Below you can find a selection of news related to traditional building, architecture, and urbanism:
– Traditional Building Cultures Foundation –
Winners of the 2025 Rafael Manzano Prize and the Richard H. Driehaus Heritage Conservation Medal
The 13th Rafael Manzano Prize for New Traditional Architecture has been awarded by the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation to Francisco Ortega Montoliu, an architect from Asturias based in Madrid. His work has focused on the restoration of historic buildings in a state of ruin, giving them new uses and contributing to the revitalization of rural communities where they are located.
Francisco de Calheiros has received the 2025 Richard H. Driehaus Heritage Conservation Medal for his outstanding contribution to the preservation of Portugal’s architectural, cultural, and landscape heritage.
2025 Donald Gray Training Grant with Master Carpenter Miguel Ángel Tapia Awarded
The 2025 Donald Gray Training Grant with master carpenter Miguel Ángel Tapia has been awarded. These grants are organized annually by the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation as part of the Richard H. Driehaus Building Arts Awards program.
Guillermo Bornstein Ortega, the recipient of the 2025 Donald Gray Grant, began working with wood in 2014 through a carving course. Since then, he has continued exploring the material through personal projects, later training in carpentry and cabinetmaking at the Regional Craft Center of Castilla y León (CEARCAL). Over six months of training (2024–2025), he consolidated his technical knowledge and applied what he learned to larger-scale works.
Winter School on Vernacular Earthen Architecture in Algeria
The Traditional Building Cultures Foundation will take part in the Vernacular/Earthen Architecture Winter School, organized by the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA, OIC) and the University of Amar Telidji (Algeria). The program will be held from January 29 to February 8, 2026, in the Laghouat–Ghardaïa corridor.
Applications are open until November 12, 2025, and results will be announced on November 22.
Publication of the 2024 Iberian Summer School Results
The publication gathering the outcomes of the 2024 Iberian Summer School is now available.
It was presented on October 18 at the Casa das Artes in Arcos de Valdevez. This initiative was part of ARQOUT2025 – Architecture Month, coordinated by the Order of Architects of Portugal.
– News –
INTBAU Spain and the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation Participate in the INTBAU World Congress 2025
INTBAU Spain and the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation took part in the INTBAU World Congress 2025, held in London from October 22 to 24, on the occasion of the organization’s 25th anniversary. The event brought together experts, professionals, and students from around the world to reflect on the future of traditional architecture, building, and urbanism.
Under the motto inspired by Gustav Mahler’s words —“tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire”—, the congress offered a diverse program of lectures, debates, and screenings that explored the past, present, and future of tradition in the built environment.
Homo Faber Traditional Crafts Center Wins the 2025 Concejo Award for Leonese Heritage
The Homo Faber Traditional Crafts Center, directed by Francisco Azconegui Morán and Mónica Martín Sisí, has received the 2025 Concejo Award for Leonese Heritage, granted by the Leonese Institute of Culture (ILC).
The jury recognized Homo Faber’s outstanding work in preserving and transmitting traditional trades, the result of more than 35 years of experience teaching construction techniques using materials such as wood, lime, plaster, and earth. From its headquarters in Mansilla de las Mulas, the center organizes training workshops that bring these skills to new generations, thus helping to ensure the continuity of vernacular building practices.
3rd Meeting on Traditional Architectures and Trades: Bioclimatic Shelters
The 3rd Meeting on Traditional Architectures and Trades, titled Bioclimatic Shelters, will take place on November 12, 2025, in Salorino (Sierra de San Pedro). The event will be held at the Centro Cultural Victoria, from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and will bring together specialists in architecture, traditional building, and sustainability.
Organized by the Provincial Council of Cáceres within the framework of the FEEENER – Interreg Spain–Portugal project, the meeting will include lectures, panel discussions, exhibitions, and guided tours. Participants include professionals such as María Gómez Javaloyes, Noelia Aráujo Velo, Tânia Teixeira, and Mónica Martín Sisí, among others.
The program will address the relationship between traditional architecture and the landscape, the teaching of vernacular construction techniques, and recent examples of restoration projects in the Sierra de San Pedro.
– Education –
Oasis Campus M’Hamid 2026: New Terrachidia Workshop in Southern Morocco
The M’Hamid Oasis, where the Terrachidia Association has been working for over fourteen years, will open the 2026 workshop cycle with a new edition of the Oasis Campus, to be held from January 24 to 31, 2026.
This year’s workshop will focus on the restoration of the northern gate of the Ksar of Ouled Youssuf, which provides access to the oasis gardens and to the marabout restored in 2019. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to learn traditional palm leaf weaving techniques from local craftspeople.
“Hands on Lime!” Workshop on Traditional Building
On November 21 and 22, the town of Benalauría, in the Serranía de Ronda, will host the practical workshop “Hands on Lime!”, a free activity dedicated to reviving traditional knowledge of building with natural materials.
Organized by Prodiversa, Aljez, and the Provincial Council of Málaga, in collaboration with the Benalauría Town Council and the Paulo Freire Rural University, the workshop invites participants to rediscover the properties of lime, gypsum, and earth in contemporary construction.
More information: aljezconstrucciontradicional@gmail.com
Applications Open for the SAHC Master’s Program in Heritage Preservation
The application period for the Advanced Master in Structural Analysis of Monuments and Historical Constructions (SAHC) is open until January 20, 2026.
Recognized with the 2017 Europa Nostra Award, this international program —organized by a consortium of European universities led by the University of Minho— trains specialists in the preservation of the built heritage.
Scholarships ranging from €4,000 to €13,000 are available for students of any nationality.
The King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts Presents Its Autumn Short Courses
The King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts has released its new autumn short course program, open to anyone interested in traditional arts and crafts.
The program offers classes, workshops, and hands-on courses covering disciplines such as painting, mosaic, calligraphy, ceramics, and geometry. Open to participants aged 18 and over, the courses are designed for all experience levels, from beginners to professionals.
