The architect Juan Herreros has been Highly Commended at the International Architectural Review House Awards 2012 for his Casa Garoza Project

Organized by the prestigious British magazine Architectural Review, the International AR House Awards 2012 has Highly Commended the industrial-inspired Casa Garoza 10.1 by Herreros Arquitectos, a Madrid-based studio lead by the Professor of Architecture Juan Herreros.

The official award ceremony will take place next June 26th in London at the headquarters of RIBA (The Royal Institute of British Architects) and Juan Herreros will accept the award personally.

Casa Garoza takes reference from quality industrial architecture and has been conceived as a modular prototype that can be amplified. With a floor space of 75m2, Casa Garoza 10.1 is the first stage of this industrialized prototype. All of the constructive components are prefabricated, manufactured as complete pieces and come complete with interior finishes. Their size has been conceived to fit into conventional transport modes. The finishing layer of the facade and the roof are the only components that are put in place in situ in order to assure continuity, correct overlap and water resistance. Interior partitions, storage spaces, and fixed furniture have been incorporated into the vertical parameters, which also hold high tech installations, automation, and other personalized elements according to the configuration. The final arrangement offers quality, ease of use, control over maintenance and the possibility to expand all well above that of traditional construction. The principles of economic sustainabili y and recycling are also present in the project.

Casa Garoza 10.1 is assembled in situ in 24 hours. You can see a video of the process here:

For the architect Juan Herreros, Casa Garoza is “An emotional experience, that alludes to something architects have aspired to since modernity - design a house that can be constructed in a factory, that can be viewed as a ‘installation’ or ‘piece’ that is more akin to contemporary art.”

As well as the AR House Awards 2012, the Casa Garoza 10.1 has won the Construmat Innovative Technology Prize 2011 and has been finalist in the Bienal Española de Arquitectura y Urbanismo. It has also been selected the FAD 2011 prizes and the Mies Van der Rohe Contemporary European Architecture Prizes 2011.

Juan Herreros is Catedrático de la Escuela de Arquitectura de Madrid and Columbus University Nueva York. He is Honorable Member of RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) and in 2010 was nominated for a medal by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work has been awarded on numerous occasions and exhibited in many countries. Currently, Herreros Arquitectos is developing projects in Spain, Mexico, Norway, Colombia, Korea and Panama.

Juan Herreros has also developed important architectural theory work and published a vast number of articles on the transformation of practices in architecture. This three-tiered professional activity - architect, docent and theorist - has earned him a special international prestige.

Visit the Herreros Arquitectos website

Visit the AR House Awards 2012 website