The ideas competition for the remodeling of Dos de Mayo Square, organized by the Madrid City Council and the Official College of Architects of Madrid (COAM), has concluded with an unexpected decision: the first and third prizes have been declared void. The review of the original decision, issued on December 18, 2024, took place after several complaints indicated that the winning proposals initially did not meet the contest's technical bases. In particular, these proposals altered the position of the sculptural group of Daoiz and Velarde and the emblematic Monteleón Arch, both iconic elements that preside over the square.
From a total of more than fifty proposals submitted, the only one to have secured a prominent place is 'Sol y Sombra', designed by the architects Carlos Alberto Pita Abad and Xoan Manuel Pérez Lorenzo, which has won the second prize. This proposal stands out for reimagining the plaza as an extensive public garden. Its design emphasizes vegetation, using trees to organize and hierarchize the space surrounding the central monument and its pool.
Additionally, two proposals have been awarded honorable mentions. 'Agua de Mayo', a work by Jorge García Anta and Fernando Eiroa Lorenzo, together with 'La luna de Madrid' by María Milans del Bosch González and Proyectos Múltiplos, have received this recognition, although their specific details were not disclosed in the information provided.
With the ideas competition concluded, it now falls to the Department of Works and Equipment of the Madrid City Council to consider possible alternatives for the implementation of the remodeling of Dos de Mayo Square. This emblematic space, located in the heart of the Spanish capital, is a place of great historical and social significance, which is why future decisions about its redesign will be closely watched by both residents and experts. The expectation that the new square will become a place that combines modernity and tradition is high, and the final result will, without a doubt, be a subject of wide debate and analysis.
