2017 was a very successful year for many Spanish architects, with some of the years most prestigious awards in the field being taken home by Spaniards. This was also a year that saw numerous very succesful events across the country, including architecture festivals in many cities and various thought provoking artistic interventions in architectural spaces. 

In this, the second part of a two part series reviewing 2017 architecture in Spain, some of the years more interesting and topical news and events are reviewed.

RCR Arquitectes won the 2017 Pritzker Prize 

Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta. Image © Javier Lorenzo Domínguez

Top of the list amongst the headlines in the Spanish news this year was the announcement that architecture equivalent to a Nobel prize, the "Pritzker Prize", was somewhat surprisingly awarded to a little known Catalan practice. 

It was the first time the award has jointly been given to three architects, and only the second time that is has gone to Spanish architects - the first having been Rafael Moneo.

Sant Antoni library + old people's centre, view from the courtyard towards the library with the senior citizens center to the right. Image © Hisao Suzuki

The practice was founded in 1988 by Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta, and is based in Olot, Catalonia. The range of works they have completed is very diverse, including public and private spaces, cultural venues and educational facilities. Among their more notable projects are the Bell-Lloc winery in Girona and Sant Antoni library in Barcelona.

Read the announcement in detail and see key projects of RCR Arquitectes

The following video is from the announcement of the award

Video courtesy of The Pritzker Architecture Prize

Mies Pavilion "Mies Missing Materiality"

The Barcelona Pavilion, designed by Mies Van der Rohe, is without doubt one of the best known buildings in Spain. The pavilion holds a variety of Architectural events throughout the year, including an architectural film series in the summer and small artistic installations. This November, the pavilion held what was to be one of its best documented events this year, entitled "Mies Missing Materiality", held by Barcelona based practice Anna & Eugeni Bach Architects.

The premise of the event was to "dematerialise" the pavilion, which was carried out by covering the entire building in white veneer that had been carefully tailored so that the joins in the covering reflected the joins in the material below. After the initial "dematerialisation", a round table talk was held by the architects in the pavilion.

The pavilion - the above video is courtesy of the architects

Often considered as a reference point for the modernist movement, the Barcelona pavilion was designed by Mies Van der Rohe for the 1929 Barcelona exhibition. The pavilion consists of a series of enclosed spaces created by the use of non-loadbearing elements as spatial definers, while the thin structural elements, a series of cross shaped columns, give the space a sense of lightness. 

Mies' use of flowing spaces and apparently with floating elements in this pavilion was an early prototype for his apparently weightless architecture that can be seen in his other projects such as the Farnsworth house in Illinois. However, after the exhibition finished, the pavilion was dismantled in 1930.

Barcelona Pavilion by Mies Van der Rohe. Image © Pepo Segura, courtesy of Mies van der Rohe Foundation

Anna and Eugeni Bach transform the Pavilion's walls with white panels. Image © Adrià Goula

In the phase before the 1992 olympics, Barcelona saw a large phase of urban development and architectural projects, overseen by Oriol Bohigas, then head of urban planning at Barcelona city council. 

As part of this development, Bohigas began the project for the recreation of this architectural monument, designating the architects Ignasi de Solà-Morales, Cristian Cirici and Fernando Ramos to research, design and supervise the reconstruction of the Pavilion. Work began in 1983, and the new building opened in 1986. 

Announcement of Venice Biennale 2018 Curator

In October this year, Atxu Amann was announced as the curator for the Spanish Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, which will be held from the 26 May to 25 November. 

The announcement was made on the official instagram page of the master degree she teaches in architectural communication at ETSAM. In July this year, Amann gave a talk at the Tedx:Madrid Salon, an event whose theme public space, with  specific focus on Plaza Mayor in Madrid. Her talk, entitled "Gender, Labels and Public Space" explored the paralyzing role of labels in gender issues in the public space.

Atxu Amann at the recent Tedx in Madrid. Image © MACA

The theme of the 2018 biennale, directed by Irish architects Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects, is "Freespace". The theme was chosen by the pair to celebrate "generosity and thoughtfulness," and "a desire to engage." 

Launch of David Chipperfield backed "Fundación RIA"

Video courtesy of Fundación RIA

One fascinating piece of news that went slightly under the radar on most architectural websites was the launch of the David chipperfield led "Foundation RIA" in Galicia, Northern Spain. Galicia, once a thriving fishing region, has seen some decline in recent years. 

The aim of the foundation, in collaboration with members of regional universities, researchers, field experts and local government, is to preserve the unique character of the Ría de Arousa coastal region, while also working to restore its built and natural environment. Seeing a large, contemporary Architectural studio engaging in a regeneration project such as the fundación RIA is a step in the right direction for the design industry, and its announcement was one of the more positive pieces of news in the 2017 Spanish Architecture calendar.

Rafael Moneo awarded inaugural Soane Medal

Adding to the list of Spanish architects taking home international awards this year, Rafael Moneo was awarded the Inaugural Soane medal. The award was announced by Sir John Soane's Museum in London and was awarded to Moneo for his contribution in the field of architecture. 

Rafael Moneo. Image © ATRIUM

Moneo also presented the inauguration of the Soane Annual conference on November 1st. The conference is organised to recognize architects, writers or artists who have been successful in the field of architecture.

Read more about the award here

Barcelona 48h Open House

Perhaps the best organised and most complete of all the October architecture festivals this year was the Barcelona 48h Open House. Forming part of the "open house worldwide" series of events, the festival boasted an incredible 220 buildings that could be visited.

One of the many buildings open during the festival, the library of UPF university. Image © Bob Masters

The event relied on the support of over 900 volunteers, and provided visitors the opportunity to enter spaces otherwise closed to the public. The event was held on the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of October, and will surely be repeated next year, meaning those who were unfortunate not to be able to visit the event this year have not missed out completely.

Read more about the event here

Top image: Barcelona Pavilion by Mies Van der Rohe. Image © Anna Mas