A wall will divide Plaza de la Virgen Blanca during the Mugak Biennial

2025 January 13

•  The fifth edition of the architectural event will construct three temporary interventions in the three Basque capitals during the months of October and November 2025.
•  After a successful call for proposals from various countries, the jury has selected the winner for Vitoria-Gasteiz: a wall to reflect on the real and symbolic divisions that fragment the world.
•  Under the name ‘Utopia: Prohibido el paso,’ the installation will be four meters high and will divide the square, inviting citizens to intervene on it as a symbol of collective expression.

35 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the world seems to show no end to the divisions between territories and societies. Next autumn, Vitoria-Gasteiz will erect its own wall, an architectural intervention promoted by the International Architecture Biennial of Euskadi, Mugak/, which will stimulate self-reflection and critique.

The Biennial, promoted by the Department of Housing and Urban Agenda of the Basque Government, will celebrate its fifth edition in October and November 2025. Under the theme ‘Castles in the Air, or How to Build Utopia Today,’ the main architectural event of the Atlantic Arc will build three temporary architectures in iconic squares in the three Basque capitals, combining innovation, sustainability, and dialogue with the urban environment and citizens.

In addition to the winner, two other proposals were awarded. In Vitoria-Gasteiz, all three address the concept of utopia from an expressive and participatory dimension. The projects explore how architecture can generate symbolic and dynamic interventions that transform public space into a place of interaction and questioning. In this context, the Biennial Mugak/ uses ephemeral architecture as a tool to activate debate about social relationships and the challenges of our urban environment.

‘Utopia: Prohibido el paso’

For the first time, the capital of Álava will have an installation in the public space as part of the Biennial Mugak/. The selected proposal is called ‘Utopia: No Entry’ and was designed by architect and artist Sebastián Bayo, who, although born in Madrid, has lived in Euskadi since childhood and trained at the Vitoria School of Arts and Crafts and the Montehermoso Cultural Center.
 

The design consists of a wooden structure that will recreate a wall four meters high. It addresses the concept of utopia from its paradox: it builds a wall to question the very existence of such structures. Thus, the project transforms the iconic square, obstructing its transit and limiting its view; offering an experience that encourages citizen participation, as people can intervene on the wall as they wish.

According to Bayo, “An architectural barrier that blocks passage and vision of what is behind it seeks to provoke reflection and a reaction against the wall itself. It turns it into a means of expression and exhibition of opinions, a conductor of debate, and a record of its own provocation.” The placement, in the southern part of the square, is justified “after studying the traces of the medieval city wall, recreating a fictitious extension of it.”

The jury highlighted the ability of ‘Utopia: Prohibido el paso’ to generate a strong symbolic and communicative impact on public space: “The wall, conceived as a canvas, invites the public to intervene, becoming a symbol of collective expression. It is architecture that not only transforms public space but also generates a powerful social and cultural discourse in line with the objectives of the Mugak/ Biennial.”

The decision was made by a professional jury with relevant national and international figures: the curator of the Biennial, María Arana; Igor Díaz de Guereñu, project manager of innovation and architectural dissemination at the Housing, Land, and Architecture Department of the Basque Government; Alfredo Bengoa, head of the Planning and Projects Service of the City Council; Maite Apezteguía, representative of COAVN Álava; Unai Gorroño, commercial and marketing director of Egoin, sponsor of the ephemeral architecture in Vitoria; Nuño Mardones, professor at the School of Architecture of the University of Navarra; Sofia Lekka, editor-in-chief of the renowned architecture and design magazine designboom; and architect Clara Hurtado from the Habic cluster.

Second prize and honorable mention

The jury decided to award the second prize, worth €1,000, to the proposal ‘URA: Urban Rain Architecture,’ from Madrid, created by Noemí Gómez Lobo, Diego Martín Sánchez, and Jonas Klaassen. The concept is inspired by water, a scarce resource, and proposes to take advantage of the abundant rain in the city to celebrate it and connect with it. It consists of a long canopy that runs down the square and holds water, creating, at the same time, a refuge beneath itself and the rain that is retained within. According to the jury, “The proposal combines functionality and symbolism, offering an innovative reading of urban space and promoting reflection on sustainability and natural resources.”

Additionally, an honorable mention was given to ‘Arquitectura de reflexión,’ by Sergi Viñals Musquera and Héctor Lautaro Longo (Barcelona), “for its ability to generate an introspective and sensory experience through a serene and poetic architectural intervention.” The proposal, a box of mirrors surrounded by vegetation, creates an introspective space that transcends utilitarian function and celebrates the connection between people, space, and nature.

Interwoven proposals: a dialogue about utopia

In Bilbao, the proposal ‘Etxenoi’ will be located in Plaza de las Mujeres and will propose, through reused materials, to reinterpret architecture as an exercise of collective responsibility. In Donostia, the Alderdi Eder esplanade, in front of the City Hall, will be the setting for a reflection on collective care thanks to ‘Levedad y denuncia: el bordado como utopía en femenino’.
 

All the proposals are intertwined, building a dialogue about utopia. In Vitoria-Gasteiz, the awarded proposals address the concept of utopia from social critique and introspection, complementing the narratives in Bilbao, where the selected projects propose a reflection on utopia from the perspective of sustainability and urban regeneration, and Donostia, which has been the setting for a reflection on utopia intertwining memory, innovation, and social participation. The selected projects invite citizens to actively participate, reinterpreting public space as a place for collective expression and personal reflection. Vitoria-Gasteiz articulates the closure of this global narrative, emphasizing the importance of architectural interventions as tools for questioning, reinterpreting, and transforming contemporary social and environmental dynamics.

Resources to materialize the proposals

For all three cities, the jury has evaluated architectural and spatial quality, the relationship with the environment, the degree of innovation, environmental impact, and technical feasibility. The winning proposals will receive a €10,000 prize in the form of fees for the development of the project and the direction of the installation, which has an execution budget of €50,000.

In addition, thanks to a recent collaboration with Mugak/, the Technical Architecture Associations of the three Basque provinces will organize a competition for their members to submit their candidacies and assist in the execution of the three winning proposals.

Now, the winning teams can begin preparations to erect their designs in Euskadi in October and November 2025. Meanwhile, the fifth Mugak/ Biennial continues to take shape; on January 15, the next opportunity will open to further develop the program. Under the name OPEN Mugak/, the traditional call for activities will be launched, aimed at agents and activists in the architecture and culture fields to develop projects that, from various perspectives, reflect on the theme of this edition to become part of the official program.