The tender for the works on "La Arquería", the future permanent home of the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art, has been awarded

The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda has, through the ENAIRE Foundation, awarded the tender for adapting the hall of the "La Arquería" exhibit in Nuevos Ministerios, in Madrid's Paseo de la Castillana, and converting it into the new, permanent home of the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art.

The award amount totals 2,536,578 euros, and is being paid for by the 1.5% that is allocated to Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda works to preserve Spain's cultural heritage.

The contract amount is for two and a half million eurosWorks will begin in April. The delivery time is 12 months. The contract was awarded to Sustratal S.L., headquartered in Ciudad Real.

"La Arquería" has a total area of 2,800 square metres.

These activities are intended to provide a permanent venue in which to exhibit the pieces in ENAIRE's Collection of Contemporary Art. The ENAIRE Foundation is also refurbishing another permanent site, in the old Gamazo warehouses, located in the Port of Santander.

La Arqueria, a historical site that will recover its true essence

The La Arquería Hall, part of the Ministry of Housing, opened in October 1983 with an exhibit on Nordic Classicism, 1910-1930. Since then, it has provided an

excellent showcase for the most relevant architecture of the 20th and 21st centuries. Seriousness, austerity and exhibitional rigour led to a quality programme that has hosted eminent figures from world architecture, such as Lewerentz, Asplund, Scarpa, Morris, Saarinen, Piano, Tadao Ando, Barragán, Rietveld, Jacobsen, Terragni, Melnikov and Eisenman.

It has also showcased the works of some of the most important Spanish architects of the 20th century, such as Coderch, Jujol, Fisac, Oíza, Candela, Alas-Casariego, Corrales-Molezún, Alejandro de la Sota, Cano Lasso, and Calatrava, and some important single-themed exhibitions, such as Architecture in New York and Cien Planos de La Havana.

In addition to the permanent exhibition, the ENAIRE Foundation will launch a programme of temporary exhibits that will include both art and architecture, thus restoring the old tradition of "La Arqueria".

A cultural and versatile exhibit hall that is modern and sustainable

The architectural project is being executed by Frade Arquitectos, a studio that won the public tender to design the reform that will revitalise "La Arqueria" as a cultural and exhibition space that is versatile, modern and sustainable. This studio, which in 1995 received the National Architecture Award for converting the Palace of Carlos V in the Alhambra into a museum, was also responsible for completely remodelling the National Archaeological Museum of Spain.

The work of the ENAIRE Foundation

The ENAIRE Foundation is a cultural institution connected to ENAIRE, the company of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda that manages air navigation in Spain.

Its objectives include the management, conservation and dissemination of ENAIRE's Collection of Contemporary Art, comprising almost 1,200 works from different disciplines (painting, sculpture, photography, multimedia art, etc.) by renowned Spanish and Latin American artists, ranging from the second half of the 20th century to the present day, artists like Barceló, Tàpies, Chillida, Broto, Genovés, Arroyo, Úrculo, García-Alix, Daniel Canogar and Chema Madoz.

The Foundation organises exhibitions of the ENAIRE Collection in Spain, and takes part in ARCO Madrid and in the JustMAD fair on emerging art to showcase its artworks and the rest of its cultural activities and projects.

Committed to its backing of artistic creation and to firmly supporting new artists, the ENAIRE Foundation plays a vital role in cultural patronage with its annual ENAIRE Foundation Photography Awards competition and participation in the Official Section of PHotoEspaña.

In addition, each year the Foundation organises a complete programme of activities aimed at promoting and disseminating aeronautical culture, through the awarding of the ENAIRE Foundation Prizes (the only aeronautical awards given in Spain), the issuing of publication.