The Fifth Edition of Mugak/ Biennial Will Erect Three Architectural Installations in Iconic Squares of Bilbao, Donostia, and Vitoria-Gasteiz

2024 December 18

•  The Basque Country International Architecture Biennial, Mugak/, has selected the ephemeral architectural designs that will be constructed next autumn, following a successful call for proposals received from various countries.
•  Etxenoi will be located in Women’s Square in Bilbao, a project that reinterprets architecture as an exercise in collective responsibility through the use of reused materials.
•  The Alderdi Eder esplanade, in front of the Donostia City Hall, will host Levedad y denuncia. El bordado como utopía en femenino, a project advocating for collective care.
•  In Vitoria-Gasteiz, a wall will divide Virgen Blanca Square with Utopia: Prohibido el paso, a proposal that challenges the existence of borders and invites citizen participation.

18|12|2024

The Basque Country International Architecture Biennial, Mugak/, promoted by the Basque Government’s Department of Housing and Urban Agenda, has selected three architectural proposals that will transform emblematic squares in the three Basque capitals next autumn. Under the theme “Castles in the Air, or How to Build Utopia Today”, the fifth edition of the leading architectural event in the Atlantic Arc will construct three ephemeral structures that merge innovation, sustainability, and dialogue with the urban environment and its citizens.

The jury, which convened last week to deliberate, highlighted the high level of participation in the ONSITE Mugak/ competition, focusing on the design of these temporary interventions. Architects from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Brazil, India, and South Africa submitted proposals for the three Basque squares. Nationally, designs were received from Barcelona, Madrid, Murcia, A Coruña, Cantabria, Oviedo, Pamplona, Valencia, Granada, Palma de Mallorca, and Girona, in addition to the Basque Country.

The three winning projects of this year’s ONSITE Mugak/ competition approach the theme “Castles in the Air, or How to Build Utopia Today” from complementary perspectives. Together, these proposals demonstrate how architecture can activate public spaces, foster citizen dialogue, and challenge our contemporary notions of utopia.

Bilbao: A Critique of Thoughtless Rehabilitation
After deliberations by a jury of experts in architecture, design, and construction from both national and international fields, the decision has been made. Bilbao’s installation will be located in Women’s Square, in front of Abando Station. The winning project is Etxenoi, by Bilbao-based architects Jaime Gutiérrez Armendariz and Itziar Molinero Miranda.

The project reinterprets architecture as a collective responsibility. It compares renovations and interventions to the consumption of “fast fashion” and positions citizens as active agents of change in constructing a more sustainable future. “Many changes in our homes are driven by large companies introducing new products every season. This phenomenon within our homes is mirrored in the urban spaces of our cities, where many buildings undergo aesthetic ‘facelifts’ without addressing crucial issues like accessibility, thermal comfort, or adaptability to future structural and formal changes,” explain the authors.

Etxenoi consists of a structure made of scaffolding and reused materials, also showcasing discarded furniture to emphasize the domestic, tangible, and everyday aspects of interior spaces, bringing architecture closer to the general public. The jury praised “its ability to translate fundamental concepts of sustainability, reuse, and urban regeneration into a highly impactful and functional piece of architecture. Its design minimizes ecological footprint while offering an adaptable, functional structure. The inclusion of textiles that evoke domestic imagery adds an intimate and reflective dimension to the proposal.”

The Bilbao jury included the Biennial curator María Arana; the Basque Government’s Housing Delegate in Bizkaia, Concha Fernández Ordoyo; Bilbao City Council’s Urban Planning Director, Javier Martínez Callejo; architect Miren Escartín from COAVN Bizkaia; prominent architect Ibon Salaberria representing the UPV/EHU School of Architecture; and architect Clara Hurtado from the Habic cluster.

A “Stitched” Architecture in Donostia
Donostia’s installation will again be located on the Alderdi Eder esplanade, next to City Hall, as in the previous edition of the Biennial. This year, the chosen proposal is Levedad y denuncia. El bordado como utopía en femenino by Madrid-based Izaskun Chinchilla Architects.

The design reclaims embroidery, a tradition historically associated with women’s care and craftsmanship, elevating it as an architectural and political tool. It not only reflects on the historical absence of female authors in utopian thinking but also asserts their presence through a structure symbolizing the struggles for equality, justice, and creativity in the urban space. The project “stitches” boundaries between tradition and innovation, past and future.

The textile structure, featuring light and curved forms, creates a space for diverse activities beneath it, using tension and transparency to foster symbolic and ephemeral encounters. Employing 3D printing technology, the project aligns with the Biennial’s sustainability goals.

The jury commended its “outstanding ability to intertwine aesthetics, materiality, and cultural impact, successfully translating the Biennial’s theme into a deeply significant and reflective architectural proposal. The project highlights utopia from a feminist perspective, showcasing how traditional women’s practices like embroidery can serve as a means to imagine and build alternative futures.”

Joining María Arana and Clara Hurtado on Donostia’s jury were Pablo García Astrain, Director of Housing, Land, and Architecture for the Basque Government; Iñigo García Villanueva, Diversity, Inclusion, and Environment Councillor for Donostia City Hall; architect Tomás Valenciano from COAVN Gipuzkoa; Aitor García, Co-Founder and CTO of Indart3D (the sponsor providing materials and technology for the installation); and Samira Aït-Mehdi, architect at École d’architecture et de paysage in Bordeaux.

A Dividing Wall in Vitoria-Gasteiz
For the first time, Vitoria-Gasteiz will feature a public space installation as part of the Mugak/ Biennial. The selected project, Utopia: No Entry, by architect and artist Sebastián Bayo, will transform Virgen Blanca Square by dividing it in two with a wall.

The wooden structure, standing four meters tall, invites reflection on real and symbolic divisions that fragment societies and territories. It approaches utopia through paradox: building a wall to question the existence of walls themselves. The project transforms the iconic square, limiting its access and visibility while encouraging citizen participation by inviting the public to interact with and modify the wall as they see fit.

The jury praised the project’s symbolic and communicative strength: “The wall, conceived as a canvas, invites the public to intervene, becoming a symbol of collective expression. This reflective act reinterprets borders as fictional constructs, urging the audience to consider their impact on social and territorial dynamics. The installation is not only a transformation of public space but also a powerful social and cultural statement aligned with the Biennial’s goals.”

Vitoria-Gasteiz’s jury included Arana and Hurtado alongside Igor Díaz de Guereñu, Project Manager for Innovation and Architectural Dissemination at the Basque Government’s Housing Directorate; Alfredo Bengoa, Head of Planning and Projects for Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council; Maite Apezteguía from COAVN Álava; Unai Gorroño, Commercial Director at Egoin (sponsor of the installation); Nuño Mardones, Professor at the University of Navarra’s School of Architecture; and Sofia Lekka, Editor-in-Chief of designboom magazine.

Resources to Materialize the Proposals
In all three cities, the jury evaluated architectural and spatial quality, integration with the environment, innovation, environmental impact, and technical feasibility. The winning proposals will each receive €10,000 as fees for project development and installation supervision, with an execution budget of €50,000.

Additionally, thanks to a new collaboration with Mugak/, the technical architecture colleges in the three provinces will organize a competition for their members to assist in the execution of the winning proposals.

The winning teams can now begin preparations to bring their designs to life in Euskadi during October and November 2025. Meanwhile, the fifth Mugak/ Biennial continues to take shape. On January 15, the next open call will launch under the name OPEN Mugak/, inviting architects and cultural agents to submit activities reflecting on this edition’s theme as part of the official program.