Architecture News Plus (ANP) – Architecture and Design Magazine

Virai Arquitectos

Profile of Virai Arquitectos, headquartered in Spain. Two projects submitted by Virai Arquitectos have been published on Architecture News Plus (ANP).

: [L-R] Marta Parra Casado and Juan Manuel Herranz – © Virai Arquitectos

Principals

Juan Manuel Herranz
Marta Parra Casado

Brief description

Virai Arquitectos is an architectural design firm based in Madrid. Founded in 1998 after winning a competition for a large cultural and sports building in Madrid is led by Juan Manuel Herranz (Madrid, 1971) and Marta Parra Casado (Madrid, 1972), both graduated from the faculty of Architecture of the Polytechnical University of Madrid in 1999. They have given lectures and run architectural workshops in different universities in South America and Spain.

The practice has almost exclusively dedicated itself to architectural competitions and has been rewarded with several prizes and honorable mentions, most of which are already built.

Since 2006 the office has been increasingly focusing on sports and educational architecture, designing many primary and secondary schools throughout Spain. The approach takes into account not only the functionality of the typology but also the experience of the users and the surrounding context and tries to create a positive environment. Emotional conditions are key ingredients of the design process. Intuition is always important as a way to accelerate decision making.

Architecture is not understood as a speculative knowledge but as a physical reality that has a great impact on people´s lives. Building, turning drawings, ideas and concepts into a reality is important as a way of transforming and improving the environment where it´s placed.

Published projects

: Auditorium and Multifunctional Building in Muskiz by Virai Arquitectos This project proposed a mixed-use building for the municipality of Muskiz with public functions (a small auditorium and a youth centre) and private functions...

: Institutional Winery La Grajera by Virai Arquitectos In the estate of La Grajera, west of the city of Logroño and only a few yards from the Camino de Santiago, we find the Institutional Winery of La Grajera. The...