Rafael Moneo

Born in Tudela in 1937, Rafael Moneo now holds Spain’s National Award for Architecture, a yearly honor bestowed by the country’s Public Works Ministry in admiration of professionals who have contributed in an extraordinary way to the enrichment of the social, technological, and sustainable aspects of Spanish architecture or urban planning. The jury presided by Juan Navarro Baldeweg unanimously decided to give the prize to Moneo “in testimony of the quality of his work,” exemplified by buildings like the Roman Art Museum in Mérida or the Kursaal of San Sebastián, among many others, and “for his contribution to architectural thought,” expressed in books and numerous essays in which with rigor and sensibility he has taken stock of the architectural debates of his time, and also “for his teachings in the world’s most prestigious universities,” including the Barcelona School of Architecture or Harvard’s GSD, where he was chair of the Department of Architecture between 1985 and 1990. This distinction is the latest addition to a long list of major recognitions earned by Moneo, including the Pritzker (1996) and the Prince of Asturias for the Arts (2012).