Spain

Born in Madrid in 1957, Pedro Ponce de León studied Architecture at the Politechnical University in Madrid, reaching the degree of Architect in 1979 and Doctorate (with Cum Laude honours). Between 1980 and 1982 he worked as architect of the Spanish Archeological Mission in Jordan. In 1984 he received a scholarship from a Private Foundation in order to study Architectural Restoration in the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) at the Spanish Academy in Rome. His study about its cloisters was published in 1986 in the journal of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

He founded “Pedro Ponce de León, Architects” in 1980, with a deep specialisation in cultural and architectural heritage activities, and large experience in the intervention on Heritage buildings and monuments, from the preliminary diagnose to the Executive Project design and also, the project management works, providing technical assistance as well as criteria, building procedures, planning and economic audit.

More than 40 design and executive projects developed in different countries (Spain, Cuba, Albania, Greece, Mali, Western Balkan countries, etc. See page http://pedroponcedeleon.es/en/). Pedro Ponce de Leon has participated as an expert in some missions for the 7 Most Endangered programme of Europa Nostra, including Gjirokastra (Albania), Venice Lagoon (Italy), the Mafra National Palace, the Monastery and Church of Jesus in Sétubal (Portugal). He also has prepared feasibility reports for the Roman Amphitheatre in Dürres (Albania) and the Historic City of Kastoria (Greece). He is a consultant architect for the Division of Cultural and Natural Heritage (Council of Europe), consultant for different agencies: AECI (Spanish Agency for International Cooperation), CEB; Member of the Royal Academy of History and the Spanish-Belgium Academy. Member of ICOMOS (Spanish Council Committee), ICOM.

Former Director of the Environment and Regional Development, Projects Directorate, European Investment Bank

Mario Aymerich carried out his graduate studies in Civil Engineering and completed his post-graduate/doctorate studies in Transport and Urban Planning at the Polytechnic Universities of Catalunya (UPC) and Madrid (UPM). During the 1980s, he worked as a civil servant at the Municipality of Barcelona. During 1990s, Aymerich worked as an Engineering Executive in a private multi-national company which had strong participation in the European Commission’s research projects and was Manager of the UK branch of the company. He has been a part-time professor at UPC and UPM (Transport Planning and Economics) and is the author of more than 50 articles, some 150 presentations and co-author of 6 technical books.
Since he joined the European Investment Bank in January 1999, he always worked in multidisciplinary teams involved in the appraisal and monitoring of lending operations related to large-scale infrastructure projects, notably in the transport and urban/regional development sectors. Special attention was dedicated to PPP operations and Technical Risk Analysis. As Director of the Environment and Regional Department since 2011, he was presented with the opportunity to be involved with many interesting projects and technical advisory services in very diverse fields, with the common denominator of all these being their extraordinary potential in relation to environmental sustainability and resilience to climate change. He also worked as Managerial Advisor to the Director General of the Projects Directorate.
Aside from regularly giving master classes at various educational institutions, since 2013 he has been collaborating with the European Investment Bank Institute in several fields, such as the supervision of several research activities funded by the Institute and participation in the 7 Most Endangered programme.

Licensed Architect and Urban Planner. Member of ICOMOS, Executive Director of World Monuments Fund Spain.
Master’s in Architecture and Urban Planning, (Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid 1993).
Specialist in Heritage Conservation (Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid)
Master’s degree in urban planning laws (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid).

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
As an architect and urban planner is author of several projects on Cultural Heritage Conservation/Restoration, as the Restoration of the Chapter House of the Monastery of San Clemente in Toledo, the Master Plan of the Historic Walls of Segovia for the city council or the Study of the Integrated Rehabilitation Areas of Plaza Mayor and Calle Mayor, Madrid.

As director for World Monuments Fund in Spain, has managed amongst other projects the Restoration of the Salon Rico paraments in Medina Azahara, Spain (2014/2024), the Restoration of the Partal Oratory in the Alhambra, ( awarded in 2019 with the Europa Nostra Grand Prix award), the conservation studies and Virtual Reality project of the Paleolithic cave of La Garma in Cantabria (included by Forbes magazine as one of 50 most relevant virtual reality projects worldwide); several studies towards the Management Plan of the Roman Aqueduct in Segovia, the restoration of the paintings on the Chapel of San Blas, at the Toledo Cathedral or the main Portal entrance in the Monastery of Santa Paula in Seville.

Scientific Director of the several courses and seminars related to Conservation and Urban Planning, such as the UNESCO City Lab for the 10th Anniversary of the Historic Urban Landscapes Recommendations, Cordoba 2022, in collaboration with UNESCO´s World Heritage Centre and the City of Cordoba, Capacity Building Seminar on the regeneration of Historic Cairo (2020) , Capacity Building Seminar on Restoration Criteria, Historic Cairo (2021), Capacity Building Seminar on the Historic wooden buildings in the Grand Caribbean (2022) and Secretary of the Forum Cultura y Naturaleza at Universidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo directed by Jose María Ballester from 2010 to 2020.

Scientific Director of the Seminar ‘Gaudí & trencadís. La creatividad del reciclaje‘ at the National Museum of Ceramics Gonzalez Marti, Valencia, Spain 2020.

As an independent professional has worked amongst other projects for the Heritage Impact Assessment in the City of Turkestan Republic of Kazakhstan (ICAAS) , Bahrain (BACA) , Tashken (Art & Culture Development Foundation)t, Republic of Uzbekistan. Expert witness for Santiago Calatrava LLC.