>Luis Peña Ganchegui (Oñati, 1926 – Donostia, 2009), creator of the Plaza del Peine del Viento, would have turned 100 on the 29th of March. The archive that safeguards his legacy has designed a programme running throughout 2026, featuring exhibitions, publications, lectures and workshops.

>The activities begin today with the publication of a monographic article on the cultural platform MAS CONTEXT and will continue until the end of the year with a series of lectures and an illustration exhibition at the headquarters of the Basque Architecture Institute

>The programme includes two exhibitions, as well as the publication of two books and two guide maps on the architect’s work in Mutriku and Oiartzun.

The 29th of March,marks the centenary of the birth of Luis Peña Ganchegui (Oñati, 1926 – Donostia, 2009), one of the most distinctive and committed architects of the second half of the 20th century in the Basque Country. To mark this centenary, the Peña Ganchegui Archive —which has been part of the Basque Architecture Institute since 2023— has organised a series of activities that will take place throughout 2026.

 

Rocío Peña, daughter of the architect and director of the Peña Ganchegui Archive, acknowledges that the idea of marking a ‘Peña Ganchegui Year’ had not initially been considered. “It was circumstances that naturally led to the celebration of this anniversary. The coincidence of this anniversary with the restoration of my father’s most notable work, the Plaza del Tenis—the prelude to the Peine del Viento, which is itself celebrating its 50th anniversary—has been providential in ensuring it takes centre stage in the commemoration. But as a single work cannot sum up my father’s wide-ranging and varied output, however representative it may be,, we will be organising further activities from autumn onwards that will allow us to broaden understanding of his career in its various aspects”.

 

The programme combines publications, exhibitions, conferences and workshops with the aim of bringing the figure of an architect—whose work, with its great formal rigour and deep roots in the region, remains an essential reference point in Basque and Spanish architecture—to a wider audience.

 

A centenary that kicks off with an international publication

The centenary started with the launch by the Chicago-based cultural platform MAS CONTEXT of a feature article that will mark the architect’s birthday on its digital channel (mascontext.com), covering his life and career, with a wide selection of images of his most significant projects. 

In April, the digital edition of Mario Sangalli’s doctoral thesis —“Luis Peña Ganchegui: The Architect as Place” (ISBN 978-84-87813-57-3)— will provide free access to research that offers essential insights into the life and work of the man who was his teacher and mentor. The publication coincides with the tenth anniversary of its first print edition.

 

Between May and September, the Basque Architecture Institute will host the exhibition “Plaza del Tenis, prelude to the Peine del Viento” at its headquarters. The exhibition traces the fifty years that elapsed between the founding of Peña Ganchegui and the construction of the Plaza del Peine del Viento, focusing on its design and construction, as well as the recently completed refurbishment of the complex. The exhibition will be accompanied by guided tours and workshops taking place both at the institute itself and in the Plaza del Peine del Viento. In parallel, it is planned to publish the publication of the book “Plaza del Tenis”, the fourth volume from the Fondo Peña Ganchegui collection. This volume, dedicated to the fiftieth anniversary of the square’s construction, will include an unpublished text by the internationally renowned architect Iñaki Abalos, who will take part in its presentation on a date to be confirmed.

 

Autumn: lectures and an exhibition

The final stretch of the centenary year, from October to December, will be structured around two main events. Firstly, the lecture series “Peña Ganchegui, a centenary legacy” will bring together specialists to explore the architect’s legacy in its various facets: design, research and teaching. The series will also include the launch of the book “Plaza del Tenis”. Meanwhile, the exhibition “Peña Ganchegui, an enlightened architect” at the Basque Architecture Institute will showcase the perspectives of a dozen professional illustrators from the Basque Country on the architect’s work. The exhibition will combine the illustrators’ creations with original material from the Peña Ganchegui Archive. The programme is rounded off with the presentation of two guide maps produced in collaboration with the School of Architecture: Peña Ganchegui’s Mutriku and Peña Ganchegui’s Oiartzun, which bring together and identify the works the architect carried out in both municipalities, closely linked to his life and work.