be seen in the Pia Almoina exhibition hall of the Girona Region of the COAC until September 15. On this occasion, the 24 selected projects and the Opinion Award are reproduced on eight banners together with the jury minutes. This exhibition is complemented by nine retro-illuminated panels distributed throughout the space with large-format images of each of the works.

Until the end of June, repeating the initiative of the last three years, they have installed themselves in the most emblematic spaces of the cities of Girona (plaça Independència), Figueres (plaça de l'Ajuntament), Olot (plaça 1 d Octubre) and Banyoles (Parc de la Muralla), ephemeral structures where the 24 projects selected in the 26th edition of the awards are reproduced.

‘Ritual’, de NUA Arquitectures (Paisatges)

The showcase of Girona architecture

Convened for the first time in 1997, the Awards are a living memory of the evolution of architecture in the territorial scope of the demarcation. During a quarter of a century, the professionals have presented more than 2,000 works, 687 of which have passed the selection stage, resulting in a total of 156 being awarded.

A constant in the course of these Awards has been the desire that the jury be made up of architects of recognized prestige from multiple disciplines and geographical areas, and with international projection.

The Awards are the showcase of Girona's architecture. The space where you can learn about the good architecture that is being made, the names and surnames of the architects who imagine and build it, as well as all those involved in each work: builders, promoters and other technicians in the sector.

The Architecture Awards of the Regions of Girona are made possible thanks to the companies and institutions that support them, such as the Department of Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Provincial Council of Girona; Brecor, Jung, iGuzzini and Kave Home, as main sponsors; Asemas, Arquia Banca, Itisa and Technal, as sponsors, and Arcadi Pla SA, Ascensors Serra, Grup Curanta, HNA – National Brotherhood of Architects, Hotel Ciutat de Girona, Hyundai – Fornells Motor, IRSAP, Palahí, Plantalech, Porcelanosa, Rehau, Terreal and Vidresif, as collaborators. In this edition, the official products are Restaurant Mimolet and Caves Llopart, while Bonart, La Comarca d'Olot, Diari de Girona, Empordà, Hora Nova, Ràdio Girona FM, Punt Avui and Televisió de Girona they are the official media.