Renovating existing buildings: two Spanish star architects in Naples

Spanish designers Fuensanta Nieto and Elisa Valero will be the featured speakers at the conference "Architecture in Spain: Between Memory and Innovation," which will be held on Thursday, September 25 , from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., in the Sala Catasti (Catasti Hall) of the Naples State Archives , located at Piazzetta del Grande Archivio 5. The conference aims to highlight the importance Spain places on the restoration, reuse, and expansion of existing buildings. During the conference, the Spanish designers will present some of their most recent works, showcasing their approach and design philosophy in contemporary architecture with respect to environmental sustainability, technological innovation, the circular economy, respect for humanity, and the historical-urban context.

The initiative "Architecture in Spain. Between Memory and Innovation. A Talk with Fuensanta Nieto and Elisa Valero," promoted by the Order of Architects of Naples and its Province, is curated by architect Arianna Callocchia. The aim is to continue highlighting the role women play in architecture, creating an opportunity for discussion, professional exchange, and dialogue between the Italian and international contexts. After greetings from Ferdinando Salemme , Director of the State Archives of Naples, Lorenzo Capobianco, President of the Order of Architects PPC of Naples and Province, Carlos Tercero, Cultural Advisor of the Spanish Embassy in Italy and Ana Navarro , Director of the Instituto Cervantes of Naples, the conference, moderated by Antonio Coppola, Vice President of OAPPC Naples and Province with responsibility for Training, will feature two presentations by Fuensanta Nieto, Founding Member of Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos of Madrid and Elisa Valero, Founder of the Elisa Valero studio of Granada. The meeting, organized under the patronage of the Spanish Embassy in Italy and the Instituto Cervantes in Naples, is also made possible thanks to the valuable collaboration of the State Archives of Naples, which, as a preview of the 2025 European Heritage Days, will exhibit in the Catasti Hall some projects by Giovanni Antonio Medrano, appointed major engineer to Charles of Bourbon in 1735. The presentations by the two Spanish speakers will be held in Spanish, and the discussion will be followed by consecutive translation into Italian. Admission is free and open to the public.