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| Spanish Castle’s Restoration, Called ‘Disaster’ by Some, Wins Prize | Spanish Castle’s Restoration, Called ‘Disaster’ by Some, Wins Prize |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| PARIS — Last month, the ancient castle of Matrera in southern Spain fell under siege by critics who mocked its unusual restoration as a barbarity. Now, an online architects’ community has returned fire, honoring the work this week with a preservation prize. | PARIS — Last month, the ancient castle of Matrera in southern Spain fell under siege by critics who mocked its unusual restoration as a barbarity. Now, an online architects’ community has returned fire, honoring the work this week with a preservation prize. |
| The award, announced Tuesday by Architizer, is a vindication of sorts for Carlos Quevedo Rojas, the architect behind the restoration, in which he reinforced the crumbling stone battlements with a wall of mortar. | The award, announced Tuesday by Architizer, is a vindication of sorts for Carlos Quevedo Rojas, the architect behind the restoration, in which he reinforced the crumbling stone battlements with a wall of mortar. |
| “We are very happy,” Mr. Quevedo Rojas said on Thursday. “It’s an enormous recognition of five years of work and effort. The project and its development was done with much analysis, rigor and detail.” | “We are very happy,” Mr. Quevedo Rojas said on Thursday. “It’s an enormous recognition of five years of work and effort. The project and its development was done with much analysis, rigor and detail.” |
| Critics had called the restoration “lamentable,” and headline writers mocked the project. Hispania Nostra, a preservationist group that advocates the protection of heritage sites, called the new look a “disaster.” | Critics had called the restoration “lamentable,” and headline writers mocked the project. Hispania Nostra, a preservationist group that advocates the protection of heritage sites, called the new look a “disaster.” |
| The design drew comparisons to a botched amateur restoration in 2012 of a nearly century-old fresco of Jesus crowned with thorns that has turned into a tourist attraction and economic bonanza for the town of Borja in northeastern Spain. | The design drew comparisons to a botched amateur restoration in 2012 of a nearly century-old fresco of Jesus crowned with thorns that has turned into a tourist attraction and economic bonanza for the town of Borja in northeastern Spain. |
| Matrera Castle, a ninth-century fortress that is privately owned, was declared a national landmark in 1985. The original plans for its restoration were altered after the north wall collapsed in 2013 because of flooding. | Matrera Castle, a ninth-century fortress that is privately owned, was declared a national landmark in 1985. The original plans for its restoration were altered after the north wall collapsed in 2013 because of flooding. |
| Mr. Quevedo Rojas said he submitted his design early this year to Architizer, a social network founded in 2009 that is a kind of Facebook for architects and that hands out awards in a range of categories. Entries were evaluated and shortlisted by 300 experts, with the finalists submitted to an online vote. | |
| “Many people have been trumpeting the controversy,” Marc Kushner, chief executive of Architizer, said on Thursday. “The reaction to this thoughtful architectural project, though, is not controversy. It is a debate, and any project that gets the public thinking and talking about architecture is ultimately a good thing.” | “Many people have been trumpeting the controversy,” Marc Kushner, chief executive of Architizer, said on Thursday. “The reaction to this thoughtful architectural project, though, is not controversy. It is a debate, and any project that gets the public thinking and talking about architecture is ultimately a good thing.” |