Architecture Competition Monte D'Oiro Wine Hotel Honorable mention – Alberto Ibáñez Puértolas, Mario Vera Sáez, Daniel De Buen Velicias and David De Buen Velicias

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winner for our "Monte D'Oiro Wine Hotel" competition – Alberto Ibáñez Puértolas, Mario Vera Sáez, Daniel De Buen Velicias and David De Buen Velicias from Spain!

Honorable mention from Spain

The four members of the team met during our architecture studies at the Architecture School in Zaragoza (Spain). After finishing the master's in architecture, Mario and Alberto moved to Antwerpen (Belgium) to start their professional life, while David and Daniel started working in different offices in Zaragoza (Spain), developing their careers as architects.

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?

This is the first competition that we have all done together. We are all working in different offices in Belgium and Spain, involved in projects from small to big scale. Daniel and David have recently launched De Buen Arquitectos, where they are starting to develop small and medium scale projects in the Spanish region of Aragon.

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

Architecture has become a way of living and understanding buildings and cities, and somehow is connected to friendship for us. The dedication and time that good architecture demands generate strong bonds between the team members. For us, architecture is a canvas where society paints its own reality. Structure, facade, spaces are nothing without the people’s use. The architect must respond to the different circumstances, giving rise to a project that brings together the different realities and gives the site a unique identity.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

We participate in competitions because we have fun with it, and we really enjoy the process of creating architecture. The opportunities and freedom to design are unlimited, and having the opportunity of being recognized afterwards makes it more exciting!

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

Competitions help to open your mind while thinking outside the box, trying to find the appropriate solution for different problems in other contexts than yours. It is also exciting to see how the other teams have faced the same situation, and the range of proposals is richly varied. Also, for us, competitions have always been an occasion to gather and have fun together away from our studying/working situations.