There was a time (quite recent, and historically almost present) when contemporary Canarian architecture didn’t just focus on functionality but pushed the boundaries of what was possible, dreaming of new forms and engaging with the landscape in its own unique way. This period peaked in the early 21st century when, quite unexpectedly yet deservedly, the Canary Islands shone on the international stage. They became Spain’s architectural beacon at the MoMA exhibition “On-Site: New Architecture in Spain” in New York in 2006.
What happened since then? Where did that boldness go, the one that put us on the cover of the exhibition catalogue? Today, we can’t say the architecture on the islands isn’t good. It meets European standards, works well, integrates… but does it move us? Does it surprise us? With a few honourable exceptions, it seems to have lost its visionary breath and the ability to look beyond technique to find the soul of what is built.
Architecture is not just form, volume, and function. It is the dialogue between the ground, the client, and the creator. Perhaps this is where the change lies. Maybe today, there’s a lack of that daring clientele who once inspired projects that transcended mere construction to become statements of identity, gestures that elevated Canarian architecture into the realm of art.
It’s time to look back, not with nostalgia but with purpose. Let’s analyse those works that made history and showed that the Canary Islands could lead the way:
### The Tenerife Athletics Stadium (Tincer)
An architecture that merges with the volcanic earth, emerging as a constructed landscape, designed by Fernando Menis, Felipe Artengo Rufino, and José María Rodríguez Pastrana. Its form evokes the island’s telluric force and, even today, with its stands embracing the ground, it remains a space where sport and the landscape meet in harmony.
### The Tenerife School of Performing Arts
A haven for creativity, an architecture that breathes and seeks to dissolve the boundaries between inside and out. GPY Arquitectos conceived a space open to experimentation, light, and interaction. The work was celebrated internationally, demonstrating that the Canary Islands could create spaces fostering cultural expression.
### Woermann Tower, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
A city totem, a piece of architecture that becomes a visual landmark, with its imposing height and a façade that plays with light and vegetation. Designed by Ábalos & Herreros, Joaquín Casariego, and Elsa Guerra, it stands as a hybrid element, a space for life and activity that redefines the city’s skyline.
### Tenerife North Airport
Light and warm materials humanise the travel experience. Antonio Corona, Arsenio Pérez Amaral, and Eustaquio Martínez García created a welcoming terminal where stone, wood, and concrete converse with the Atlantic atmosphere. A work that showed that even in functional architecture, emotion can be found.
These works proved that the Canary Islands had their own voice in contemporary architecture. They haven’t disappeared. They’re still there, waiting for us to look at them with the same eyes with which they were once conceived.
If once we were able to build with soul, to dare boldly, and to write our architectural history with conviction, why can’t we do it again?
There are still some brave souls working today, and that gives hope. The future isn’t written. We just need to reclaim the drive, the vision, and remember that architecture is built not just with materials but with dreams.
Subscribe to keep reading.
