This October marked the fourth edition of the Peña Ganchegui Award for Young Basque Architecture, established in 2017 by the Peña Ganchegui Archive and the Basque Government's Housing Department. The award aims to bring visibility to architects who either trained in or practice in the Basque Autonomous Community, have less than 10 years of professional experience, and promote, develop, and strengthen a high-quality architectural culture.
The award ceremony took place at the Basque Country Architecture Institute, located in San Sebastián's Old Town, and was presented by Pablo García Astrain, Director of Housing, Land, and Architecture of the Basque Government. Jurors María Langarita, Fernando Márquez Cecilia, and António Cruz highlighted Ortega Diago's exercise in spatial synthesis, the singularity of their programmatic solutions, their delicate treatment of materials, their emphasis on transparency, and their focus on fluid circulation. These qualities were evident both in their interior design work—ranging from residential renovations to commercial and workspace fit-outs—and in their unbuilt projects.
Along with the main prize, three special mentions were awarded: to architect Amaia Arana, for her outstanding attention to environmental concerns and exquisite care in material handling; to the Gurea cooperative, for being a contemporary, conscious, and responsible practice that addresses the challenges of new energy and social paradigms; and to the Mugara studio, for its unique perspective on reality, highlighting the singularity and diversity of its solutions, as well as the risks taken in its proposals.
The winners will share an exhibition with the other three finalist proposals, submitted by Anarte studio, architect Eloi Landia, and Equi studio, through which the jury sought to recognize the value of their professional careers, their diverse approaches, and their compelling lines of work.
The exhibition will open on November 2 at 7:00 PM and will be free of charge. It will be held at the Basque Country Architecture Institute as part of the program for the fourth edition of the Mugak/ Basque Country International Architecture Biennial, which will celebrate its opening ceremony at San Sebastián's Kursaal this Wednesday, October 25, featuring Pritzker Prize laureates Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu, founders of the Chinese firm Amateur Architecture Studio.
Pablo García Astrain highlighted the winners' “commitment and rigor toward quality architecture,” noting that the Deputy Ministry of Housing supports the award to “promote Basque architecture, specifically young architecture, which prefigures trends in design, architecture, and urban planning, and outlines the future of our cities for the coming years and decades.”
Furthermore, Rocío Peña expressed her satisfaction with “the consolidation that the fourth edition of this award represents, with an increase in registrations compared to the previous one,” and celebrated that “for the first time, female representation among the nominations is close to male representation, reflecting a balance that, despite being present for years in universities, is not yet reflected in other professional arenas, including this award until the current edition.”
For more information on the Peña Ganchegui Award for Young Basque Architecture, visit the Peña Ganchegui Archive.
This article was written by Magdalena Casamitjana. The translation is powered by AI.
