The Phase Two Call for Entries of this Competition have been announced. Deadline March. 17

The Ministry of Public Works has released the Phase Two Call for Entries which will be open till March, 17. We encourage all the teams to prepare their design proposal for the four selected locations and send them by March 17th, 2020 (5:00pm Madrid time)!

The Driehaus Competition is a unique and generous initiative from US financier Richard H. Driehaus. This competition seeks to recover the traditional architecture of neglected areas of Spanish towns. Additionally, it promotes the work of local artisans and construction workers and creates jobs. In this first phase, thirteen City Councils have submitted their projects for the rehabilitation or renovation of several spaces. Selected projects were: Alzira (Valencia), Santa Cruz de la Palma (Tenerife), Santiago de Compostela (La Coruña) and Guadix (Granada). Thus, in this edition 2019-20 there will be excepcionally four locations:  

Alzira

The project presented by Alzira, Valencia, to the Competition seeks to restore the identity of its historic center. To that end, it proposes the recovery of the urban fabric of the western part of “la Vila” and the rehabilitation of the almohade wall, the remains of the temple of Santa María and the Bridge of Sant Gregori, now gone. This project would represent a major step toward the recovery of the historic value of the area. See more

Santa Cruz de la Palma

The project for Santa Cruz de La Palma, in Tenerife, attracted the interest of the jury for its proposal to improve the environment of the Plaza de San Fernando, the old northern gate of the city and the Castle of Santa Cruz del Barrio del Cabo, and its connection to the Alameda, the main thoroughfare of the city, which holds a great symbolic value for the locals. The goals are to recover the historic character of the old gateway to the city, to rearrange public spaces and the creation of a new focus of activity through the creation of a museum. See more

Santiago de Compostela

The initiative proposed by the Council of Santiago de Compostela, in La Coruña, was selected for its project to rehabilitate an area of its historic center currently underused, difficult to access and with poor connections to the rest of the town. The project aims to recover some existing constructions and use them for housing for students and artists, and to connect the area with the nearby park of Santo Domingo de Bonaval. Additionally, the spaces next to the park could be used as workshops for artists or work spaces. See more

Guadix

Guadix, Granada, submitted a proposal again this year, since it was not awarded a winning project last year. The plan proposes to recover and improve the area around the old citadel, the Alcazaba, currently derelict. The proposal includes a new use of public spaces, the reconstruction of housing buildings in ruins, and the renovation of the old Palacio de los Saavedra. Ver más

All the projects were carefully analyzed by a jury composed of representatives from the Ministerio de Fomento, the Ministerio de Cultura, the Consejo Superior de Arquitectos de España, INTBAU (International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture & Urbanism) and the Rafael Manzano Prize. The second phase of the competition, convened by the Ministerio de Fomento, starts in a few weeks, and will conclude on March 10. National and international architecture firms may submit their design projects to respond to the proposals from the locations selected.