The Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda announced on 4 November 2026 that the architectural duo Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos will receive the 2025 National Architecture Prize. The accolade, accompanied by a €60,000 endowment, was decreed by a jury chaired by Iñaqui Carnicero and composed of leading architects and cultural figures. The decision, taken at a meeting on 22 October, highlighted the studio’s sustained contribution to contemporary Spanish architecture, emphasizing not only individual masterpieces but an entire body of work that spans more than fifty years.
Antonio Cruz (born 1948) and Antonio Ortiz (born 1947) share a Seville origin and a common educational path at the Higher Technical School of Architecture in Madrid. After graduating in 1971 they returned to their hometown and formally established their practice in 1974. From a modest office in Seville, the firm has expanded to include branches in Amsterdam (since 2001) and Lugano (since 2021), yet its design philosophy remains rooted in a synthetic approach that seeks a precise alignment of form, construction and program.
Key projects that shaped a reputation
Among the early works that attracted scholarly attention are the residential blocks on María Coronel Street in Seville, often cited as a benchmark for interventions within historic urban fabrics. The studio later tackled larger civic programmes, most notably the Santa Justa railway station – a project that earned a prior National Architecture Prize – and the La Cartuja Olympic stadium, both exemplifying the firm’s ability to blend structural rigor with contextual sensitivity.
Internationally, the Rijksmuseum renovation in Amsterdam (opened 2013) stands out as a landmark achievement. The redesign reorganised circulation, introduced daylight-filled atria, and created interior courtyards that function as a covered plaza, garnering the CSCAE International Spanish Architecture Award the same year. Other notable ventures include the Basel railway station in Switzerland, the conversion of Madrid’s former La Peineta stadium into the Metropolitano football arena, the Cornaredo sports complex in Lugano, and the expansion of the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid.
Academic influence and advocacy for the profession
Beyond built work, Cruz and Ortiz have been vigorous defenders of the architect’s role as a coordinator of complex projects. Their teaching record spans guest professorships at institutions such as ETH Zurich, EPFL Lausanne, Delft University of Technology, Harvard, Cornell and Columbia. Since 2004 they hold honorary positions at the University of Seville, where they helped launch the Cátedra Blanca de Sevilla, a platform that links research, pedagogy and practice.
The jury explicitly praised this educational commitment, noting that the duo’s academic activities have left a “significant academic imprint” abroad, spreading Spanish architectural thought through lectures, workshops and publications. Their philosophy, articulated as a pursuit of a “synthetic method”, seeks to resolve social impacts of architecture by balancing formal innovation with a service-oriented mindset.
Why the prize matters
The 2025 National Architecture Prize is not merely a monetary reward; it serves as a public endorsement of a career that consistently prioritises clarity, simplicity and civic usefulness. The award statement highlighted how the architects’ public buildings simplify daily life for citizens, offering intuitive spatial organisation that “makes life easier”. In an era where visual spectacle often overshadows functional integrity, the recognition of Cruz y Ortiz underscores the lasting relevance of measured, context-aware design.
