MANIFIESTO DE INTERIORES

Manifesto of Interiors explores contemporary architecture as the convergence of physical and mediated spaces, encompassing mass communication and digital platforms. While the Internet has accelerated the overlap of space and media in recent decades, this book traces the roots of this hybridization process back to the Renaissance and addresses interior spaces as a central laboratory in shaping modernity. Considering all forms of representation as inherently architectural—spanning from writing to photography, from drawing to cinema—the manifesto examines contemporary interiors as platforms of “expanded media” that simultaneously belong to different places and temporalities, whether physical or virtual, close or distant. It ultimately delves into recent phenomena, such as the rise of social media and the challenges posed by the Covid crisis, underscoring the pivotal role of interior architecture in defining today’s world.

Category: Book. Spanish
Author/s: Javier F. Contreras
ISBN: 978-84-124287-7-3
Awards: Selected, XVI BEAU (Bienal Española de Arquitectura y Urbanismo), 2023
© Gillaume Collignon
(Barcelona: Puente Editores, 2022)



PLAYING FIELDS

During the European Heritage Days in September 2022, different departments of HEAD – Genève collaborated to explore the history of the old Charmilles football stadium, a once-significant feature of the Geneva landscape, now replaced by Parc Hentsch. The Interior Architecture Department created a series of outdoor installations inspired by the stadium's elements. The overlay of the old football field's footprint on the current site formed a unique pitch, allowing for renewed games in the space, surrounded by stands. These installations, developed with students, aimed to rekindle the collective memory of the place in a contemporary and playful manner. Visitors were welcomed to participate in various activities, including a football tournament with unconventional rules that matched the unconventional pitch's geometry.

Category: Project. Built
Team: HEAD – Genève, Interior Architecture Department, with Journées Européennes du Patrimoine
Awards: Frame Awards, 2023
Category: Set Design of the Year

© Guillaume Collignon
Geneva, 2022



AWARDS / distinctions - index
President, 2024
FAD Awards. Pensamiento y Crítica (Thought and Criticism)
Area: Spain and Portugal
Jury: Javier F. Contreras, Roger Subirà, Marta Poch

Selected, 2023
BEAU XVI (Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism)
Book: Manifiesto de Interiores (Barcelona: Puente Editores, 2022)
Author: Javier F. Contreras

Frame Award, 2023
Category: Set Design of the Year
Project: Playing Fields
Team: HEAD – Genève, Interior Architecture Department, with Journées Européennes du Patrimoine

1st Prize, 2020
Architecture Competition: Concentrico International Architecture and Design Festival. Logroño, Spain
Project: Prismarium
Team: Javier F. Contreras, Ignacio Hornillos / Assistants: Cristina Medina, José M. Rueda

Selected Project, 2020
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, South Korea
Project: Circa Diem
Team: HEAD – Genève, Interior Architecture Department, with EPFL-LIPID, EPFL-LGG

Red Dot Award, 2020
Category: Brands and Communication
Project: Space Duality
Team: HEAD – Genève, Interior Architecture Department, with the USM Foundation

Frame Award, 2020
Category: Innovation Award - People's Choice
Project: Space Duality
Team: HEAD – Genève, Interior Architecture Department, with the USM Foundation

Associated Project, 2020
Manifesta 13. Marseille, France
Project: Cité Radieuse, Manifesto of the South
Team: HEAD – Genève, Interior Architecture Department, with J. M. Sánchez (guest architect)

Associated Project, 2019
Lisbon Architecture Triennale, Portugal
Project: False Space
Team: HEAD – Genève, Interior Architecture Department

Nominee, Design Prize Switzerland 2019/20
Category: Interior Design
Project: #LOOSLAB
Team: HEAD – Genève, Interior Architecture Department

5th Prize, 2019
Architecture Competition: Renovations to Bengolarra Building. Zigoitia, Spain
Project: Simetrium
Team: Javier F. Contreras, Ignacio Hornillos

Shortlisted, 2019
Architecture Competition: North Design Union Headquarters. Tianjin, China
Team: Javier F. Contreras, Pey Lung

Special Mention, 2019
Architecture Competition: Renovations to Torrella Mill. Sabadell, Spain
Project: Termarium
Team: Javier F. Contreras, Ignacio Hornillos

1st Prize, 2018
Curatorial Competition: Exhibition spring 2019. f’ar Lausanne, Switzerland
Project: Scènes de Nuit
Team: Javier F. Contreras, Youri Kravtchenko

1st Prize, 2017
Architecture Competition: Fire Station. Don Benito-Villanueva, Spain
Team: José María Sánchez García Arquitectos

1st Prize, 2016
Architecture Competition: Villa Cristina: Winery Extension and Conversion of Renaissance Palace. Mezzana, Switzerland
Project: Stanza
Team: José María Sánchez García Arquitectos

1st Prize, 2016
Architecture Competition: Conversion of San Sebastian Hospital to Public Building. Badajoz, Spain
Team: José María Sánchez García Arquitectos

Finalist, 2015
X Concurso Arquia/Tesis. Biennial Architecture PhD competition. Spain
PhD Thesis: La Planta Miralles: Representación y Pensamiento en la Arquitectura de Enric Miralles

Shortlisted, 2012
Architecture Competition: Sustainable Housing for Vallecas. Madrid, Spain
Project: Aire Fresco
Team: Javier F. Contreras, Dingting Chen

Shortlisted, 2011
Architecture Competition: Urban Intervention Seattle. Seattle, USA
Project: Clouds 2.0
Team: Javier F. Contreras, Dingting Chen

Runner-up, 2011
Architecture Competition: Europan 11. Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
Project: The Transparent City
Team: Javier F. Contreras, Dingting Chen

Runner-up, 2009
Architecture Competition: Europan 10. Bottrop, Germany
Project: The Curious Incident of the Flower Towers
Team: Javier F. Contreras, Dingting Chen

Shortlisted, 2009
Architecture Competition: Tourist Hostel in Castuera. Badajoz, Spain
Team: Javier F. Contreras, Dingting Chen

Runner-Up, 2008
Architecture Competition: Pabellón de Bancadas, Rehearsal Center. Madrid, Spain
Team: Javier F. Contreras, Dingting Chen, Raúl Fernández, Nuria Nebot