The Malaga College of Architects has selected our Casa Patio project for the 2026 Architecture Awards

More than 120 candidacies were submitted for the 18th edition of the Málaga Architecture Awards, one of the most prestigious competitions in the sector in our province, which recognizes excellence in contemporary architectural projects.

These 120 entries were divided into seven different categories. The Casa Patio project on the Teatinos campus, submitted under the title “Renaturalization of Casa Patio 2.12 using evapotranspirative ceramic elements,” was accepted into the GUERRERO STRACHAN MÁLAGA ARCHITECTURE AWARD category, where a total of six candidacies were selected.

According to the contest rules, some of the jury’s evaluation criteria for assessing the submitted projects were:

• The exemplary nature of the proposals in terms of their ability to contribute to the dissemination of the cultural values of architecture in society
• The ability of the selected proposals to contribute to the urban space or its context
• The innovative approach of the proposal, in terms of its scope and understanding as R&D, as well as its value within the field of sustainability

Given the rigor of the criteria and the excellence of the jury, we cannot help but feel validated in our work by the inclusion of the Casa Patio 2.12 project as a contender in the competition.

Guerrero Strachan Málaga Architecture Award

The category in which we were selected aimed to recognize architectural projects involving pre-existing buildings or sites located in the province of Málaga, across all scales and types of intervention: rehabilitation, conservation, restoration, and/or enhancement of architectural or archaeological remains.

The Lab Patio 2.12 project is built upon the Casa Patio on the Teatinos campus of the University of Málaga, a building constructed in 2012. Originally, the project was a prototype designed by students from technical architectural colleges in Seville, Granada, Jaén, and Málaga as their entry for the international Solar Decathlon Europe competition, where it won second prize.

Over time, the project was practically abandoned, until, a few years ago, we were able to reclaim the space and transform it into a bioclimatic laboratory where we can experiment with and develop passive thermal comfort systems that require little to no energy consumption.

This initiative brings together clay-based technologies, vernacular architecture, innovation, and the key principles of bioclimatic design and circular economy. The recognition from the Malaga College of Architects acknowledges our work as a viable response to architectural and urban planning challenges in the era of the climate crisis.

On behalf of todobarro, we would like to thank the jury for including us as nominees in the competition, and we extend our most sincere congratulations to the winners: Ignacio and Gonzalo Merino of the Flow81 studio, who took first place in the category with their project to renovate the Call Center building into an educational space for the Atlantic-Mediterranean Technological University (UTAMED).

Photos by marinamluna