Specialising in urban design, Chocarro y Urmeneta Architects' vast repertoire has helped shape the modern topography of Navarre, Spain. From an amphitheatre to the Ikaburu Caves, their projects have consistently focused on the development of their local area, with a sense of environmental responsibility that they have upheld since they first began three decades ago. Their recent success in the WIN Lighting Awards 2012 has garnered international recognition for the Pamplona-based practice. As the overall winner, their elegant Reused Bottle Christmas Tree unanimously enthralled the jury panel with its ingenuity and intelligence. As a relatively low-budget commission, its simplicity was, as is so often the case in design, its ultimate standout quality. Created in just 20 days, the installation is indeed a humbling sight - a tower of cascading green and transparent recycled glass bottles, glowing from within its impressive pyramidal structure. As we sit on a sunny roof terrace overlooking the changing skyline of East London, Patxi Chocarro and Maria Urmeneta explain how this award-winning project sums up the approach to architecture that they have been committed to from the very beginning.
Can you tell us a bit about yourselves and your practice?
Your website shows a lot of beautiful projects, but not so many that are lighting-focused. How did the reused bottle lighting installation
come about?
So you were approached specifically - it wasn't a competition?
How were the bottles collected?
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Is the tree still there to be used next year?
So you're continuing the recycling process.
Is environmental impact important in all your work?
Are many of your projects in Spain?
What are you working on now?
How do you feel about having won the award?
What do you think impressed the judges about your lighting installation?
It is even more admirable that you have taken this responsible approach to architecture from the beginning.
Amy Knight, Arts & Media Correspondent
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