Noarq receives the 2025 Galician Architecture Award

DATE

03.12.2025

The HALO project, developed by NOARQ (together with AM2 Arquitectos and Arenas & Asociados), has been awarded the 2025 Galician Architecture Award for its originality, urban ambition, and integration into the fabric of the city.

The jury acknowledged that HALO “uniquely solves an urban problem” thanks to its design, becoming a symbol for the city of Vigo and demonstrating that an infrastructure can also be an architectural landmark.

HALO, already featured months ago on the MArch News blog, seeks to respond to a complex topography: it overcomes a significant slope in the city through two vertical elevators and a suspended ring-shaped pedestrian walkway that directly connects two previously separated urban levels. This solution not only improves accessibility and mobility, but also generates new spatial and visual experiences — elevated walkways, urban viewpoints, and comfortable access to the city center from the intermodal station — transcending mere utilitarian function.

Zé Carlos Nunes de Oliveira, MArch lecturer, is one of the main figures behind the project, highlighting his creative capacity and his commitment to contemporary and innovative architecture. This award not only recognizes an individual project but also the vision of a studio that pushes forward new ways of intervening in the urban environment. Moreover, his collaboration in programs such as MArch strengthens the connection between teaching, practice, and advanced design.

During the trip to Porto taken by MArch students, they visit NOARQ projects such as the Trofa City Hall. In addition, Zé Carlos Oliveira takes an active role in the trip, accompanying the group and explaining the buildings he has authored.