Ministry of Housing puts the excellence of young Spanish architecture on show in Brussels

The primary aim of the Young Architects of Spain exhibition is to discover a generation of Spanish architects under 40 years of age who are admired by their professional peers. The exhibition, organised by the Ministry of Housing, is on show until 22 June at the Casa de Asturias in Brussels, as part of the cultural activities of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union.

The exhibition shows that architectural excellence is found not only in the work of internationally renowned Spanish maestros, but also in the unknown work carried out in the studios of a new generation of professionals, which ensures a promising future for Spanish architecture.

The exhibition, which has already been on show in the Nuevos Ministerios “Arquería” Exhibition Hall in Madrid and at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation of Columbia University in New York, is now being brought to Brussels by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) in collaboration with the regional government of the Principality of Asturias and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A total of 80 large illuminated boxes contain panels showing photographs, videos and information on 62 architectural works carried out by 98 Spaniards living in Spain and abroad, and by six foreigners that decided to create their projects in Spain.

The buildings are spread across 28 Spanish provinces, although 13 are located in Madrid. Furthermore, there are five projects located in Shanghai (China), Oaxaca (Mexico), Groningen (Netherlands), Budapest (Hungary) and Berlin (Germany), reflecting the international influence of the professional careers of these young Spanish architects, who are also interested in education and R&D+i.

The constructed projects are largely the result of commissions from public and private clients for urban and natural environments, for new constructions and/or for works on existing buildings. However, all of them have one thing in common - they were designed to be built.

The works were selected by means of a public competition open to all young Spanish architects. The more than 700 projects underwent an individual selection process by the members of an international jury comprising prestigious architects such as Alberto Campo and Manuel Blanco; and the architecture critics Kenneth Frampton and Juhani Pallasma.

This team was joined by the curator of the exhibition, Jesús María Aparicio, lecturer of architectural projects at the Architecture College of Madrid; and the assistant curator, Jesús Donaire, assistant lecturer of architectural projects at Columbia University, New York.