MADRID – The King and Queen of Spain on Thursday congratulated a trio of Spanish architects for winning the prestigious 2017 Pritzker Architecture Prize recognizing the creativity and integration of their work.

Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem, and Ramon Vilalta, all of whom are from the Iberian nation’s northeastern Catalonia region, were awarded the prize the day before for buildings that are “intimately connected” to the surrounding landscape.

Sources from the royal household told EFE that King Felipe VI and his wife, Queen Letizia, had sent a telegram to the winners of the prize, considered the “Nobel” of the architecture world.

The announcement of the trio’s win in the United States city of Chicago highlighted that the work of the winners was characterized by its integration with construction spaces and use of recycled materials.

“They’ve demonstrated that unity of a material can lend such incredible strength and simplicity to a building,” said jury chair, Glenn Murcutt, on Wednesday.

It was the first time the award was given to three architects and the second time the winners hailed from Spain, with Rafael Moneo claiming the prize in 1996.

Among the most notable projects credited to Aranda, Pigem and Vilalta are the La Cuisine Art Center in Negrepelisse, France; Soulages Museum (in collaboration with G. Tregouet) in Rodez, France; and Les Cols restaurant marquee in Olot, Catalonia.