“The highest of architectural standards that reactivates collective recognition of the city and its culture” – Holcim Awards Jury

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    Third prize (Holcim Award Bronze) winner Jürgen Mayer H. at the Holcim Awards media briefing, September 16, Geneva

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    Holcim Awards ceremony for Europe 2005 – Geneva, Switzerland

    Third prize (Holcim Award Bronze) (l-r): Justo Gonzalez Mormeneo; Gonzalo de Benito Secades (Spanish Ambassador to Switzerland); Pedro José Garcia de Barrio; Juan Antonio March Pujol (Spanish Ambassador to the UN); Jürgen Mayer H.; Carlos Merino Agueros

With a high degree of competence, the project demonstrates an innovative layering of varied cultural and commercial programs that serves to revitalize a historical town square. Directly confronting the loss of public space, the work convincingly integrates urban, architectural, and landscape design to create a sustainable response to the contemporary challenges facing the region.

Last updated: June 23, 2005 Zurich, Switzerland

The work also manifests an ethically conscious position in that it promotes a reinforced sense of communal identity for a diverse range of social groups, providing them an original perspective on the city and offering a place for dialogue and exchange.

The project presents a credible economic catalyst for the local market that is simultaneously ecologically sensitive to the context. Skillfully handled is the creation of a microclimate that adaptively reacts to the intense climatic conditions of the region. The hybrid combination of commerce and tourism presents a convincing and feasible model for cross-financing the required investments to implement such a project.

This project deserves special merit for achieving the highest of architectural standards and creating a work that promises to have beneficial and long-term impact on reactivating collective recognition of the city and its culture.