The College of Civil Engineers, Canals and Ports has hosted the presentation of the book and the inauguration of the exhibition dedicated to Heinz Hossdorf, a pioneering Swiss civil engineer and a key figure in 20th-century engineering, with the aim of showcasing his legacy on the anniversary of his birth.

Hossdorf, who skillfully combined efficiency, beauty, and innovation in his profession, is recognized as one of the great protagonists of the Third Industrial Revolution thanks to his early use of computing in structural design. Among his most notable contributions are:

-      Hybrid Testing: He pioneered the integration of physical models with computational analysis, drastically reducing data processing times.

-      Mastery of Models: Unlike other engineers who focused solely on concrete, Hossdorf applied models to an unusual range of materials, including steel, wood, stone, and plastic.

-      Innovation in Prestressing: He was among the first to use external post-tensioning (placing cables outside the concrete mass) and even prestressed materials as diverse as natural stone and plastic.

Hossdorf’s relationship with Spain arose from his admiration for Eduardo Torroja, whom he considered his scientific father in the field of models, and was strengthened through architect Fernando Casinello.

The exhibition brings together models, plans, photographs, and documents bequeathed by Hossdorf himself to Pepa Casinello. The book, meanwhile, is presented not only as a technical biography but as a work designed to disseminate the legacy of an engineer who, despite his immense international relevance—having exhibited at MoMA in New York—remains relatively little known.

The event featured the participation of Miguel Ángel Carrillo, President of the College of Civil Engineers, Canals and Ports; Rafael Fernández Sánchez, President of the Eduardo Torroja Foundation; Antonio García Ferrer, President of the ACS Foundation; Laureano Matas, Vice President of the CSCAE; Luis Fernández-Galiano, academician of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando; and Pepa Cassinello, the book’s author, among others.

The book and exhibition, which will remain open for one month at the College of Civil Engineers, Canals and Ports, have been promoted by the Eduardo Torroja Foundation and supported by ACS Foundation.

On May 25, the awards ceremony for the 8th edition of the school contest "What is Numancia to You?" took place at the facilities of the Numancia Early Childhood and Primary Education School in the city of Soria. During the event, diplomas and gifts were handed out to the contest winners. Nearly one thousand students from schools across the province took part in the contest, creatively expressing the value of Numancia's historical and cultural heritage.

The aim of this competition is for students to learn about the history of Numancia, its meaning and significance, as well as its legacy, dimension, and global projection. According to the contest rules, the works submitted consisted of a literary piece (with a maximum length of 400 words) or an artwork using any technique (drawing, collage, photography, painting, etc.).

The contest, promoted by the Forum Soria 21 for Sustainable Development, is organized in collaboration with the Caja Rural de Soria Scientific Foundation, the Federation of Sorian Business Organizations, the Provincial Council of Soria, the Regional Government of Castilla y León — through the Provincial Education Directorate of Soria — and ACS Foundation.

The winning students will tour various museums and cultural centers in the province, such as the Numantine Museum and the Roman Villa in Cuevas de Soria, to continue discovering the past and present of Sorian Celtiberia.

Photo: Diputación de Soria

The restoration work on the walls of the Capilla del Sagrario at the Collegiate Church of Briviesca (Burgos) can be visited between May 14 and September 30, in groups of four people, with prior reservation.

In 2025, urgent stabilization work was carried out on the walls, consisting of the consolidation of renderings and plasters, fixing of the polychromy, cleaning of gold leaf, application of renderings in the most weakened areas (pendentives), sealing of cracks and fissures, filling of cavities, and replacement of mortars in joints and volumes. In May 2026, work began on the pictorial restoration of the walls, restoration of doors and wooden elements, as well as the stained glass and windows of the lantern, following the guidelines of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Junta of Castile and León, and thanks to the collaboration of ACS Foundation.

"Open for Works" allows visitors to tour the installed scaffolding in small groups and observe the progress of the work, accompanied by restoration technicians.

Registration here

On May 12, the Chapter House Antechamber and its entrance were inaugurated at the Primate Cathedral, following the completion of restoration and conservation work promoted by the Primate Cathedral, in collaboration with ACS Foundation.

After nearly two years of work, a space of great historical and artistic value has been recovered, preserving one of the most significant pictorial ensembles of the early Renaissance in the Cathedral, created between 1508 and 1511 under the direction of Juan de Borgoña, as well as plasterwork and a polychrome coffered ceiling that formed part of this passageway leading to the Chapter House. Much of the recovered paintings had remained hidden for over 250 years behind cabinets from the 16th and 18th centuries, which have been carefully relocated to the Cathedral’s Museum of Tapestries and Textiles.

Access to the Antechamber and the Chapter House, promoted by Cardinal Cisneros, is through the late Gothic portal, also restored as part of this project, in what was once the former chapel of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.

The ceremony, held in the Cathedral’s ambulatory, was attended by the Dean of the Cathedral of Toledo, Don Juan Pedro Sánchez Gamero; Don Antonio Sánchez-Barriga Fernández, conservation restorer of the Cathedral; Monsignor Francisco Cerro Chaves, Archbishop of Toledo; and Don Antonio García Ferrer, president of ACS Foundation, in the presence of numerous authorities.

The restoration of the Chapter House was inaugurated in 2019, also with the collaboration of ACS Foundation, and with this intervention, the work to restore the full integrity, color, and unity of the Cisneros ensemble is completed, coinciding with the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Primate Cathedral.

On May 6, the publication Hispania Nostra 50 Years: A Journey Toward the Future was presented in the Clara Campoamor room of the Congress of Deputies, on the occasion of the institution’s anniversary commemoration, with the collaboration of ACS Foundation. The event was attended by the president of Hispania Nostra, Araceli Pereda; the president of ACS Foundation, Antonio García Ferrer; the deputy for Palencia in Congress, Mª Luz Martínez Seijo; and Alfonso Muñoz Cosme, a member of the scientific committee of the Red List.

During the event, the approval on November 11, 2025, of a non-legislative proposal in the Congress of Deputies was highlighted. This proposal recognizes Hispania Nostra’s trajectory in the defense of heritage, as well as the importance of the various channels that Hispania Nostra offers to society to participate in heritage conservation, such as the Red List or the crowdfunding program.

Video of the presentation here

Digital publication (Spanish) here