Santiago de Compostela, 26 July 2025 – The City Council of Santiago de Compostela has announced the launch of an international competition to design the ornamental and artistic lighting of the Cathedral’s monumental surroundings – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the culmination of the renowned Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.
This pioneering initiative, part of the city’s Tourism Sustainability Plan, places a strong emphasis on sustainability, heritage preservation, and the global projection of creative talent. The goal is to redesign the nighttime landscape of this iconic setting with an approach that is emotionally resonant, calm, healthy, and fully integrated into the historic environment.
With the full technical backing of Santiago-based firm TRIVIUM, the competition will be guided by innovative and sustainable lighting design principles, inspired by the Starlight, Slowlight, and DNSH frameworks. It is promoted in collaboration with the Regional Government of Galicia and the Spanish State Secretariat for Tourism.
A Jury of International Renown
Entries will be evaluated by a prestigious international jury comprising leading figures from the fields of architecture, lighting design, and cultural heritage. The panel will assess proposals for the immediate surroundings of the Cathedral, specifically the four emblematic squares – Obradoiro, Praterías, Inmaculada, and Quintana – and their connecting spaces. The jury members include:
- David Chipperfield – Award-winning architect and urban planner, recipient of the Pritzker and Stirling Prizes. Founder of architecture studios in London, Berlin, Milan, Shanghai, and Santiago de Compostela, and founder of the RIA Foundation.
- Teresa Táboas – Architect and academic. Vice President for Western Europe at the International Union of Architects (UIA) and former Minister for Housing in Galicia. Member of expert panels on sustainable architecture at the Council of Architects of Europe.
- Manuel Antonio Castiñeiras González – Professor of Art History at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and President of the International Committee of Experts on the Camino de Santiago.
- Roger Narboni – Lighting designer and founder of Concepto (Paris), with more than 120 master plans for cities worldwide. A published authority in urban and architectural lighting.
- Esther Torelló – Editor of Lightecture magazine and Spanish Ambassador for Women in Lighting.
Cutting-edge Tools for Informed Design
Competing teams will have access to extensive technical resources, including a complete documentation package and high-precision 3D digital modelling of the Cathedral’s surroundings.
This has been developed using a network of georeferenced stations and combines aerial photogrammetry (day and night), terrestrial photogrammetry, and dynamic terrestrial LiDAR scanning – all designed to provide a thorough understanding of the historical, artistic, legal, and technical context.
Commitment to Transparency and Excellence
The competition will be conducted in two anonymous phases. Submissions will be judged on their creativity, technical quality, energy efficiency innovation, and economic feasibility.
Six shortlisted proposals will each be awarded €18,150 (VAT included). The winning team will then be invited to negotiate a contract – under Article 168(d) of Spain’s Public Procurement Act – to deliver the final project and oversee implementation of the lighting scheme in Praterías Square. The contract is valued at €121,000 (VAT included).
The deadline for submission of conceptual proposals is 19 August 2025 at 23:59 (local time).
A Global Invitation
The competition is open to professionals worldwide – individuals, legal entities, or interdisciplinary teams – bringing together expertise in heritage architecture, urban planning, lighting design, and the humanities.
Beyond the honour of contributing to such a historic and symbolic location, participants will gain an international platform to showcase their work in contemporary heritage lighting and engage with new technologies and approaches shaping the future of cultural lighting design.
Full competition details, terms and documentation are available at:
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