The Official College of Architects of Lanzarote (COALZ) and the Cabildo of Lanzarote celebrated the presentation of the I Architecture Awards and I Rehabilitation Awards of Lanzarote on Thursday night in the auditorium of Jameos del Agua.
The president of the island corporation, María Dolores Corujo, closed this initiative, conceived between the Cabildo itself and the Official College of Architects of the island. The objective is to collaborate in the recovery, conservation, and dissemination of the cultural heritage of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, a line of work that they already agreed on last year.
The event was attended by the Minister of Heritage, Ariagona González, Marta Vall-Llossera, president of the Superior Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain, and the dean of the Official College of Architects of Lanzarote, Miguel Ángel Fontes. In total, three rehabilitation projects that have been completed in the last 10 years and that have unequivocally contributed to the conservation of the heritage values present in the traditional island architecture were awarded.
In her speech, President María Dolores Corujo congratulated the award winners in the different categories, extending her congratulations to those who decided to participate in this contest "that pursues the best for architecture, urban planning, public space, and landscaping."
At the same time, she encouraged participation in the contest, stating that "there are singularities" in the constructions and the history of many of the buildings in Lanzarote, and these "are ideal characteristics to promote awards like these," which are being held for the first time in our history and seek to involve society in the value being placed on them.
The president made a call for "a greater effort" by public administrations to "promote interventions of the highest quality in the urban areas under our jurisdiction," she asserted before making a necessary reference to the figure of César Manrique, who respectfully reinterpreted the architectural tradition of Lanzarote.
The Lanzarote president is committed to maintaining the distinguished artist as "a permanent source of inspiration" and as a mandatory aesthetic reference. "Hopefully he will be and continue to be, because he framed what differentiates us from other places, what makes Lanzarote a different island. So I sincerely believe that these are teachings that we cannot renounce."
Arrecife, a very special case
President María Dolores Corujo stated that the city of Arrecife was "a very, very particular case" in the architectural panorama of the Island. "It is the second most visited place by tourists traveling to Lanzarote, only behind the Fire Mountains," the Cabildo emphasized in a statement.
However, she is optimistic, "I am sure that it has a solution with good urban planning, sufficient public investments, constant dialogue between all actors, public-private cooperation, and, finally, an agile local administration so that private projects advance quickly," she stated before the professionals.
In this sense, she added, "the valuable collaboration offered by the College of Architects is very important, as well as the fact that the Business Circle (CEL) has placed the transformation of Arrecife among its top priorities."
"This is a great opportunity to bring architecture to all corners of Lanzarote and continue working on the dissemination of cultural heritage, as well as the need to continue working on the rehabilitation of public buildings, taking advantage of European funds," Dolores Corujo detailed.
For his part, the dean of the Official College of Architects of Lanzarote, Miguel Ángel Fontes, gave a tour of the history of the Institution's five and a half years of life, highlighting "the work done and the commitment to society that is materialized with the creation of these Awards. The COALZ has consolidated itself as a meeting place, a place for debate, for the defense of the profession, for training, for dissemination, for agreement, for commitment, and for closeness to society." He also highlighted the excellence of the awarded works, 52 works were competing for these awards.
Success of the call
The first edition of the Architecture and Rehabilitation Awards "has been a success," and the contest is assured of continuity. This was a widespread opinion last night. Finally, the jury of the I Architecture Awards of Lanzarote and the I Rehabilitation Awards of Architecture of Lanzarote has been chaired by the Coordinator of the Historical Heritage Service of the Cabildo, and it was made up of members and people of recognized prestige who are part of the Official College of Architects and the Island Heritage Service, and also guests from both entities.
Award winners
I Restoration Award Casa de Máguez: Architect / José Adrián Bonilla and Promoter / Ramón Gutiérrez
II Restoration and Rehabilitation Award of the Casa de Los Naranjos in Haría: Architects / Jesús A. Izquierdo and Ángela Hernández and Promoter / José Antonio García
II Rehabilitation Award in Brasil Street (Arrecife): Architect / Alejandro Muñoz and Promoter / Lourdes Betancort González
The winners receive (both the architect and the promoter), from the Cabildo of Lanzarote, a cash prize: The first prize consists of 3,000 euros, the second of 2,000 and the third of 1,000.