The 7th edition of the European AHI (Architectural Heritage Intervention) Award has come to a close, recognising the importance of public initiatives in the restoration of european heritage.
All the award-winning works have been promoted by the public administration, demonstrating the importance of heritage intervention and conservation in the European public sphere Architecture studios from 24 European countries have participated in this seventh edition, which now draws to a close, submitting a total of 238 heritage intervention projects. Set up 14 years ago, the AHI Award has firmly established itself on the European stage thanks both to its unique characteristics and the importance of the projects submitted in every edition to date.
Award in the Built Heritage category
The international jury of the Built Heritage category, made up of the architects Meritxell Inaraja, Stefano Francesco Musso and Stijn Cools, has given the award to the intervention in the Het Steen medieval fortress in Antwerp, Belgium, by the noAarchitecten studio, promoted by AG Vespa, the municipal company for urban projects in Antwerp.
The jury considers that “the extension is new and modern, with a well-executed design and a careful choice of materials, bringing new life to a complex urban context. There is a good balance between rigorously restoring the existing structure and choosing to demolish the more recent additions, creating a contemporary extension that enables new uses.”
Award in the Exterior Spaces category
The winning entry in the Exterior Spaces category, chosen by the international jury made up of the architects Michaela De Poli, Gentzane Goikuria and Fernando Menis, is El Firal Boulevard in Olot, by the architects Jaume Bach, Anna Bach, Eugeni Bach, Xevi Bayona and Alba Colomer, promoted by Olot City Council.
The jury considers that “the project is capable of successfully restoring urban spaces that hold great historical and sentimental value, but which have slowly deteriorated, to their rightful place within the life of the city, generating through elegant material and topographical gestures a sequence of interconnected spaces. This is a diverse public space in which different areas of comfort are generated, of high environmental quality, fostering health and encouraging interaction and play.”
Award in the Urban Planning category
In the Urban Planning category, the international jury made up of the architects Ioanna Spanou, Batu Kepekcioğlu and Bart Akkerhuis, has given the award to the project Bridging Time and Space: Master Plan for the Regeneration of Ancient Corinth, Greece, by the Ministry of Culture – Ephorate of Antiquities of Corinth, the American School of Classical Studies in Athens (ASCSA), and the Thymio Papayannis and Associates (TPA) studio, promoted by the Ministry of Culture – Ephorate of Antiquities of Corinth.
The jury has praised the project for “approaching the conservation of cultural heritage without restricting it to the boundaries of the archaeological site, extending it to include the surrounding modern settlement in a highly elegant and sensitive manner.”
Award in the Disclosure category
The winning entry chosen by the international jury of the Dissemination category, made up of the architects Elodie Degavre, Stephen Bates and Mariona Benedito, is the book Ruins, Scars and Traces, by the SIC Studio, promoted by the City Council of San Cristóbal de La Laguna and the Regional Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport of the Government of the Canary Islands.
The jury has highlighted that “through a highly accessible graphic language, including topographic maps, detailed photographs and annotations, the book achieves broad reach for a wide audience. It offers an interactive experience, allowing readers to explore the ruins as they unearth each find.”
New European Bauhaus Special Mention
© Stijn Bollaert
The jury of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Special Mention, made up of the directors of the Award (the architects Ramon Calonge, Oriol Cusidó, Marc Manzano and Jordi Portal) and the MEP Marcos Ros, has awarded this Special Mention to the project Share and reuse factory in Kortrijk (Belgium), by the Belgian architecture studio ATAMA, promoted by Kortrijk City Council.
The jury has highlighted that the project proposes a “comprehensive intervention in a built complex, turning it into an accessible, inclusive space under shared governance.” It has praised it in particular for “The opening of the complex towards the urban environment and the reconfiguration of the central empty space, conceived as a courtyard through which various social entities are spatially and functionally organised. The new configuration adds value to the activities and stakeholders housed in the complex, fostering the shared use of space, community interaction and the social resignification of architectural heritage, thus actively contributing to its long-term conservation and sustainability. The winners of the New European Bauhaus Special Mention and Restoration Special Mention have been chosen from among the 238 projects submitted to the Award in this edition".
Restoration Special Mention
The winner of the Restoration Special Mention has been chosen by the members of the international jury, together with the directors of the Award (the architects Ramon Calonge, Oriol Cusidó, Marc Manzano and Jordi Portal) and the architect Anneleen Stevens. This year, the Special Mention has been awarded to the project for the restoration of the Torre Chiaravalle Nolar, Milan, by the Italian architecture studio Jurina e Radaelli Studio Associato, promoted by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism.
The jury has singled out the project “for its methodological rigour in developing the restoration proposal for the bell tower and its implementation through a strict application of the principles of discernibility, reversibility and minimal intervention.” Furthermore, the jury has praised the project for “not only ensuring the conservation and restoration of historical and material values, but also adopting a distinctive approach to the structural intervention, where maintaining its original logic has been regarded as the primary documentary value to be preserved.”
Built Heritage category: finalist projects
The international jury of the Built Heritage category has chosen the following finalists from a shortlist of 15 projects:
Le Grand Palais by Chatillon Architectes
© Laurent Kronental
Rebirth of the convent Saint-François by Amelia Tavella
© Thibaut Dini
Kunstsilo by BAX Studio
© Pedro Pegenaute
Exterior Spaces category: finalist projects
Meanwhile, the international jury of the Exterior Spaces category has chosen the following finalists from a shortlist of 10 projects:
Memorial of the Former Deportation Station by OKRA
© Aitor Ortiz
Urban regeneration of Corral de Don Diego by Consorcio de la Ciudad de Toledo
© Imagen Subliminal
Plaça Major, Olot by Un Parell d’Arquitectes Quim Domene Pep de Solà-Morales
© José Hevia
Urban Planning category: finalist projects
The international jury of the Urban Planning category has selected the following finalists:
Part Baixa de Tarragona Comprehensive Plan by Territoris XLM and BCQ Arquitectura
Master Plan of the Camino de Santiago in the Autonomous Region of Castilla y León by Rodríguez Valbuena Arquitectos
Disclosure category: finalist projects
The international jury of the Dissemination category has selected the following finalists:
Sumem Patrimoni by Vic City Council
Alot Olot: Arquitectura, paisatge i deliri garrotxí by Un Parell d’Arquitectes Roger Serrat-Calvó i Calm
The Award is an initiative of the Barcelona-based platform AHI (Architectural Heritage Intervention) and the Architects’ Association of Catalonia, with the support of the Department of Culture of the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council and the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona.
It arose out of the conviction that, in the current context, architectural heritage is not only a key instrument of knowledge but also a socioeconomic resource of the first order for the sustainable development of territories.
The origin of the Award dates back to 2011. Fourteen years on, in its seventh edition, the main goal of the project is to contribute to showcasing heritage as a guiding path for architecture in the 21st century, with clear social, environmental and economic benefits.
Since its creation, it has become a space for the promotion and dissemination of good European architectural practices. In the seven editions held to date, more than 1,400 projects in total have been submitted by architects, architectural practices and institutions, from 33 European countries.
All these projects are included and documented in the AHI Digital Archive, made freely available on the website https://www.eu-architecturalheritage.org/.
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