Great Speaker at SHARE Athens 2019 – Francisco MANGADO | Founder of Francisco Mangado, SPAIN
With over 3,000 attendees, 225+ speakers from 25+ countries, and 9 successful conferences already completed in 2019, SHARE Architects continues its mission to bring excellence in architecture with a 2nd edition of SHARE Athens, on November 26 at Benaki Museum, 138 PIREOS ST. A widespread community of seniors architects, urban planners, constructors, and designers will attend the conference to discuss and debate over a series of interesting topics in architecture and beyond. From their most recently awarded projects to upcoming trends and projections for the future, SHARE Athens will be all about building momentum and connecting people through architecture.
Francisco Mangado defines architecture as the answer to a problem. That problem might be either the lack of hope that overflows the world right now, appearance being perceived as more important than the content or the financial spectrum which begins to be the first reference nowadays from the architect’s point of view. He considers that architecture is a tool that can shape situations and circumstances. With an amazing list of prizes, publication, projects and with a documentary movie made after himself, “Architecture with the left hand”, he is also pursuing a teaching career in School of Architecture at the University of Navarra, his hometown, since 1982, using the educational method to shape and to leave inheritance his principles. He was a guest professor at a large number of universities, including Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, Yale University, Cornell University and Polytechnic of Milan.
Image 1. Congress Palace and Hotel in Palma de Mallorca / SPAIN; Photographs: Juan Rodríguez
Some examples of his works are the Palace of Congresses and Auditorium of Navarre named Baluarte (2003), an amazing example of creating a network between two urban tissues which developed under different circumstances, the historic core and the later gridded extensions of the city, the Field of Soccer of Palencia (2006), the Municipal Center of Exhibitions and Congresses of Avila (2009),the Fine Arts Museum of Asturias, the Archaeology Museum of Vitoria (2009) and the last but not least Palau de Congressos de Palma de Mallorca (2016).
Image 2. Baluarte. Auditorium And Congress Center Of Navarre / SPAIN; Photograph: Jose Manuel Cutillas
This Congress Palace irregular geometry sets the new urban outline of the city, creating this urban boundary that accommodates a major project with a complex program, connecting with the sea.
Believing in an architecture born in content, the temporal dimension becomes essential for him. Mangado considers that good architecture is born out of certain needs and certain reality, creating quality spaces, not only physically, but also spiritually. The aim and purpose of architecture in his vision is the well being of the persons that experience a certain space.
He describes his own architecture as an architecture that has the ability to solve problems and can inspire beauty at the same time, this being a concept that is codependent with the answers given to the content. Materiality becomes an esthetic method to create emotions, states of mind and to adapt architecture to the environment.
In June 2008, he founded the Architecture and Society Foundation, which works to favor the interaction of architecture with other disciplines of creation, thought, and economics. In September 2015, the CSCAE Medal (Superior Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain) was awarded to this foundation as an entity that has accredited activity of fundamental relevance in the field of promotion, dissemination and public presence of Architecture. In July 2015, the Biennial Governing Council appointed him General Coordinator of Biennials. Under his coordination, the Golden Lion of the exhibition was granted to the Spanish Pavilion in Venice in May 2016.
Thanks to this professional work he has received several awards and distinctions: The Thiene Architecture Award (1993), the Architecti Award (1993), the CEOE Award and the FAD (1997). Dalí Square in Madrid won the First Prize in the XX edition of the 2005 Urbanism, Architecture and Public Works Awards, awarded by the Madrid City Council.
Image 3. Soccer Stadium La Balastera / SPAIN; Photograph: Roland Halbe
In addition, he has won the First Prize at the Saloni Architecture Awards 2007, the Enor Grand Prize for Architecture 2007, as well as the First Architecture Prize of the COAL 2007 in the category new building of public buildings by the “Nueva Balastera” Football Stadium in Palencia. In May 2017 the headquarters of the Norvento Building receives the International Prize for Sustainable Architecture Fassa Bortolo: Silver Medal, in October of the same year it is chosen the winning project in the Architectural Design / Other Architecture category at the 2017 American Architecture Awards, in 2018 it receives the Chicago Athenaeum, the Mapei Prize for Sustainable Architecture and the Architecture Prize of the Autonomous Community of Galicia in the category of Special Prize for Sustainability.
Image 4. Fine Arts Museum of Asturias / SPAIN Photograph: Pedro Pegenaute
Image 5. Health Center In San Juan / SPAIN Photograph: Roland Halbe
About the architect
Francisco Mangado was born in Navarre in 1957. He earned his architecture degree from the University of Navarre School of Architecture in 1982, and has since made this institution the center of a teaching career that has seen him serve as Guest Professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design (1996-97/1997-98/2000-01/2007-08), Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor at Yale’s School of Architecture (2008-09), Guest Professor at l’École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (2010-11/2011-12), Baird/Gensler Visiting Professor at Cornell University (2013-14/2014-15) and Guest Professor at Milan Polytechnic (2015/2016). In August 2014, the Congreso University of Ciudad de Mendoza-Argentina named him Honorary Professor. He is a Professor of Projects at his alma mater besides Professor Extraordinaire of Projects in its Master of Architectural Design program.
In June 2008 he set up the Architecture and Society Foundation, which aims to help increase architecture’s interaction with other fields of creation, thought, and action. In September 2015, the Foundation is awarded with the CSCAE (Spain’s National Council of Architects’ Associations) Medal for its activities in the promotion and dissemination of architecture and in the furtherance of its public presence.
In July 2015 Spain’s Governing Council for Biennials appoints Francisco Mangado General Coordinator of Spanish Biennials. Under his coordination, the Spain Pavilion in Venice was awarded the Golden Lion of the Bienal in May 2016.
In December 2011 Francisco Mangado was granted a RIBA International Fellowship, a distinction that the Royal Institute of British Architects gives to non-UK practitioners for their contribution to the field of architecture. In February 2013 he was granted an AIA Honorary Fellowship, a recognition given by the American Institute of Architects to non-USA professionals who have contributed significantly to architecture and society. In November 2016 the Akademie der Künste Berlin conceded Francisco Mangado the Berlin Art Prize – Architecture 2017 Award in recognition of his work.
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