A lovely evening spent at Urania discussing about the sustainable restoration of cultural heritage, highlighting how restoration goes beyond preserving the past—it's about adapting heritage to contemporary challenges. We would like to thank the Urania team, VOLUM3, and all participants for sharing their ideas and experiences, as well as Mapei Croatia for showcasing innovative construction solutions that allow for minimal intervention while preserving the original architectural identity.

We are embarking on an exciting lighting design project with ERCO Spain for the illumination of the Alcazaba of Málaga, one of the most iconic landmarks of the city. This historic Moorish fortress, with its rich architectural heritage and strategic hilltop location, will be enhanced through a carefully curated lighting scheme that balances aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability.

We are starting the renovation works of the Castillo de La Estrella, a historic hilltop fortress near Teba. The fortress is one of the largest in the province of Málaga, covering an area of nearly 25,000 m². Its thick walls include a barbican, 18 towers, and three access gates. The castle had at least seven known cisterns and a grand alcázar from the Almohad period. The Tower of Homage and the remains of its original church belong to the Christian era.

On December 12th and 13th, 2024, we hosted a comprehensive two-day workshop in Málaga, where we explored all the key aspects of the project for the revitalization of historical buildings in Saudi Arabia and engaged in in-depth discussions about upcoming initiatives with our partners from Afniah Engineering Consulting Co.

The latest restoration works can be seen on the Muro de la Vela, the Torre del Homenaje and the northern wall of the Alcazaba of Almería, visible from the hill of San Cristóbal. The works continue on the southern wall, 500 metres long and almost 8,000 m2 in area, where the masonry and ashlars hidden for decades have reappeared after successive removals of the 20th century coverings.

Three days of intensive workshops and field visits to a number of heritage sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 15th to 18th July 2024 in cooperation with ⁦‪Afniah Engineering Consulting Co. The workshops included monitoring restoration and development projects for many heritage sites, and proposing the necessary tools for preservation and restoration, and operational solutions.

The restoration and stabilisation works, part of the Marbella Castle Master Plan, are expected to be completed during the summer of 2024, thanks to the collaboration with the Historical Artistic Heritage Conservation Programme of the Ministry of Public Works and a total investment of 450,000 euros. The illumination of the monument was done in collaboration with the company ERCO.

The preliminary studies of the Castle of Fuentelsaz in Guadalajara are finished, together with the orthoelevations using Photoscan and Metashape. The result of the scan was translated into a dense point cloud from which different projections and sections would be obtained that would provide practical and precise information for analysis, documentation and preservation of the castle, together with a Master Plan that is being developed.

Pinia Pool Bar & Lounge forms part of the outdoor swimming pool area of Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera Hotel with the view to sea promenade. The design is a careful combination of local traditional and contemporary materials, created with the idea of ​​a perfect place to relax by the pool and the sea, so visitors have a feeling of pleasant luxury. This spacious bar, freely available to hotel guests and locals in evening hours, call to revel, explore Mediterranean flavours and soak up the laid-back vibes.

Together with Afniah Engineering Consulting Co., we discussed the latest developments in joint work in the field of urban heritage. The workshops examined best practices in tools and methodologies for the development, restoration and rehabilitation of a number of urban heritage buildings in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. During the workshops, aspects of rehabilitation, restoration and development were discussed to optimally restore and reuse historic buildings.

The energy renovation project of the Public Open University in Kutina was approved 1.047.359,71 euros grants from the Ministry of Culture. With the implementation of the project, 2.737,8 m2 of the gross construction area will be energetically renewed and savings in the annual primary energy consumption of 76.20% will be achieved.

Restaurant Basilico is located in a picturesque village of Mlini with a nice terrace bordering the sea promenade and Show Kitchen & Bar area visible from the street. Guests can immerse in Italian dinner experience, with fresh, seasonal dishes at the table and a welcoming, casual atmosphere that ensures they can unwind and fully relax by the sea, enjoying great food, wine and company.

We would like to thank to the Visitor Center Al-Sur in Yanbu Historic District for introducing us to the local techniques of woodworking, palm tree weaving and ceramic design. This workshop was a great insight to the ingenuity, craftsmanship, and cultural heritage of Hijazi towns at the Red Sea coast in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The first days of February 2024 our team has visited the historic villages at the Red Sea coast in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We have explored amazing landscapes, traditional architecture and local construction materials and techniques to deepen our knowledge on cultural context when working with heritage protection and renovation projects.

The restoration and enhancement project of the Alcazaba of Vélez-Málaga focuses on recovering of the original topography and the buried rammed earth walls in the southeast sector of citadel. The rammed earth walls will be restored with new armed caissons including holes with brick covers and buttresses of the same material. The works will be completed within four months.

We have successfully completed the project that lasted over 10 months and included 70 urban heritage specialists, with the aim to document and preserve several historic palaces constructed during the reign of King Abdulaziz across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We extend our thanks to the Heritage Commission, the Ministry of Culture for their invaluable support and guidance.

The reconstruction works of the building in the historical part of the city of Sisak are underway. The former vocational school in Lađarska 2 will also be given a new purpose as a student dormitory. A new wooden roof, beam-block floor and topping slab are currently being constructed, and the load-bearing brick walls will be reinforced with shotcrete and FRCM in order to increase the seismic resistance of the building.

A group of thirty archaeologists from different parts of Spain are working to unravel what was the first settlement of the medieval Islamic era in the Mojaquera town. In few days they will be replaced with another group of forty archaeologists at the site until the end of the work scheduled for the end of September 2023. Our team has made an assessment and proposal of conservation, enhancement and accessibility projects.

The complete renovation of the building damaged by the earthquake at Lađarska 30 in Sisak is underway. After the renovation, the building will be given a completely new purpose, in which educational and sports-recreational facilities for students and young people will be organized. Inside the building there is a training room, a gym and an indoor swimming pool, overlooking a small park with an outdoor track and basketball court in the back yard.

We continue with the works on the southern wall of the Alcazaba Monumental Complex in Almería. Work is progressing on the walls of the second enclosure on the south front, removing the colored concrete linings.

Merging the Past and the Future with the use of AI images for creating the new development proposals, as part of the program to rehabilitate a number of heritage sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The building of Primary School in the center of Petrinja is a cultural asset, built in 1862 and damaged by a strong earthquake in 2020. The new functional organization will accommodate new uses, including the municipal library, the music school and spaces for cultural associations.

Under the partnership with Afniah Engineering Consulting Co. a workshop was held the second week of May 2023, as part of the program to rehabilitate a number of heritage sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The workshop outputs include a list of development alternatives for historical sites in accordance with the best development practices and international conventions for heritage preservation.

The renovation works were aimed at improving the state of conservation of the tower and its immediate constructions, such as the entrance door and the stairs leading up to the promenade, recovering both its material and formal integrity. Likewise, installations and security facilities are provided to enable the use of the rooms and public visits to all the floors, including access to the terrace.

At the workshop held on the 19th June 2023 for the Heritage Commission in Riyadh, we presented an improved practice in developing alternatives for the construction of the operational model and optimal reuse of several historic palaces of Grade A significance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The results of the workshop will be implemented in the final phase of the project.

Concept Architectural Design organises two new contents in Rimska Street 19, Sisak. Next to the entrances, two new squares were formed as an extension of the music school and cultural center. The landscaped environments will enable a pleasant stay in the open space and the organisation of compatible contents and activities.

In November 2022 we had the pleasure of hosting our partners from Afniah Engineering Consulting Co. and visiting our projects at the south of Spain together. We continue our successful cooperation by signing the agreement to establish a Research Center specialized in urban heritage in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.

We are pleased to announce the signing of a joint venture agreement with the company Afniah Engineering Consulting Co. to document the urban heritage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

First sectoral meeting in October 2022 with the Heritage Commission of the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to present our team in future cooperation projects.

Our restoration works of the city walls of Caceres obtains the VIII Rehabilitation Award of the Pymecon Foundation. A recognition for ALL the team that participated in this project.

Completed the restoration of the main facade of the University of Seville. This project and the construction management have been a fantastic experience with our colleagues from Dedalo and Hermanos Campano.

The works of constructive reconstruction of Prince Rudolf Infantry Barracks after major earthquake in Zagreb have started. The building consists of five floors, all floors will be used as office space of the city departments.

Preliminary project in the vicinity of the Lonja Field Natural Park consists of two renovated traditional houses to accommodate visitors, a new central building with a restaurant, swimming pool, sauna and fitness, covered social space, as well as accommodation on the first floor, and buildings for visitors and bicycles, canoes and quads.

First days of Archeology of Architecture studies in the Cortijo de las Mezquitas in Antequera, within the project "IS_LANDAS Islamicate landscapes in southern Andalusia and western Sicily: communities between Late Antiquity and the Islamic age".

The original rammed earth walls were restored and the restored ones in poor condition were dismantled. An attached tower that was almost destroyed was also almost completely rebuilt. The interior of the enclosure was partially emptied of earth, in order to restore the walls on its intramural face and sew worrying cracks. Railings were placed to facilitate the access of visitors.

The planned building will consist of one residential unit on two floors with a passable flat roof featuring an outdoor pool and a summer kitchen. The façade is designed as a combination of wood and stone cladding, with large glass openings toward the sea.

The restoration works of the Muro de la Vela of the Monumental Ensemble of La Alcazaba de Almería will end in June 2022. The initial objectives of this restoration have been to advance knowledge of the monument, guarantee its protection and conserve it in an appropriate and consistent manner, as well as to eradicate pathologies and prevent their appearance in the future.

The baroque façade of the old Tobacco Factory will be the object of conservation and restoration works in all of its architectural and ornamental elements, including the balcony, overalls, balustrades, finishes, metal foundry and decorative forge, locksmith and carpentry.

We welcome the book by our colleague Pedro Gurriarán Daza signed together with Samuel Márquez and Mª Antonia Martínez "The monumental portals of Andalusian and Mudejar architecture I (Umayyad and Taifa epochs VIII-XI)", published by La Ergástula, Madrid.

We have obtained a construction permit to renovate the roof and attic of a residential building in the historic core of Suđurađ on the island of Šipan.

The house renovation and interior design of the apartment in the historic suburbs of Dubrovnik are in progress. The works are expected to be completed in June 2022.

The Preliminary Design of the Residential Area 'Kupari' near Dubrovnik includes several buildings to accommodate hotel workers. The area is designed with the aim of organising flexible housing units for the community with a central park and common public facilities as added value.

From the hill of San Cristóbal one begins to appreciate the new whitish profile of the ramparts, which is largely the result only of the walls cleaning. We started the consolidation of new parts of breastplates and merlons, respecting original plasters.

Four years ago we began drafting the project that now culminates with the end of the first phase of Cáceres city walls restoration works that include Olivar de la Judería, Bastion of the Wells (Baluarte de los Pozos), San Roque and Arco del Cristo areas.

With the installation of the ramp and the staircase in the aditus, we have completed the restoration of the Roman Theater of Acinipo in Ronda.

The residential building in Lapad will have five residential units with sea views, garage, green areas and a roof terrace with summer kitchen, jacuzzi and sun deck. The residential building is surrounded by green areas with indigenous vegetation planned.

You can read about A&A Architects and our various multidisciplinary and international projects through the years, in a story written by Nacho Sánchez for ICON Design and published in EL PAÍS journal.

Our proposal for housing small-medium-large families forms part of the recent publication of 'Projects of typical houses for reconstruction after the earthquakes’ at Sisak-Moslavina County.

The first phase of the restoration and valorization works at Acinipo, one of the most important Roman cities in Andalusia includes the cleaning and restoration of cavea and orchestra.

After several years of research with Patrice Cressier, María Antonia Martínez, Samuel Márquez and Abdelaziz Touri, we published the study of the main gate of the Šālla Meriní enclosure in Rabat, Morocco and its full-scale architectural graffiti.

Gymnasium Sisak was built from 1930 to 1935 according to the designs of the architect Stanko Kliska. The gymnasium building was damaged in an earthquake on the 29th of December in 2020 and is currently the subject of a reconstruction project.

We have started the conservation works at the Almocábar Gate in Ronda. We eliminate unsuitable mortars and apply new lime ones. In the jambs we apply first samples of hydraulic lime mortar and crushed stone aggregate.

Our model of contemporary rural house at Sisak-Moslavina County for small-medium-large families in the areas affected by the earthquakes has been published in the Croatian daily newspaper Jutarnji list as part of the upcoming publication edited by the Faculty of Architecture, University of Zagreb.

The Plenary of Rincón de la Victoria unanimously approves the Master Plan for the enhancement of the Historical Heritage of the municipality. The Plan will have a global investment of 6.4 million euros for the next ten years.

We continue working on the restoration of the North Wall of the 1st Enclosure. This action seeks to recover the original image of the fortification. The rehabilitation works of the North Wall include four walls and five towers, between the Baluarte del Saliente and the Muro de la Vela tower.

Our new project of the family house Boras on the island of Šipan is planned as a reconstruction of the existing residential building with a rooftop swimming pool overlooking the bay of Šipanska Luka.

Always exciting the first day of renovation works as we start the runoff drainage project at the ancient Roman Theater of Acinipo, at a place known locally as Old Ronda.

The University of Seville will restore the main portal of the Royal Tobacco Factory in 2022. We are happy to work on this project together with our colleagues from Dédalo Bienes Culturales S.L.

We have finished the interventions of San Roque remparts, sector Pozos-Olivar of Caceres city walls. The first phase of restoration include Olivar de la Judería, the Baluarte de los Pozos, San Roque and the Arco del Cristo.

The roof terrace is designed as a series of different micro-ambiences to enjoy during day or night hours in a cosy outdoor setting with a perfect view of the old town of Dubrovnik, the island of Lokrum and the sea.

The north front of the first enclosure of the Alcazaba is going to be subjected to a major restoration work, the tender for which will go out in the next few days for 870,390 euros, financed with ERDF funds.

The first selection of elements for the Historical Heritage Master Plan of Rincón de la Victoria was made with 126 documented assets, which many belong to the ethnological heritage.

We are glad to receive the news that our architectural documentation of the Church of St. Saviour on the main street of Dubrovnik's Old Town will be used in future restoration works.

The first phase of the execution works at the Museum of Kutina will include the rehabilitation of the building foundations by the subconcreting methods and the protection of basement walls and columns from capillary moisture.

We are starting a renovation project of the Public Open University building in the center of Kutina, prepring first the blueprints of the existing condition, accompanied by conservation and restoration research works of the facades.

Rincón de la Victoria will have its first Historical Heritage Master Plan. It is the most ambitious Master Plan in the province, with which it is intended to define a diagnosis of the needs to conserve and adequately disseminate the Historical Heritage of Rincón.

The works have begun on the construction of the three-storey residential building near Cavtat with appartments for the workers of the construction company Gradimat. During the August 2020, the installation of reinforcement and concreting of the ground floor will be completed.

Pedro Gurriarán Daza has been a finalist of the VI IUACC Prize for the best doctoral thesis in architecture and construction sciences read at Spanish Universities, entitled "The architecture of power on the southern border of Al-Andalus during the Caliphate of Córdoba".

As a first step of the comprehensive reform of the Cáceres ramparts, rehabilitation and conservation works would include the parts of the city walls between the tower of Hernando Pizarro and that of Los Pozos. The first restorations already reveal the splendor of the fortress.

The project of outbuildings for the crop and livestock production in the village of Česvinica near Ston, designed with accommodations for workers, a garage and storage with all the accompanying space, has obtained the construction permit.

The restoration project of the medieval walls of Algeciras, an archaeological site in which the Gibraltar Gate is located, has been approved by the territorial delegation of Culture as informed by the Provincial Commission for Historical Heritage.

We start the restoration project of the parts of the Alcazaba defensive walls in Vélez-Málaga. The original walls that remain are from the 13th and 15th centuries, built with lime and sand construction.

The renovation project of the Erdödy Palace basement and design of museum spaces, done in collaboration with the Faculty of Architecture, University of Zagreb, obtained the construction permit in May 2020.

Junta de Andalucía completes the restoration works of the Baluarte del Saliente in the Alcazaba of Almería, according to the project carried out by Yamur Arquitectura y Arqueología.

Our urban and architectural design of the new Airport Passengers Terminal in Zadar has received the international competition award as officially announced at the end of November 2019.