Alberto Campo Baeza, internationally recognised and widely published Spanish architect and Professor at the Escuela Technica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid, received The Daylight Award for his architecture on 16 May 2024, at the award ceremony in Copenhagen, Denmark
Campo Baeza has taught and lectured in numerous universities around the world. He is one of the most admired representatives of the contemporary minimalist orientation in architecture who has developed this line of architectural thinking most consistently, subtly, and impressively.
From the jury reasoning: Campo Baeza's buildings appear to attract daylight on their white surfaces and heighten the presence and healing power of natural light. Light seems to dwell in his white courtyards and interiors, which usually also project a sense of reduced gravity because of the absence of materiality. This utter reduction creates a spiritual or confessional air to his buildings, regardless of their functions. In addition to his numerous, almost archetypically simple, and focused houses, he has designed buildings for a multitude of other purposes, from museums to a bank, office buildings, a sports hall and an urban square, which all share the same intention of ennobling the architectural experience through abstraction and reduction.
The architect's unwavering confidence in his minimalist style often projects an air of silent spirituality, which is a rare, but a highly valuable alternative to today's materialist, consumerist architecture.
Read the rest of the jury reasoning: thedaylightaward.com/laureates/
Music in the video: Svævende Lys, Hvalfugl, © 2024 Hvalfugl
ABOUT THE DAYLIGHT AWARD
The Daylight Award is established by the philanthropic foundations Villum Foundation, VELUX FOUNDATION and Velux Stiftung, and is conferred biennially in two categories: The Daylight Award for Research and The Daylight Award for Architecture. The award is given as personal prizes, and each to the sum of €100,000.
thedaylightaward.com/