The Peña Ganchegui Archive presents the Young Basque Architecture Award and proposes revisiting Casa Imanolena

2017 September 22

The Peña Ganchegui Archive's involvement in the I International Architecture Biennial, 'MUGAK', on the one hand looks to the future, by showcasing the finalists of the Peña Ganchegui Award for Young Basque Architecture, and on the other hand, reminisces about the past, with an exhibition on the Casa Imanolena, designed by Luis Peña Ganchegui in 1964.

The managers of the Peña Ganchegui Archive see different reasons why both exhibitions will be attractive to the public. "The Peña Ganchegui Award exhibition will give a broad view of the work produced by Basque architecture's young talents. This is the first edition of this award for architects who graduated less than 10 years ago and who have a connection with the Basque Country either because of their education or their activity. The public will find hand-picked works that represent the most promising architectural trajectories. Therefore, this exhibition constitutes a significant example of the architectural production of our youngest architects, connected by the fact that these works are not only representative of an impeccable professional practice, but also contribute to promote, develop and consolidate our architectural culture", explains Mario Sangalli, coordinator of the Peña Ganchegui Award.

With regards to the Casa Imanolena, Rocío Peña, director of the Peña Ganchegui Archive, points out that "despite probably being the most emblematic single-family home built in the Basque Country in the second half of the 20th Century, and of representing, without any doubt, the best contribution to private residential architecture by my father, it is not very well-known outside of the field of architecture". Thus, the exhibition intends to "raise awareness on a fundamental piece in the trajectory of Luis Peña Ganchegui, based on the original documentation held by the archive. The varied material presented, largely unpublished, will enable those who did not know this work to discover it and for those who thought they knew it, it will provide a chance to rediscover it".

The managers of the Peña Ganchegui Archive belief that "Architecture must regain its rightful position within the society it belongs to. In this sense, the MUGAK Biennial, with its ambitious scope, its multidisciplinary character and its approach of being open to the public, has the necessary ingredients to help promote the contribution of a discipline that, acting in the most diverse and varied spheres, plays a part in the improvement of our society, from a functional, social and aesthetic dimension".