Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2024 competition Honorable mention winner in the Large Scale category - Alonso Sosa Architects

We’d like to take this opportunity to introduce the Honorable Mention winner in the Large Scale category of our "Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2024" competition – Evelyn Alonso Rohner from Spain, Alonso Sosa Architects!

Evelyn Alonso Rohner

Please tell us about your company (when it was founded, where it is based, how many employees, etc) Alternatively, if you do not have a company, please give us some insights on your own professional/academia background.

Alonso+Sosa Arquitectos is a small architectural practice based in Gran Canaria, Spain, founded by Evelyn Alonso Rohner and José Antonio Sosa. Both are Doctors of Architecture, Professors at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and members of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, with a strong commitment to bridging academic depth and professional practice. 

Evelyn Alonso is a graduate of the University of Westminster in London, while José Antonio Sosa trained at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Both have lectured and served as guest critics at prestigious institutions such as Harvard, ETH Zurich, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and the Università degli Studi di Genova. Their combined experience shapes the studio’s dedication to critical inquiry and refined design.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been Involved?

Alonso+Sosa Arquitectos has undertaken a wide range of projects, excelling in public and urban-scale designs with a deep sensitivity to context, landscape, and a vision of architecture as a cultural expression. The firm’s portfolio spans multiple scales, from detailed interior refurbishments to large-scale urban interventions, including significant projects in China. 

Key projects include the rehabilitation of the historic Gabinete Literario, the Casas Consistoriales of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and the Judicial Headquarters in Las Palmas. The firm has also been recognized for its built designs, such as the award-winning Bandama House Refurbishment, which earned the S. ARCH 2021 Best Completed Project award, as well as their visionary proposal that won the Gold Medal at the Miami Beach Biennial. 

The practice has received widespread recognition through awards and publications. Evelyn Alonso's individual accolades include the Woman in Construction Award, and her doctoral thesis was honored as the Best Architecture Thesis at the Arquiatesis Biennial. 

Alonso+Sosa’s work has been exhibited globally in cities such as Seoul, New York, Beijing, and São Paulo, as well as at events like the Ibero-American Biennial in Paraguay. Their projects have also been extensively published, reflecting the firm’s significant influence on both professional and academic platforms.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

We engage in architecture competitions because they challenge us forward, forcing us to think sharper, act faster, and question deeper. They are about testing the limits of what architecture can propose—ideas untethered from constraints yet grounded in urgency. 

Competitions are arenas for experimentation, where research becomes design. They force us to confront complexity, navigate contradictions, and provoke new ways of thinking about space, society, and the environment. For us, competitions are not a distraction; they are a way to operate on the edge and test architecture in its purest and most speculative form.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

We engage in architecture competitions because they push us forward, compelling us to think more critically, act more swiftly, and question more deeply. Competitions test the limits of what architecture can propose—ideas that are untethered from constraints yet grounded in urgency. They serve as arenas for experimentation, where research transforms into design. Competitions challenge us to confront complexity, navigate contradictions, and provoke new ways of thinking about space, society, and the environment. For us, they are not a distraction but a way to operate on the edge and test architecture in its purest and most speculative form.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

Competitions allow you to step outside the confines of conventional practice, offering a space to test your creativity against real-world problems while refining your process and discipline. They foster growth, not just individually but as part of a team, teaching collaboration under pressure and building resilience.