Díaz Paunetto Arquitectos wins top prize at CAAPPR Architecture Biennial
The College of Architects and Landscape Architects of Puerto Rico (CAAPPR, in Spanish) announced the winners of the 18th Puerto Rico Biennial of Architecture and Landscape Architecture 2025 during its 47th convention in Fajardo.
Díaz Paunetto Arquitectos received the top honor, the 2025 National Architecture Award, for the renewal of the Edificio de las Artes Médicas (Medical Arts Building) in Puerta de Tierra. The jury called the project “a successful intervention, preservation and renovation, both physical and programmatic, of this historic structure,” adding that it “transforms the Edificio de las Artes Médicas into a contemporary and vibrant space, while maintaining its cultural and architectural relevance.”
The award, granted under the “Built Work” category, is open to CAAPPR-licensed architects and recognizes projects with a significant impact on Puerto Rican society. Outgoing CAAPPR President Alexandra Betancourt said the Biennial highlights notable research and design projects developed over the past eight years by both local and internationally trained professionals.
In the same category, architect Nataniel Fuster was honored for “Casa Froh,” which the jury described as a “complex and subtle design” focused on architectural experience. A special mention went to landscape architect Edmundo Colón-Izquierdo for the Jardín Mirador Cuartel de Ballajá (Ballajá Barracks Overlook Garden). The jury said it demonstrates “a deep understanding of the project’s ecological and technical challenges.”
In the “Unbuilt Work” category, the top award went to “El Corral” by Adorno Arquitectos + KOSY Collective, praised for combining research, residential and public service functions. Honorable mentions included the Catalino ‘Tite’ Curet Alonso Guayama Convention Center by Architectural Studio and Prototipo vivienda unifamiliar en el Delta Tigre (Single-Family Housing Prototype in the Tigre Delta) by architect Oscar Vázquez.
Architect Edwin Quiles received the top prize in the “Research and Publication” category for his book “Mi amor, tenemos casa: una épica del arrabal” (“My Love, We Have a Home: An Epic of the Arrabal”), which explores the untold history of Santurce’s urban development. In Puerto Rico, arrabal refers to historically marginalized urban neighborhoods, often overlooked in traditional planning narratives. The jury commended the book for “elevating the voices” of residents in historically marginalized neighborhoods and for its poetic language.
Honorable mentions in that category included “SITIOS, a Spatial Study of Puerto Rico’s Modernization” by architect Robin Planas-Casada, recognized for advancing heritage preservation and accessibility, and “Purdy & Henderson en Cuba: Una revolución de diseño y construcción” (“Purdy & Henderson in Cuba: A Revolution in Design and Construction”) by Dr. Beatriz Del Cueto, which documents a lesser-known chapter of Cuban architectural history.
