AV Monografías 253-254: Spain Yearbook 2023
Since its beginnings in 1994, the AV Monographs Spain Yearbook sets out to gather, year after year, the best architecture built in Spain, taking stock of the principal issues of debate and of the most significant trends in the field, placing them in the context of the main cultural, economic, political, and social events of the time.
The selection of twenty-four works included in the thirtieth edition of the publication shows how architects’ commitment to sustainability is materialized in buildings that make a more efficient use of resources. The list of refurbishment projects includes notable works like Ombú for Acciona by Foster + Partners in Madrid or the Palace-House by Tuñón & Albornoz in Cáceres. Passive design strategies are applied in the wineries by the Pritzker-laureates RCR and in those by IDOM, where the terrain’s inertia is used to improve energy efficiency; or in the university buildings by Nieto Sobejano and by Alcolea, Ercilla, and Tárrago, which promote sustainability through the tradition of courtyards and building orientation. Other projects rely on low-impact, recyclable, or locally-sourced building materials such as wood – Batlleiroig or Haz Arquitectura – and ceramic – BAAS, Barceló Balanzó or the team formed by Matos Castillo, Montenegro and Gelabert—, to mention only a few.
Like every year, the edition is threaded by Luis Fernández-Galiano analysis of the foremost architectural issues and the key topics of the international panorama, with a run-through of the twelve months through press covers, and a selection of the twelve most significant buildings completed in the world in 2022.
