The XIII Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism

Granada's Palace of Charles V of the Alhambra has opened its doors to BEAU — The XIII Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (BEAU), has opened its doors at the Palace of Charles V of the Alhambra in Granada.

(Image credit: Alfonso Acedo)

The XIII Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (BEAU), Spain’s home-grown architectural celebration, has just opened at the Palace of Charles V of the Alhambra in Granada. The biennale, showing the best of the best of Spanish architecture from the last couple of years, includes a variety of work that spans heritage, urbanism and innovation, as well as research and outreach work.

Brought together under the title ‘Alternatives/Alternatives’, the large scale exhibit – the biennial’s 13th edition – shows 89 Spanish works that have been carefully selected by an expert jury from a rich pool of some 450 architectural projects and 32 publications, exhibitions, scholarly articles and blogs. Student work in the country is also well represented through the presence of top-of-the-class thesis projects.

The offerings range in scale and scope tremendously – from small-scale interventions and single-family houses, to larger public and civic work. However, they all share a common thread: excellence in design, flying the flag for great contemporary Spanish architecture.

Seen in its impressive architectural venue and Granada's magical surroundings, the event is a collaborative effort, directed and curated by local architects Begoña Díaz-Urgorri, Juan Domingo Santos and Carmen Moreno Alvarez.

Following up on Spain’s success at the Venice Architecture Biennale, where the Spanish pavilion scooped this year’s prestigious Golden Lion award, ‘Alternatives/Alternatives’ will be on show in Granada until October. Future plans include the display travelling to New York and then further afield internationally.

The show, titled &lsquo;Alternatives/Alternatives&rsquo;, brings together 89 projects — The show, titled ‘Alternatives/Alternatives’, brings together 89 projects – the best of the best of Spanish architecture from the past couple of years.

The display will be on show within these striking surrounds until October, when it will travel to New York.

The range of projects spans several typologies and scales. Pictured: El Caminito Del Rey walkway by Luis Machuca

A house designed by H Arquitectes — Casa 1014 by H Arquitectes.

Photo by Jose Hevia of Bosch Capdeferro Scaffold House — Casa Andamio by Bosch Capdeferro Arquitectura.

The Gran Canaria Arena LLLP Arquitectos photo is by Javier Callejas — The Gran Canaria Arena by LLPS Arquitectos.

The Royal Collections Museum Mansilla and Tunon Arq Photo by Luis Asin — The Royal Collections Museum in Madrid by Mansilla+Tuñon.

Photograph by Miguel De Guzman of Vallecas Olalquiaga Arquitectos — Housing in Vallecas, Madrid, by Olalquiaga Arquitectos.

Architect Jose Luis Munoz Arq's House of the Winds — Casa de Los Vientos, by José Luis Muñoz

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism’s website

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).