The School of Architecture at Universidad ORT Uruguay the first prize won by its students Matilde Alcina and Agustín Álvarez at Arqatón 2025, the architectural ideas marathon held as part of the Construction Fair.
The competition brought together 30 teams to develop proposals over a 24-hour period addressing a real-world challenge in Durazno. The winners were announced by the Construction Fair and Arqatón and published on their official channels.
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About Arqatón 2025
The event took place at the Rural del Prado, from October 15–19, 2025, with a focus on the theme “Safe Mobility” proposed by the Municipality of Durazno, integrating public space and urban infrastructure.
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In this third edition, the following pairs participated teams composed of advanced students and architects with up to five years since graduation; the event was organized as a full-day session, with a presentation and judging at the end, featuring mentoring and standardized in three A3 sheets.
The jury was composed of representatives from the Durazno City Government, the Construction League, FADU-Udelar and the Faculty of Architecture at Universidad ORT Uruguay.
- You might also be interested in reading: “Call for Entries for Arqatón 2025, the third edition of the ideas and architecture competition”
Winners of Arqatón 2025
The official announcement of the winners was made by the Construction Fair and Arqatón on their public channels:
1st Prize: La Curva y La Luz (Matilde Alcina and Agustín Álvarez)
The proposal organized the complex using a 7×7 m grid and a bar that connected the outdoor spaces, distinguishing children and adults. A central entrance organized the flow by age groups and connected to open areas.
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Landscaping landscaping formed a “C” that framed the programs and accompanied the tours. Inside, three sections distinguished program, services and circulation–appropriation. The materiality brought into dialogue reinforced ceramics and steel profiles.
The project included the bike path and parts of Hispanidad Park (Durazno), featuring trails for children and adults, enclosed plaza, esplanade and main building. The organizers shared the results on their official profiles.
According to the Architect Maya Suárez, who served on the competition jury, the first prize, La Curva y La Luz, is a proposal of remarkable formal impact, characterized by the functional clarity of the spaces, which efficiently addresses the program.
This work demonstrated a solid sense of scale and a profound understanding of construction and economics, presenting itself as a fully feasible project. The architectural image, inspired by elements characteristic of the local identity, gives the proposal a sense of cultural roots.
The project stands out for its flexibility of use and its subtle relationship with the park; rather than seeking to take center stage, it achieves a design that blends into the landscape, creating a harmonious and permeable space that respects the monumentality and appropriate scale of the surroundings.
2nd and 3rd prizes
Second prize was awarded to the project La Triada, while third prize went to +Bosque, by Juan Luca Terra and Leandro Vázquez, also students in the Architecture program at ORT.
This proposal stood out for its innovative concept, as reflected in its title +Forest by proposing a private park within another. The project achieves remarkable versatility by creating a unified space under one roof that can be used at any time and for various purposes, without confining or dividing the space.
The grid of pillars is metaphorically transformed into a forest, where the monumentality of the piece contrasts with a more “human” materiality, suggesting a thoughtful approach to construction and the application of new technologies. In essence, the proposal offers a bold design that redefines the relationship between structure and nature.
- You might also be interested in reading: “Landscape Architecture: An Agent of Change in the Face of Multiple Contemporary Crises”
Acknowledgments
- Features: DZN Open Space (by Juan Kurunian and Victoria García, students in the Architecture program at ORT)
- Multiscalarity: Ámbar Park.
- Public space: Late Durazno.
VIEW THE DZN Open Space PROJECT
Awards
The first prize included two tickets, and lodging and tickets to attend the Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB 6), as well as two refresher courses at ORT; the second and third prizes included equipment and/or courses, in accordance with the rules.
- You might also be interested in reading the article: “Uruguay inaugurated its pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale”
Architecture with real-world implications
““This bridge between theory and practice is invaluable… It transforms this exercise into something more than just an academic exercise: it is architecture with real consequences for a real community,” noted Architect Gastón Boero, dean of the School of Architecture at Universidad ORT Uruguay in Universidad ORT Uruguay, who was present at the awards ceremony.
Architect Boero highlighted the commitment of the Durazno Municipal Government and the importance of this type of competition, summarizing:
“Competition as an indispensable driver of development and social prosperity… the challenge of competition improves ideas, pushes them further.”
- You might also be interested in reading: “Re-imagining Plaza Canadá: Inter-university Collaboration at the MNAV with the Canadian Embassy”
Contributions of the winning project to the theme “Safe Mobility”
- Order and clarity. The 7×7 grid and the bar separated functional logic and clarified navigation paths, enhancing safety in circulation according to age groups.
- Transitions between public spaces and buildings. The central entrance and the landscaped C connected the plaza, esplanade and building, with visual control and waiting and meeting.
- Materials and maintenance. The combination of ceramic and steel strengthened the whole and established a contemporary identity based on durability.
- Active learning program. The circuits for children and adults combined experiential learning with the use of public space.
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The School of Architecture congratulates studentsMatilde Alcina, Agustín Álvarez, Juan Luca Terra, Leandro Vázquez, Juan Kurunian, and Victoria García on their well-deserved awards.