Batlle i Roig / Rafael de La-Hoz

Created in 1981, the Spanish Association of Architecture Institutes gives its Gold Medal to people or institutions that have contributed significantly to the defense of the interests of architecture, or to architects who have carried out relevant work in the field, as was the case of previous awardees like Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra (2016), Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz (2014), or Javier Carvajal (2012). In the edition of 2017, the prize has gone to two dissimilar studios, both with long careers: the studio of Enric Batlle and Joan Roig, based in Esplugues de Llobregat; and the office of Rafael de La-Hoz Castanys, based in Madrid. The work of the first studio is characterized by its sensibility when working in natural landscapes, as well as by its delicate architecture, rooted in its context; the second office, by its professional structure and capacity to handle corporate and international commissions, delivered with iconic value and technological skill. Awards have also gone to Grupo de Estudios y Alternativas GEA 21 and Mª Ángeles López Amado, director-general for architecture and housing of the government of Extremadura.