Herzog & de Meuron and Peris+Toral arquitectes jointly win the Construmat 2025 Award

The University Children’s Hospital “Kinderspital” in Zurich, designed by the renowned Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron, and the 43 Social Housing Units “Casas de Tierra” in Ibiza by Peris+Toral Arquitectes have been jointly awarded the Construmat 2025 Prize for Healthy Architecture. The jury also granted a special mention to the WayAir Foundation nursery and primary school in Ulyankylu, Tanzania, a project by Polish firm Jeju Studio in collaboration with Arh+. Meanwhile, the Audience Award went to the 5-star Torre del Marqués Hotel in Monroyo (Teruel), designed by the Aragonese studio edra arquitectura km0.

Out of 15 projects from 9 countries shortlisted by an expert committee, the jury awarded the Construmat 2025 Prize jointly to the Herzog & de Meuron and Peris+Toral projects, recognizing them as benchmarks in the creation of livable, sustainable, and health-promoting environments.

Although the two awarded projects differ significantly in scale, context, program complexity, materials, and budget, both the Zurich children’s hospital and the Ibiza housing block share a clear architectural vision in formal, environmental, and material terms. They stand out for their sensitivity to context and users, their high aesthetic and construction quality, meticulous attention to detail, and technical rigor. From a sustainability standpoint, both projects incorporate passive systems rooted in bioclimatic design to ensure comfort. They also adhere to health-conscious criteria, including flexibility, inclusivity, social interaction, preservation of privacy, integration of nature, and the use of low-toxicity sustainable materials.

Architecture that heals: Light, Nature, and Wellbeing
Herzog & de Meuron’s University Children’s Hospital in Zurich spans around 100,000 m² and was conceived as a “miniature city.” The design features landscaped circular courtyards, streets, plazas, 600 flexible offices, and 114 cabin-type rooms for long-term stays-each one bathed in natural light and offering views outside, especially designed for children and teenagers.

As Jacques Herzog explains: “Plants and vegetation can blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, and materials should not only be visually appealing, but also pleasant to the touch. We intentionally designed these elements so people could perceive and feel them-and ultimately, feel better. We believe that architecture can contribute to healing.”

The project emerged from a design competition held by the Zurich Kinderspital in 2011. It was realized with the collaboration of ZPF Ingenieure AG, EGP Schweiz AG, and Amstein + Walthert AG, among others, and was advised by the Eleanor Foundation, which advocates for universal access to public healthcare.

Social Housing Built with Earth and Natural Materials
Meanwhile, Peris+Toral Arquitectes’ design for the 43-unit social housing complex in Ibiza employs a construction system using load-bearing walls of compressed earth blocks (CEB). This approach provides high thermal mass and effective acoustic insulation, while also accommodating the tight budget typical of public housing.

True to their name, these “casas de tierra” (earth houses) expose the earth walls as a design feature, combining them with other biomaterials such as posidonia (a type of seagrass) on façades and larch wood carpentry, which contrasts with the raw texture of the clay. The building’s color palette is inspired by nature: the clay tones of the earth, the yellow hues of the wood, and the greens of the planted roofs. According to the architects, “these elements help reduce stress and increase comfort.”

The project was the result of a competition organized by the Balearic Institute of Housing (IBAVI) and was built by a joint venture formed by Serrano Aznar Obras Públicas SLU and Cydemir. Environmental sustainability consultancy was provided by Albert Sagrera and Luca Volpi of the cooperative Societat Orgànica.

Special Mention for the WayAir School in Tanzania
The jury awarded a special mention to the WayAir Foundation school in Ulyankylu, Tanzania, designed by Jeju Studio in collaboration with Arh+. Promoted by a charitable foundation, the project stands out not only for its social mission but also for its ability to strengthen community ties and local identity.

The architecture is intended to be familiar and approachable, using local textures and materials that integrate well with the landscape and help reduce children’s stress. Despite limited resources, the building is composed of several volumes built with handmade clay brick walls and ventilated roofs. These are arranged around a central courtyard that moderates temperature and serves as a gathering space and hierarchical hub-harmoniously blending into the natural surroundings.

The Jury
The award jury included environmental architect Ann Marie Aguilar, Senior Vice President and EMEA Regional Director at the International WELL Building Institute; Rosa Clotet, architect and founder of Llongueras-Clotet Arquitectes, a firm specializing in human-centered healthcare architecture and sustainable buildings; and Eduardo Prieto, professor at the Madrid School of Architecture (ETSAM-UPM), director of the Master’s in Architecture & Contemporary Culture, author of Environmental History of Architecture, and contributor to several specialist media outlets.

Audience Award
In parallel, the public vote awarded the Construmat Audience Prize to the rehabilitation and extension of a 17th-century farmhouse, now transformed into the 5-star Torre del Marqués Hotel in Monroyo (Teruel). The project integrates decarbonization strategies during construction, aligned with the principles of the studio edra arquitectura km0, led by Àngels Castellarnau.

The renovation incorporates traditional construction techniques, such as tapia calicostrada (lime-stabilized rammed earth), which provides thermal inertia to regulate indoor temperature. The use of low-impact, locally sourced materials-such as lime, stone, wood, and earth-helps create healthy, comfortable spaces in harmony with the surrounding landscape.

Award Ceremony and Exhibition
The Construmat Awards ceremony, curated by the Mies van der Rohe Foundation and sponsored by Würth España S.A., will be held on Wednesday, May 21 at 4:00 p.m. in Hall 2 of the Fira Barcelona’s Gran Via venue.

The event will include roundtable presentations of the winning projects, featuring representatives from the awarded architectural firms, jury members, the expert committee, and other professionals in the field. Discussions will address key topics in healthy architecture such as bioconstruction, comfort, accessibility, and biophilia, and their impact on physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

Additionally, throughout the trade fair, visitors can explore an exhibition featuring the winning and shortlisted projects, with detailed videos and graphic material, at stand B34.

Barcelona, May 8, 2025

IMAGES of the WINNERS here 

Maria Dolores Herranz / Edu Pérez Moya
Tel. 93 233 25 41 – 2166
mdherranz@firabarcelona.com
eperezm@firabarcelona.com