The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture welcomed today the distinction of the Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre, a work designed by João Mendes Ribeiro, Francisco Vieira de Campos and Cristina Guedes, with the FAD Prize for Architecture in 2016.
 
Commenting on the award of this internationally renowned prise to the designers of the Contemporary Arts Centre, which took place Wednesday in Barcelona, Avelino Menses said this award, such as other distinctions already achieved, puts the cultural level of the Azores "in a level of excellence."
 
For the Regional Secretary, the construction of the Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre, located in Ribeira Grande on S. Miguel Island, demonstrates the "right" investment in a project that, in its different aspects, "we may consider already a winning strategy" not only for its achievements, but also for what it has yet to develop.
 
During the prize-delivery ceremony, architect Moisés Gallego, president of the jury, stated that Arquipélago is "an ambitious architectural project." He noted that "the expansion in two volumes completes the building and maintains the consistency between the new buildings and the existing structures of the 19th century, the old alcohol and tobacco factory."
 
"The careful manner of using and combining materials contributes to the subtle alchemy that turns this building into a welcoming place of the arts. The delicacy that does not affect the complex and strong identity of the place and the recovery of the art of building are some characteristics that should be highlighted in a project that returns the presence of the past to the present and the future," added the government official.
 
For the president of the jury, "a hub of creation and culture was born in Ribeira with the mission of promoting national and international artistic residencies coordinated with the whole community."
 
The FAD Prize for Architecture was founded in 1958 by architect Oriol Bohigas and is awarded by les Foment Arts i el Disseny (FAD), based in Barcelona. It is regarded as a reference architecture award for Portugal and Spain, distinguishing works located in the Iberian Peninsula and the islands belonging to both countries.
 
In the 2016 edition, the FAD Prize registered 416 applications. In addition to Arquipélago – Contemporary Arts Centre, the 10 finalist list included another four Portuguese projects, such as the National Coach Museum by architects Paulo Mendes da Rocha e Ricardo Bak Gordon; Abrantes Municipal Market by ARX – Portugal Arquitetos; House of Oeiras by architect Pedro Domingos and Llinars del Valles Auditorium by Álvaro Siza (with Aresta+GOP).