- Architecture students Sara Cruz and Gabriela Pérez have received an honourable mention in the prestigious International Union of Architects (UIA) student competition, which attracted 587 teams from around the world
- Their project, Dress code: fashion victim, focuses on Accra, Ghana. The jury praised its “innovative and specific approach” to environmental and social challenges
Sara Cruz Francos and Gabriela Pérez Viñoly, students at the School of Architecture of Universidad Europea de Canarias, have achieved one of five honourable mentions in Catalysts of Resilience. Organised by the International Union of Architects (UIA), the international student ideas competition will showcase the selected projects at the World Congress of Architects in Barcelona from 28 June to 2 July.
The fifth-year Architecture students stood out among 587 teams from around the world. According to Juan Diego López Arquillo, vice-dean of the School of Architecture, this “shows just how competitive and demanding the competition was, particularly as they are the only Spanish team to receive an honourable mention”.
Their project, Dress code: fashion victim, examines the problems caused by the fast-fashion industry and the arrival of discarded clothing at Kantamanto Market in Accra, Ghana’s capital.
“Once we understood the situation, we proposed a system that would turn all this waste into essential construction material,” Cruz and Pérez explain. They also emphasise “the support of our lecturers in developing the project and submitting it to this important competition”.
The project was developed as part of the students’ Architecture courses, with guidance from lecturers Víctor Cano, Rubén Servando and Nuria Vallespín Toro, alongside Natalia Mármol, coordinator of the Degree in Fundamentals of Architecture and director of the qualifying Master’s in Architecture at Universidad Europea de Canarias. “We want to highlight the high standard of work, commitment and maturity the students demonstrated throughout the project. These qualities undoubtedly contributed to this important recognition,” the lecturers say.
About the honourable mention
The international jury awarded Sara Cruz and Gabriela Pérez their honourable mention because “the project presents an innovative and specific approach to the environmental and social challenges facing Kantamanto Market in Accra and the surrounding landfill areas”.
The jury also noted that “the proposal transforms discarded materials into active agents of ecological and spatial regeneration. […] The design demonstrates strong conceptual clarity and a distinctive visual language, highlighting the potential of textile architecture to serve as environmental infrastructure and a cultural mediator”.
Other teams from Universidad Europea de Canarias also progressed through successive selection rounds of the competition, strengthening the School of Architecture’s international presence and recognition in a highly demanding academic and professional setting.
The five winning projects, honourable mentions and finalist proposals will be on public display at Les Tres Xemeneies in Sant Adrià del Besòs from 19 June to 19 July 2026, alongside the World Congress of Architects, held from 28 June to 2 July.