Credits

Title: Gutiérrez-delaFuente Arquitectos, Madrid / Shaping the Unbuilt Environment, Working With the Already-There
Curators: Kaye Geipel and Gutiérrez-delaFuente
Venue: COAM, Sala Mercadal. Galería de Arquitectura de Madrid, C/Hortaleza 63, Madrid, Spain
Exhibition: 25 June – 12 September 2025
Exhibition Management: COAM, Fundación COAM, Romina Pasquale
Catalogue Publisher: Kristin Feireiss, Hans-Jürgen Commerell, Aedes
Catalogue Management: Christine Meierhofer, Aedes
Photographs: Hiperfocal
Video: Reframe
Project Sponsors: Alverlamp, Parador, Fundación PECSA, Escofet, Vescom, Ka Dabra, Riel CHYC, Embajada de España en Berlín, Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) PICE
Cooperation Partner: AEDES
Aedes Exhibition Link: Aedes Exhibition
COAM Exhibition Link: COAM Exhibition Link
Aedes Catalogue Link: Aedes Catalogue
Aedes Video Link: Aedes Video
Link Video Installation: Link Video Installation

SHAPING THE UNBUILT ENVIRONMENT, WORKING WITH THE ALREADY-THERE

The Madrid-based studio Gutiérrez-delaFuente Arquitectos (GdlF) takes on a paradoxical challenge: in an almost entirely built urban landscape, they care for the unbuilt environment. Instead of focusing only on new architecture, the team led by Natalia Gutiérrez and Julio de la Fuente adapts existing spaces, revealing their hidden potential. Their approach – Working With the Already-There – understands the unbuilt as a crucial component of an ecological transformation. The exhibition at Aedes, curated by Kaye Geipel and Gutiérrez-delaFuente Arquitectos, presents sustainable strategies for improving in-between spaces through selected projects in Germany, Belgium, Spain, the UK and Switzerland. A central element is the film installation European Encounter Cabinet, in which international experts close to the studio share their perspectives on the future of architecture and urban planning in European cities and territories.

The exhibition is structured into two main sections: The European Encounter Cabinet – The Conference – and The Case Studies – A European Learning Process –
In The European Encounter Cabinet, a film installation presents the cross-border collaboration of Gutiérrez-delaFuente Arquitectos since their founding in 2006. Architects, urban planners and experts from different countries discuss the future of architecture and urban planning in Europe. Participants include Kristiaan Borret (Brussels), Aglaèe Degros (Graz), Andreas Hofer (Stuttgart), Didier Rebois (Paris), Mónica Cid and Silvia Villacañas (Madrid).

The Case Studies – projects by Gutiérrez-delaFuente Arquitectos in Germany, Belgium, Spain, the UK and Switzerland – are displayed around these European voices on the exhibition walls. They tell a story that reflects almost 20 years of architectural practice in Europe. The projects are arranged along a methodological matrix illustrating the studio’s specific design strategies.
A special memory for Kristin Feireiss, cofounder of Aedes in 1980, who inspired some generations during last decades. Thanks for all.