Iñaki Alday, founder and principal with Margarita Jover of aldayjover arquitectura y paisaje, has been appointed as Full Professor (tenured) and Chair of the Department of Architecture of the University of Virginia. With aldayjover aldayjover arquitectura y paisaje, Iñaki Alday and Margarita Jover are authors of outstanding landscape works as the Water Park (Zaragoza, 2008) and the Recovering of the Gallego River waterfronts (Zuera, 2001), urban public space works as the Integration of the new Tramway (Zaragoza, 2011) and architecture as The Mill Cultural Centre (Utebo, 2004) or the District Heating and Colling (Zaragoza, 2008). Now, they are beginning the construction works of the Aranzadi Park and the Meander Centre (Pamplona), the 2nd Phase of the Urban Integration of Zaragoza Tramway and the pedestrian transformation of the historic city centre of Ibiza.
Among others, the office has been awarded with the European Urban Public Space Prize (2002), the FAD Prize of City and Landscape (2009) or the Garcia Mercadal Prize (2001 and 2005), as well as being finalist of the European Landscape Biennale (2008), Iber-american Architecture Biennale (2004) and the Spanish Architecture Biennale (2005 and 2009).
Iñaki Alday will begin his appointment in August 1, 2011, as the Ellwood R. Quesada Professor of Architecture and Chair of the Department of Architecture. The University of Virginia, with its main basis in Charlottesville, is the first public university founded in the United States, under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson in the beginning of the XIX century. Jefferson himself, President of the Union and architect, designed the original campus, declared Patrimony of Humanity. Nowadays, The University of Virginia is, along with Berkley, the leader public university and one a reference among the educational institutions in US. In the fields of Architecture, Planning and Landscape the School of Architecture of the UVa is considered among the best with its small size, its strong selective character and the attraction of national and international talent. With the appointment of Iñaki Alday as Chair of the Department of Architecture, the University of Virginia faces a renovation based in the profile of an international prestigious work and an interdisciplinary academic experience in the fields or Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.
As founder and principal of aldayjover arquitectura y paisaje, he and Margarita Jover will open a new branch office in Charlottesville working in coordination with Barcelona main office. Both the academic appointment and the opening of the new American branch, aldayjover architecture and landscape, face the demand of a new attitude in front of the professional and academic challenges of the contemporary transformation. The role of Architecture and Architects, the interdisciplinary work and integration of scales, the new nontraditional programs as infrastructures and energy or the social and environmental ethics are some of these challenges to face with a global vision.
