Restoration of the plateresque façade of the San Ildefonso University Student Residence Hall

Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid.
Medal/Award in the category Conservation / Conservation and adaptive reuse in the year 2018.

Dating of the building: 16th century.

Applicant: Fernando da Casa Martín (Director of the infrastructure management and maintenance office of the University of Alcala de Henares).

Reason for the award :

For the high historical value of the façade and the excellent conservation, with particular attention to the maintenance of the historical patina, in addition to the commitment of the University of Alcala de Henares to preserve of the façade, which maintains its place in the urban context.

  • © Baldomero Perdigón Puebla 2017
  • ©
  • © José de la Quintana 2017
  • © José de la Quintana 2017

The jury has highlighted the pedagogical component of the conservation process, that was used and exploited as a tool for interpreting this intervention.

The project emerges out of the need to carry out conservation work to avoid the degradation of the façade, repair the damage already detected and restore it to its former splendour. The last large-scale restoration of the façade (declared a National Monument in 1914) was carried out between 1914 and 1929. The restoration work was complemented by the display of the material elements of a historical nature identified in the previous study, highlighting its numerous constitutive characteristics, the importance they bring to the set, and explaining how they arose in the course of restoration. In this last process, it was agreed that previous restoration works in good condition  that did not interfere with the façade or spoil its design would be respected.

The main objectives of this project have been to recover the visual impact of the monument’s design, to make it part of the life of the city, to see and understand it “as the artisans who built it had done”, as well as to spread knowledge.

Others awards in Comunidad de Madrid: