APE Grupo has launched the fourth edition of its Architecture Awards, an international competition recognising outstanding architecture and interior design projects incorporating the company’s ceramic materials.
With submissions in previous editions from Europe, the Americas and Asia—including projects from the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Romania, the Philippines, Costa Rica, Belarus, Serbia, France and Spain—the awards showcase the wide variety of ways architects and interior designers around the world integrate ceramics into their work.
Architect Sol Madridejos, co-founder of Sancho-Madridejos and internationally recognised for a body of work exhibited at institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in London and the Venice Architecture Biennale, will chair the jury for this fourth edition.
Joining her on the jury are Gerard Sanmartí, co-founder and Managing Partner of Lagranja Design, whose studio has received prestigious international accolades including the Red Dot Awards, IDEA Awards and Architizer A+ Awards, and Susana Babiloni, President of the Castellón Association of Architects (CTAC).
The awards are open to architects, interior designers, designers, landscape architects, renovation professionals and multidisciplinary practices of any nationality. Eligible projects must have been completed and must make significant use of ceramic materials from one of APE Grupo’s brands: APE, Carmen, XLINING or Ilbagno.
The winning project will receive a €5,000 prize, and entries may be submitted until 13 November. Eligible works include new-build projects, refurbishment and renovation schemes, individual spaces forming part of larger architectural developments, and temporary installations.
Full details of the competition and entry requirements are available at:
www.apegrupo.com/architectureawards/en
The previous edition attracted 53 entries. The winning project was House on a Brick Plinth, by Ágora Arquitectura, a house in Sant Vicenç dels Horts (Barcelona). The jury praised the project for its ability to transform two existing buildings into a contemporary proposal deeply rooted in the memory of the site.
House O, by Xstudio (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria), and WMF Showroom, by Parch Studio (Belgrade, Serbia), both received Honourable Mentions.
More about the jury.
Sol Madridejos (Sancho-Madridejos)
Architect Sol Madridejos has received distinctions including the COAM Urban Planning Award and the Best New-Build Project Award at the Premios Antológicos de Arquitectura Contemporánea de Castilla-La Mancha. Her work has also been exhibited at leading international institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in London and the Venice Architecture Biennale.
A graduate of the Madrid School of Architecture (ETSAM), she co-founded Sancho-Madridejos with Juan Carlos Sancho in 1982. Since then, the practice has established itself as one of the leading names in contemporary Spanish architecture.
Alongside her professional practice, Madridejos has developed an extensive career in teaching and research. She has delivered courses, postgraduate programmes, lectures and masterclasses at internationally renowned institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, the University of the Andes in Bogotá, OTIS College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, the Architectural Association in London, Tongji University in Shanghai and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), among many others.
Her work has been widely published both nationally and internationally, appearing in more than two hundred specialist publications and architectural books.
Gerard Sanmartí (Lagranja Design).
Gerard Sanmartí is co-founder and Managing Partner of Lagranja Design, the multidisciplinary practice established in Barcelona in 2002 that has become one of Spain’s most internationally recognised design studios.
With offices in Barcelona, Singapore and Istanbul, Lagranja Design develops architecture, interior design and product design projects across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Its work spans a wide range of sectors—including workplace, hospitality, retail, product design and experiential environments—and is characterised by a multidisciplinary approach that combines creativity, functionality and innovation.
The studio’s work has been recognised with some of the industry’s most prestigious awards, including the Red Dot Awards, IDEA Awards, IIDA Excellence Awards, the Barcelona City Design Awards (Premis Ciutat de Barcelona de Disseny) and the Architizer A+ Awards, reinforcing its international reputation within the design community.
Alongside his professional practice, Sanmartí maintains a strong commitment to education and design culture. Together with the Lagranja Design team, he has served as a guest lecturer at institutions including ELISAVA, EINA, UIC Barcelona and IED Barcelona, while also participating in conferences, seminars and specialist juries in several countries, contributing to the ongoing debate on the role of design in shaping contemporary spaces.
