The Architect Javier Nadal, a graduate of the Architecture program and a Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from the Faculty of Architecture at Universidad ORT Uruguay, participated in the renowned Archiprix International 2021 competition.
This year, Nadal was invited to participate in the event Archiprix Workshop Rebuild Ukraine, which will take place from November 27 to December 2 in the Netherlands.
Archiprix International
Archiprix International is a biennial competition that showcases the next generation of architects, urban planners, and landscape architects by presenting their best graduation projects. The competition invites more than 1,700 registered universities to participate, sending them invitation letters in even-numbered years.
Only graduation projects completed within the last two years, selected by the university as the most outstanding. Archiprix International showcases these projects on its website, in books, exhibitions, and films, creating the most comprehensive presentation of graduation work and offering a unique perspective on current educational and architectural trends around the world.
Each edition of Archiprix International showcases the new generation of the world’s most talented emerging architects, ready to tackle contemporary challenges. The initiative reflects rapid international developments in design disciplines, with significant growth in international contacts, exchanges, and an international focus in design schools.
- You might also be interested in reading: “Sustainable Architecture and Renewable Energy: The Future of Construction”
In this way, Archiprix International has become a global platform for schools and recent design graduates, highlighting international trends and fostering connections within the global design and architecture community.
With the aim of encouraging talented recent design graduates to enter the professional field, an independent jury awards the best entries with the Hunter Douglas Awards. This initiative is organized by the Archiprix Foundation, a nonprofit organization that holds all rights to Archiprix International and collaborates with renowned schools in the Netherlands to teach architecture and related disciplines.
- You can also read: “What is sustainable architecture and how does it contribute to a culture of sustainability”
The project by architects Javier Nadal, Agustín Piña, and Mauro Morgades
In 2020, in Vienna, Austria, the project for which Nadal was selected and invited to the Archiprix Workshop Rebuild Ukraine 2023 consisted of redesigning the art school. The project was a team effort, in collaboration with Architect Agustín Piña and Architect Mauro Morgades.
In recognition of their work, they were awarded second place in the international #WIENCALL project competition, organized by the digital portal Star for Talents.
The students worked on the proposal in two phases. The first was an internal competition held among the students in the Project 9 course, in which they won first place.
- Read more about the project in the article: “An art school for Vienna”
This result motivated them to refine their project and enter the second round—the international competition—where they took second place. The architectural proposal was accompanied by the following text, which describes the design strategies used by the team:
“Art has been redefined countless times throughout its history. Designing an art school requires an understanding of how artistic languages will evolve in order to translate this vision into a built form. The building was conceived in a very open manner. The formal design is a neutral artifact: the volume is a cube raised on a transparent base that reflects the context, as Vienna is a place steeped in history and meaning, ready to be enhanced. The latticework structure forming the upper part of the building is an avant-garde gesture, a contemporary sign in the historic city that continues the progressivism with which artistic movements have served as harbingers over the centuries. The golden crown symbolizes cultural prosperity, a true wealth that humanity must never relinquish.”
Learn about the Architecture Degree
Rebuilding Ukraine and Working with Water
On June 6, 2023, the Kakhovka Damin southern Ukraine was destroyed during the war. Its destruction caused widespread flooding along the lower Dnieper River and the draining of the upper Kakhovka reservoir. The ensuing ecological, humanitarian, and economic disaster has affected many cities, towns, and villages in the Dnieper River delta (and will continue to do so for years to come).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYLPqm5gMEo
Whether it is the landscape, agriculture, the city, the neighborhood, or the individual home, the city’s own metabolism—just like that of humans—functions and is interconnected with the presence of water. This catastrophe reminds us that the built and unbuilt environments are (physically) shaped by vast and complex relationships with the ecologies of water, in addition to the more ephemeral matters of culture, mythology, and spatial identity that water also symbolizes.
Good water governance is vital and must take into account ecology, climate change adaptation, flood mitigation, and biodiversity, making Ukraine more resilient to future challenges. In essence, the reconstruction of Ukraine must be comprehensive and climate-resilient, with a strong focus on future water-related strategies.
- You might also find this interesting: “Why Sustainability Matters in Architecture”
It is in this context that, from November 27 to December 2, the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) is inviting international designers and water experts to participate in the Archiprix Workshop Rebuild Ukraine.This week-long interdisciplinary program will address water-related issues in the context of Ukraine’s reconstructionprocess . During the workshop, international teams will delve into various case studies in the lower Dnieper Delta, exploring topics such as equitable access to water, energy sustainability, water availability for agricultural and industrial purposes, water management in regional ecosystems, adaptation to climate change, and the sociocultural identity associated with water.
Participants will work in groups, analyzing and proposing architectural and design solutions. Subtopics will include integrated water governance and the consideration of different scales and timeframes to address the urgent needs of Ukraine’s regions. The workshop aims to contribute to a socially and environmentally sustainable Ukraine, maintaining a long-term vision of sustainable development and adaptation to climate change. Designers, architects, and experts from Ukraine and the Netherlands, as well as local stakeholders, will collaborate to understand Ukraine’s specific needs and generate comprehensive concepts for reconstruction.
The findings from the five case studies will be presented and discussed collectively, with the workshop serving as an incubator for ideas and collaborations among international design talent, water experts, and specialists in innovative governance. The lessons learned, strategies, and proposed solutions will be made available for application in other contexts, recognizing that water is a global challenge.