Today, the Royal Academy of Arts announced that Cris Ballester Parets has been awarded the 2024 Royal Academy Architecture Prize. To mark the sixth year of the annual prize, supported by the Dorfman Foundation, the distinguished international jury has recognised Ballester Parets, representing a unique research ecosystem and significant architectural production in bioregional sustainable social housing in the Balearic Islands.
The jury said: “The 2024 RA Architecture Prize has been awarded to Cris Ballester Parets, representing a remarkable, collective research and production of bioregional social housing on the Balearic Islands between 2019-23. The collective was necessarily wide-ranging and cross-disciplinary. Ballester Parets worked particularly closely with architect Carles Oliver Barceló, residents, many leading architectural practices, economists, politicians, manufacturers, local suppliers and policymakers. They developed an extraordinary model for building equitably, re-establishing local material supply chains and manufacturing, with fairer procurement and world-class climatically responsive architectural expression of social housing. The operational model was designed alongside the architecture. They followed completed projects with post-occupancy data to support future housing models in traditional materials. The jury expressed excitement that this focused regional approach is an exemplar that can be translated to different global contexts and highlighted the importance of this networked and integrated approach in the production of architecture to effect profound environmental and social change.”
The jury is chaired by Royal Academicians and founders of 6a architects, Tom Emerson OBE and Stephanie Macdonald OBE, an internationally recognised London practice currently leading the re-imagination of Tate Liverpool and shortlisted for the British Museum. The jury members include architect Stéphanie Bru, of leading Paris-based practice; Bruther, a specialist in housing and community projects; internationally exhibited artist Goshka Macuga RA; award-winning architect Níall McLaughlin RA, Harvard Wheelwright scholar 2022; architect and researcher Marina Otero and former Head of Architecture and Drue Heinz Curator at the RA, Vicky Richardson.
Cris Ballester Parets, 2024 RA Architecture Prize winner, said: “I am honoured to have been recognised for my role within a network of independent collaborators and representing the singular ecosystem we have developed for the creation of architecturally significant, bio-regional and sustainable social housing in the Balearic Islands in the period 2019-2023. For us, sustainability necessitates considering the environment and changing social dynamics, combined with the pressures of energy poverty or economic crises every 11 years on average. Over several years, we have overseen the competition of hundreds of homes that have revived local industries, promoted sustainable local materials and created the framework for some of Spain’s leading architects to contribute their research, skills and innovation to our islands with extraordinary
and far-reaching results. We have had to overcome many legal obstacles and deal with financial challenges to support each of their project’s environmental and social innovations, but for us, it was worthwhile. These homes are flexible and reflect the diverse groups that inhabit them – from single parents to families to the elderly; some encourage other ways of co-living with an abundance of communal spaces. This prize is a welcome recognition of the work of many passionate collaborators and is a prize for all of us that I am receiving on their behalf. I hope our work can continue to be an example of creating ambitious social housing that is sustainable on multiple levels in other locations worldwide.”
Sir Lloyd Dorfman CBE, Emeritus Trustee of the Royal Academy Trust and Founding Partner of the RA Architecture Prize Programme, said: “The 2024 RA Architecture Prize reflects a substantial contribution to the public and a commitment to excellence in architecture and design. I congratulate Cris Ballester Parets, whose work in social housing in the Balearic Islands is a model from which we can take inspiration in the UK. I look forward to celebrating the prize with architects involved in the project on Tuesday 29 October.”
The shortlist for this year’s Royal Academy Dorfman Prize, which champions new architectural talent, was announced earlier in the summer. b+, Livyi Bereh, Salima Naji and TEN are nominated for the prize.