The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau Research Centre was announced as the winner within the Architecture category of the prestigious annual Ceramics Awards held by the Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturers’ Association (ASCER). The building, which opened a year ago, was designed by the 2BMFG Arquitectes and PICHarchitects architectural firms, directed by Felipe Pich-Aguilera, lecturer at UIC Barcelona School of Architecture.

The jurors valued “the innovative use of ceramics and the context in which they are used, enabling the building to blend into the environment. The façade is a permeable ceramic skin, which visually links up the inside with the outside, but at the same time, has a chameleon-like property so that it merges with the outside world.” The enveloping ceramics use the Flexbrick system, developed by Vicenç Sarrablo, also a lecturer. 

Also within the Architecture category, the jury gave a mention to the Patio de los Valientes in the University Hospital Virgen del Rocío in Seville, developed by the architect Elisa Valero, who gave a presentation in our Foro last year. 

The judges of the 18th Awards were Jacob van Rijs (MVRDV); Inês Lobo (Inês Lobo arquitectura); David Lorente (H Arquitectes); Eugeni Bach (Anna & Eugeni Bach); Héctor Ruiz Velázquez (Ruiz Velázquez Architecture & Design Team); Tomoko Sakamoto (Spread editores) and Ramón Monfort (CTAC).

The aim of the Ceramics Awards is to promote the use of Spanish ceramics in architecture and interior design works, both in Spain and internationally. The Architecture award carries a cash prize of 17,000 euros.