Unpopular Cadiz castle restoration wins architecture prize

THE widely criticised restoration of Matrera castle in Cadiz has won an international architecture prize.

A Spanish heritage body had called the refurbishment of the 1,000-year-old fortress ‘lamentable’, but on Tuesday it won the popular vote in the architecture and preservation category of the Architize A+ awards.

The projects leading architect Carlos Quevedo, will travel to New York in May to collect the award.

He said: “We are very happy, I am proud of the work we’ve done and we want to celebrate. It is very important for us because it is a recognition for all the work we have done over five years.”

He added that those who criticised the work were upset by change.

Cultural heritage campaigners Hispania Nostra said the project was ‘truly lamentable’.

“No words are needed, you just need to look at the photographs,” it said.

Architecture has seen a growing trend of restoring ruins with blank additions.

Tags:

13 Dec, 2024 @ 16:07

Watch: Women are barred from cathedral in Spain’s Andalucia ‘for wearing short skirts’

12 Dec, 2024 @ 11:10

Experts start analysing Phoenician boat dating back to 600 BC preserved in sand off coast of Spain

11 Dec, 2024 @ 15:18

Spain’s Must-See Festivals in 2025: A Visitor’s Guide

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress