Our design publications include introductions by Rafa Nadal, Juan Antonio Samaranch, Ferran Mascarell, Jordi Hereu and Santi Santamaria
Luis Alonso and Sergio Balaguer
Alonso Balaguer
Established in 1978 by Luis Alonso and Sergio Balaguer, we are headquartered in Barcelona and we have expanded internationally
Our strong team specializes in Building Design, Urban Planning, Interior Design, Industrial Design and Graphic Design
It is precisely this internationality which underlines and defines our present standing with more than 700 projects and completed commissions illustrating the geographically diverse extent of our accomplishments (Spain, USA, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, China, Poland, Qatar, etc.) Projects which include skyscrapers (second tallest in South America), sports centers (more than 60), hotels (including 'boutique hotels'), residential (over 10,000 units), master planning (Olympic Village for Rio'16), offices (headquarters for companies such as Seat-Volkswagen and Iberdrola), etc.
Our most representative projects include our own headquarters 'Espai Baronda' in Barcelona - an old factory reconverted into multi-functional space that won the 'Contract World Project Award' in Hannover as best office building; the former Las Arenas - a reconversion of a historical bull fighting ring into a recreational and shopping center, exhibited in Venice Biennale; and the Protos Winery in Ribera del Duero, Spain - awarded with Sterling Prize in UK
Ignacio Alonso
Mr. Alonso's career began in London at the Richard Rogers office. There he participated in the design of the Silvercup Studios project in Queens (New York), Las Arenas renovation, Hotel Hesperia Tower, Almada-Lisbon master plan, Seoul Yoido project and several competitions in China
Back to Barcelona he was responsible of the design and construction of the headquarters of Spanish car manufacturer SEAT; and the 'Plan Repsol' in the city of Málaga, a master plan that includes city's tallest building and city's largest recreational park
Later Mr. Alonso moved to Madrid where he was awarded with first prize for Iberdrola Corporate Campus (first LEED project), a 500,000 square feet facility that will have a 350,000 square feet canopy structure to provide shade and environmentally friendly energy systems, all currently under construction
In 2011 moved to New York to lead design and construction of the AIRE Ancient Baths in Tribeca, awarded in Spain in 2014 as best interior design of the year by 'NAN Construcción y Arquitectura '
In 2012, partnering with New Amsterdam Design Associates, Mr. Alonso became responsible of design and construction of over 100 residential units in New York and the full renovation of 187 7th Avenue building in Brooklyn, New York
Mr. Alonso's drawings has been exhibited in the Pompidou Center and the London Museum of Design as part of the Richard Rogers exhibition 'Richard Rogers + Architects' and published on Richard Rogers book 'Architecture of the future' and Alonso Balaguer book 'Arquitectura en tránsito' and 'Arquitectura sin jet-lag'
Awards and mentions
- 2ond. prize Contract World 2011 Award for world's best office building for Espai Baronda ,Barcelona
- European RIBA Award 2009(Royal Institute of British Architects) for Protos winery, Peñafiel, Valladolid, Spain; in Association with Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners
- Finalist at European Mies Van Der Rohe Awards, Contemporary Architecture Category, for Protos winery, Peñafiel, Valladolid, Spain; in Association with Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners
- Prize for Protos Winery, in Peñafiel, Valladolid, Spain; awarded by "The Chicago Athenaeum: The international architecture award for 2009”, in Association with Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners
- Civic Trust Award 2012 for "Las Arenas" Bullring Barcelona, for commercial and leisure centre, in Association with Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners.
- Éxito Empresarial en Cataluña (Management Success in Catalonia) Prize for the Best Urban Project for Las Arenas Commercial and Leisure Centre, awarded by the magazine Actualidad Económica
- Bonaplata 2010 Rehabilitation Award. College of Industrial Engineers of Catalonia award to 'Espai Baronda' for renovation of historical factory and its functional and landscape integration"
- Civic Trust Award 2010 for Protos winery, Peñafiel, Valladolid, Spain
- Conde Nast Traveller ID&D Award 2010, Gourmet Category, for Protos winery, Peñafiel, Valladolid, Spain; in Association with Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners
Finalists RICS Award 2009, sustainability category, awarded by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, United Kingdom, with the Protos winery, Peñafiel, Valladolid, Spain; in Association with Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners
First prize by 'NAN construcción' as 2014 best interior design in Spain for AIRE Ancient Baths New York
Finalist in the 2008 Awards by the magazine Great Hotel, Architecture Award category, for Hotel Hesperia Tower, Barcelona; in Association with Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners.
Quatrium Award 2008 for most innovative office building 'Viladecans Business Park'
First Prize APCE 2007 forBuilding of Council Housing, for 49 dwellings in building CIBA in Santa Coloma, Barcelona
Work selected as finalist for LEAF Awards 2005 (Leading European Architects Forum) for Wellness Centre project O2 and CIMA, Barcelona
Work selected finalist for LEAF Awards 2005 (Leading European Architects Forum) for the housing project "Illa del Cel" in Diagonal Mar, Barcelona
Hotel Hesperia Tower, L' Hospitalet de Llobregat. Nomination for WALLPAPER magazine awards
Structura Engineering Award 2009, awarded by Istructe, for Protos winery, Peñafiel, Valladolid, in Association with Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners
- World Architectural Festival Production, Energy and Recycling, 2009, for Protos winery in Peñafiel, Valladolid, Spain; in Association with Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners
- Quatrium First Prize for most innovative architecture for "Espai Baronda", Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona
- First Prize Salón Rehabitec 1992 for historical housing renovation in Calle Padua, Barcelona. Year's best renovation project in Catalonia
- Finalists RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Awards Stirling prize 2009 for Protos winery, Peñafiel, Valladolid, Spain; in Association with Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners
Competitions first award
- Olympic Village Rio Janeiro 2016, Brazil. In association with Joao Pedro Backheuser. Under construction
- Campus Formación Iberdrola, San Agustín Guadalix, Madrid. Under construction
- SEAT presidential building, Martorell, Barcelona. Build
- Caribe Resort Port Aventura, Salou, Tarragona. Build
- Sunborn cruise ship hotel, Malaysia. Build
- Carlos Arguiñano winery, Guipuzkoa, Spain. Build
- CEFER institute of assisted reproduction, Barcelona
- Loma Colmenar social housing, Ceuta, Spain
- 240 dwellings housing block, Barcelona. In association with Carlos Ferrater. Build
- High rise complex in Plaça Europa, Hospitalet Llobregat, Barcelona. Build
- Secondary School building San Salvador in Tarragona. Build
- Praia do Forte Master plan for 240 residential dwellings, Brazil
- O2 wellness center, Girona. Build
Credits:
- Las Arenas Barcelona in collaboration with Rogers, Stirck and Harbour
- Hesperia Tower Barcelona in collaboration with Rogers, Stirck and Harbour
- Protos winery Ribera del Duero in collaboration with Rogers, Stirck and Harbour
- Diagonal Mar Illa del Cel Barcelona in collaboration with Carlos Ferrater
- Olympic Village Rio'16 in collaboration with Joao Pedro Brackheuser and Ignasi Riera
Links:
- Alonso Balaguer main group: http://alonsobalaguer.com
- 8 al día amb Josep Cuní (01/27/2015) http://www.8tv.cat/8aldia/videos/un-arquitecte-catala-triomfa-a-nova-york/
Sky rise cities World's first crowdfunded skyscraper: http://skyrisecities.com/news/2016/04/new-images-show-construction-worlds-first-crowdfunded-skyscraper
- New York Times - Barcelona, six stories of glass (04/20/2010) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/greathomesanddestinations/21gh-barcelona.html?_r=0
- Architizer 'Timber is the new concrete': http://architizer.com/blog/nice-curves-sinuous-laminated-wood-framework/