The jury is chaired by the architect Francisco Mangado, Gold Medal of Fine Arts and member of the Academy of Architecture of France, accompanied by the prestigious designer and interior designer Francesc Rifé.
Following the good results of the first edition, today marks the start of the second call for the “APE Grupo Architecture Awards,” awards organized by the ceramic company APE Grupo, which aim to recognize and highlight the work of architects and interior designers who have used APE Grupo ceramics in their projects.
The president of the jury for this edition is the prestigious architect Francisco Mangado, Academic and Gold Medalist in Fine Arts, among other recognitions. Also on the jury are the prestigious designer and interior designer Francesc Rifé, and architect Susana Babiloni, president of the Architects’ Association of Castellón.
Professionals and projects from both Spain and internationally can participate in the “APE Grupo Architecture Awards,” with completed works of new construction architecture and interior design, as well as the renovation of existing spaces. Likewise, specific spaces of a residence, building, or project that are part of a built or renovated complex are also eligible for the prize.
The prize includes a cash prize of 5,000 euros, and the deadline to submit proposals and documentation is November 12. The submitted works must be completed and must use ceramic materials from APE Grupo. All details of the awards can be found at this address: www.apegrupo.com/architectureawards.
The results of the first edition awards stood out for the richness of the use of ceramics in the submitted works and for their international dimension, which included works from countries such as the Philippines, Costa Rica, Belarus, France, and Spain, among others.
The winning project was “Vitápolis,” a co-living space for seniors located in Toledo (Spain) and developed by the Romero & Vallejo studio. The jury was composed of the award-winning Italian architect Benedetta Tagliabue (EMBT Architects), Tomás Alía (Caramba Estudio), and the Architects’ Association of Castellón.
This initiative is part of a series of initiatives aimed at fostering an advanced perspective between professionals and contemporary ceramics from APE Grupo. In this sense, APE Grupo has launched a series of architecture conferences, known as “Ágora Inspiring Talks,” featuring renowned architects such as Emilio Tuñón, Benedetta Tagliabue, Iñaki Ábalos, Rafael de la Hoz, and Carlos Lamela.
Among other activities, the annual realization of a trends study in interior spaces stands out, known as “The New Habitat: how the spaces we inhabit are changing,” a project that is already recognized by all professionals in this field and has become a must-have reference manual.
More information about the jury:
Francisco Mangado
Francisco Mangado (Navarre, 1957), is an architect and economist. He has been a visiting professor at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor of Architecture at the School of Architecture at Yale University, visiting professor at L’École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Baird-Gensler Visiting Professor at the School of Architecture of Cornell University, and visiting professor at the Politécnico di Milano and the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture Paris Val de Seine. He is an extraordinary professor of Projects at the School of Architecture at the University of Navarra. His work has been featured in numerous national and international publications and exhibitions.
In 2011, he was named an “International Fellow” of the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) and in 2013 an honorary member of the AIA (American Institute of Architects). In 2016, the Academy of Arts in Berlin awarded Francisco Mangado the Berlin Art Prize-Architecture 2017. In 2022, he received the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts from the Spanish government, and in 2024 he was named a member of the Academy of Architecture of France.
He has twice received the Spanish Architecture Award for the Spanish Pavilion at Expo Zaragoza 2008, as well as for the Congress Palace and Hotel in Palma de Mallorca. In 2021, the Government of Navarra awarded him the Francisco Javier Prize for his career in the field of architecture, teaching, and promoting interaction between this discipline and other fields of knowledge.
In 2008, he founded the Architecture and Society Foundation, which received the gold medal from the CSCAE (Superior Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain) in 2015.
Francesc Rifé
Interior designer and industrial designer, Francesc Rifé (Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, 1969) founded his studio in Barcelona in 1994. Influenced by minimalism and marked by a family history linked to craftsmanship, he articulates all his work around spatial order and geometric proportion. The interdisciplinary work of his studio includes interior design projects, industrial design, architecture, concept creation, installations, graphics, and artistic direction.
Among his projects, the Caro Hotel in Valencia (2010), the residence of the Real Madrid first team (2013), Casa Grande Hotel in La Rioja (2020), Sana Hotel in Berlin (2011), the rebranding for Avianca’s VIP lounges (2018), new design concepts for fashion and footwear stores, Nino Álvarez (2006-2022), ASH (2018-2019), Carhartt (2000-2013), Camper (2018), or Scalpers (2024), Michelin-starred restaurants such as the iconic Can Fabes (2003) and those designed for chef Ricard Camarena (2010-2022), Bosco de Lobos Barcelona for the Tragaluz Group (2023), the Roca Shanghai Gallery (2013-2018), the first flagship offices and All in One of CaixaBank (2013-2019), the showroom for the Swiss brand Laufen in Moscow (2019) and Vibia in Gavà (2020), the headquarters of Power Electronics in Llíria (2020) and the ceramic company Farsight in the Chinese city of Foshan (2022) stand out.
Currently, he is working on the development of the new Intercontinental President Hotel in Monterrey, Mexico, the Tritium wineries in La Rioja, and the interiors of the new showroom and offices of Andreu World, among others.
He designs products for national and international companies such as Tomasella, Marset, Point, Inclass, Blasco & Vila, Akaba, Mobboli, Kendo, Nosten Argentina, Omelette Editions, JMM, Milan Iluminación, Estiluz, NOW Carpets, Perobell, Poalgi, Dynamobel, Kendo, Alexandra, Bivaq, BK, or Pummba.
Throughout his career, he has received several design awards such as the Contract World Awards, the Red Dot, ICFF Editors Awards, the HIP Award in Chicago, the FAD Award, several DELTA Awards, and more recently, recognition for his professional career at Casa Decor and Interihotel. His work has been widely featured in mainstream press, as well as in national and international specialized publications and books. For years, he has been dedicated to teaching and has an active role in workshops, conferences, and lectures.
Referrer: Portico.es in Spanish