Andorra Architects Slam COAA Awards Over Reclassification and Rule Breaches

Architects in Andorra have voiced strong criticism over procedural issues in the Col·legi d'Arquitectes d'Andorra (COAA)'s inaugural Architecture Awards, though the jury announced winners on Saturday evening at an event held at Ràdio Andorra in Encamp.

Encamp dominated the results, with three parish-based projects claiming the top prizes across the professional categories. The Parc de l'Ossa project in Encamp, by Lluís Ginjaume and Gerard Veciana of Altura Arquitectes, won New Build after the jury reclassified it from its original Landscape submission. The avenues remodelling in Encamp, by Miquel Mercè (also listed in some reports as Miquel Marcet), secured Landscape, while Enric Dilmé's rehabilitation of the Ràdio Andorra building—which now houses Andorra Turisme—took Rehabilitation. A public vote favourite went to Sònia Palau's single-family home in Auvinyà. The jury, comprising Pere Aixàs, Yann Legouisi, and Marta Peris, also awarded a special mention in Rehabilitation to Xavier Orteu's Casa Xarré for the quality of its intervention.

The controversy, which surfaced ahead of the finals announcement on Friday at COAA headquarters, centred on the Parc de l'Ossa reclassification. Critics noted it remained listed under Landscape on the official website, www.premisarquitectura.ad, despite rules requiring entrants to select categories at submission with no subsequent changes allowed. The COAA responded that classification fell "exclusively" to the jury, acting on "technical criteria" given the project's blend of architecture, public space, facilities, and large-scale urban planning.

Additional complaints highlighted Altura's apparent dual entries in New Build—Parc de l'Ossa and Refugi de l'Illa by Gerard Veciana and Lluís Ginjaume—contravening the one-entry-per-category limit for COAA-registered architects. Reports also surfaced of the jury meeting privately with some teams to discuss projects, breaching anonymity rules and restrictions on supplemental information beyond initial submissions and site visits.

From 21 entries, eight reached the finals: New Build included Parc de l'Ossa, Ordino's Centre de Tecnificació Esportiva by Marc Monegal, and Coll de la Botella by Xavier Orteu; Rehabilitation featured Casa Xarré, Sant Vicenç d'Enclar bell tower by Letellier Architectes, Brull i Alfonso Arquitectura, and Altura Arquitectes, plus Ràdio Andorra; Landscape had Encamp avenues remodelling and Plaça del Poble by Marta Ruiz and Mario Blanco—fewer than the rules' minimum of five per category.

COAA dean Laura Sànchez opened and closed the gala, praising the "extraordinary level" of submissions as a reflection of professionals' commitment to improving Andorra. She described the awards as more than a prize-giving, aimed at recognising architecture's role in enhancing lives and fostering reflection on the country's built environment. The COAA has not addressed the dual-entry or private meeting claims further. From next year, awards will recognise only works completed in the previous year.