The Architects’ Association of Catalonia awards local and international development cooperation grants for architecture and urban planning, which this year are being awarded for the sixth time. Of the ten projects submitted, an evaluation was made of their compliance with the basic rules, the architectural proposition, the use of local materials and their level of social participation.
The grants, which amount to a total of €48,000, were awarded to the following organizations:
LOCAL:
· Arquitectura sense fronteres Project: Towards social inclusion and access to decent housing Head architect: Carles Bonet Pijoan Amount awarded: €3,500
· Base-A Project: Punt Raval! Improving living conditions Head architect: Antonio M. Solanas Cànovas Amount awarded: €3,500
· Urbanitas Berlín-Barcelona Project: Arxiu Alícia. Childhood, experience and public spaces Head architect: Amaya Martínez Marcos Amount awarded: €3,000
INTERNATIONAL:
· Amics de Boulembou Project: Teachers’ housing in Boulembou Head architect: Lurdes Ferran Vilar Amount awarded: €4,500
· Amics del Nepal Project: Awasuka. Improving living conditions and earthquake-proof reconstruction in Bhimphedi Head architect: Mònica Sans Duran Amount awarded: 6,500
· Associació Nasco Foundation Project: Strengthening the Sawla community through support for education, ICT tools and local cooperatives Head architect: Berta Marin Pascal Amount awarded: €6,500
· Fundació Foundawtion Project: School in Thionck Essyl in Senegal Head architect: David Garcia Martínez Amount awarded: €7,000
· Fundació Talibés Project: Construction of a classroom wing in the rural town of Ndangane in Senegal Head architect: Anna Altemir Montaner Amount awarded: €6,500
· NGO Kasamu Aku Projectes (Solidaritat amb Casamance) Project: Reconstruction of classrooms for the socio-educational support of the Cabrousse nursery school Head architect: José Gaspar de Valenzuela de Ros Amount awarded: €4,000
· Open Cultural Center Project: OCCycling Head architect: Maria Alejandre Galiano Amount awarded: €3,000
These grants reflect the Association’s determination to showcase the social function of architecture and to devote 0.7% of the annual ordinary budget of its governing bodies to social projects..