Venue 

The School of Architecture of the University of Granada is housed in one of the city’s most remarkable historic buildings, on the edge of Campo del Príncipe in the Realejo district. More than an academic venue, it is a living architectural palimpsest shaped by over five centuries of transformation.

The complex began to take shape in the sixteenth century as a Renaissance palace associated with the Mendoza family, organized around an elegant courtyard that still forms the heart of the building today. Over time, it took on new roles, including civil and military uses, most notably as the former Military Hospital, while preserving significant architectural elements from each period.

Its most recent rehabilitation, led by architect Víctor López Cotelo and completed in 2014, carefully adapted the historic complex for contemporary teaching while respecting its accumulated layers of history. This intervention received the Spanish Architecture Prize in 2015, in recognition of its sensitive dialogue between heritage and present-day architecture.

Today, the building itself is part of the School’s identity: a place where architecture is not only taught, but also experienced through courtyards, galleries, historic rooms, and the continuous conversation between past and present.