When a client is looking for an architect for a plot in La Zagaleta, the underlying question is rarely “can they design a beautiful villa?” Every studio advertising in the area takes that for granted. The real question is who to trust with a multimillion-euro asset over years of construction.
That’s where outside recognition — the kind the studio itself doesn’t pay for — starts to carry weight. Villa Geneve, built by ARK in La Zagaleta, is one such case: a special mention at the Architizer A+ Awards and editorial coverage in Forbes, Designboom and ArchEyes, among others.
What the Architizer A+ Awards are
The Architizer A+ Awards are among the most closely followed architecture awards internationally, judged by panels of architects, critics and designers from leading studios worldwide. They aren’t a paid ranking or a directory: every project is submitted and assessed on merit, category by category, against hundreds of entries from around the world. A special mention there is a form of validation that doesn’t depend on any commercial relationship between the studio and the publication — unlike a good deal of the “press coverage” that circulates around luxury architecture.
Villa Geneve, the project
Villa Geneve stands in La Zagaleta, with views stretching to the Mediterranean and, on clear days, the African coast. The project was carried out between 2021 and 2024 and resolves the site’s gradient through horizontal layering: rather than imposing itself on the slope, the house follows it, layer by layer, treating the architecture as an extension of the existing geography rather than a volume set above it.
- Built area: 2,010 sqm
- Years of construction: 2021-2024
- Principal materials: Stone, timber, lime
The materials follow the same principle that governs the rest of ARK’s projects in the area: natural stone, timber free from aggressive treatments, and mineral finishes based on lime, chosen for their ability to age gracefully rather than degrade. The interiors combine Flexform pieces with ARK’s own furniture collection, and the house integrates a spa and an indoor pool, along with generous glazed openings that dissolve the boundary between indoors and outdoors throughout the home.
What the special mention recognises
What sets Villa Geneve apart in an award of this kind isn’t the list of amenities — spa, pool, wine cellar — that it shares with dozens of villas in the area. It’s the consistency between ARK’s bioarchitecture philosophy and how it was actually built: the layering that follows the slope, the honesty of the materials, the deliberate relationship between each room and a specific view. In other words, it’s the same process described in the article “Designing a Villa in La Zagaleta: ARK’s Process” — this time assessed by an external jury rather than by the studio itself.
Forbes: “goes beyond aesthetics”
The coverage didn’t stop at the award. Forbes dedicated a feature to Villa Geneve describing the work of Manuel Ruiz Moriche, ARK’s founder, as “delicate, precise and deeply emotional”, noting that his approach seeks to:
“Create spaces that accompany people, that breathe, that adapt to the natural environment.”
That coverage sits alongside features in Designboom, ArchEyes and Amazing Architecture, as well as the project’s own entry on Architizer. For a client comparing studios before signing, that accumulation of independent press — rather than the studio’s own photography alone — is the most direct way to check whether an architect’s claims hold up beyond their own website.
Why this matters if you’re considering building in La Zagaleta
In a community where nearly every studio advertising there promises “luxury architecture” and “bespoke design”, the real difference lies in whether those words hold up once assessed by someone outside the practice. A special mention at the Architizer A+ Awards and coverage in Forbes don’t replace seeing a finished villa in person, but they do shorten the list of questions worth asking a studio before entrusting them with a plot in La Zagaleta.
You can view the full Villa Geneve project page, explore ARK’s other projects in La Zagaleta, or get in touch to talk about your plot.
