The architects who restored Albarracín are winners of the Richard H. Driehaus Heritage Preservation Medal
Architect Antonio Almagro and the Director of the Fundación Santa María de Albarracín will receive their award during the Manzano Prize ceremony
The recipients of the first edition of the Richard H. Driehaus Heritage Preservation Medal are architect Antonio Almagro Gorbea and Antonio Jiménez Martínez, Director and manager of the Fundación Santa María de Albarracín. Both are recognized for their work for the recovery of the town of Albarracín, that they have turned into an attraction for tourists in Aragón and have brought life back to its streets.
The town was declared a National Monument in 1961. Antonio Almagro Gorbea subsequently started working on the consolidation of buildings in ruins, and achieved the recovery of a town that was doomed to oblivion due to the loss of population. His work continued for years, until the urban fabric was fully regenerated.
On the other hand, the second winner is Antonio Jiménez, for his work at the helm of the Fundación Santa María de Albarracín. The Foundation works in the restoration of urban property and real estate of the town, programming continuous cultural activities and managing the rehabilitated heritage, including its maintenance.
The successful work of both laurates has resulted in making Albarracín a strong tourist attraction, and has restored the town that seemed doomed to oblivion and depopulation.
Rafael Manzano Prize 2019
The architecture prize with the largest monetary prize in Spain
In parallel to the medal awarding ceremony, the eighth Rafael Manzano International Prize for New Traditional Architecture, with a prize of 50,000€, will also be presented. The jury of prestigious national and international architects has decided that the winners this year are Portuguese architects Alberto Castro Nunes and Antonio María Braga.
The prize recognizes their strong commitment with the maintenance of Portuguese architectural traditions, the use of natural resources and the use of traditional trades in their projects. Their works are characterized by their durability, sustainability and beauty. Every project shows respect for the character of the place, recovering their balance with nature and local culture.
Some of their most relevant projects are: the Odrinhas Archeological Museum, or the seat of the Cinemateca Portuguesa in Lisbon, among others.
The creation of the Rafael Manzano Prize, the prize with the biggest cash award in Spain, is possible thanks to the generosity of US philanthropist Richard H. Driehaus. Additionally, Mr. Driehaus has created a competition to help recover the heritage of Spanish town and cities, and an award to recognize the work of construction artisans. The grand total of all initiatives sponsored by Richard H. Driehaus in Spain is above 2 million euros.
The Manzano Prize is made possible by a donation from The Richard H. Driehaus Charitable Lead Trust and organized by INTBAU (International Network for Traditional Building Architecture and Urbanism), a foundation whose patron is HRH the Prince of Wales.
Thursday, October 17th the Award Ceremony will take place in the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. Same day and Friday, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid School of Architecture will host the New Traditional Architecture International Seminar.
