On March 27, 2026, a monument was inaugurated in Madrid in homage to the engineer Agustín de Betancourt, on the occasion of the bicentenary of the death of the distinguished engineer, which was commemorated in 2024. This sculpture, promoted by the Association of Civil Engineers (Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos), aims to help disseminate his legacy and inspire future generations of engineers to build, through science and public service, a more enlightened world that solves major challenges with scientific foundations.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida; the President of the Association of Civil Engineers, Miguel Ángel Carrillo; its Vice-President, Ricardo Martín de Bustamante; the Delegate for the Government Area of Culture, Tourism and Sport of the Madrid City Council, Marta Rivera de la Cruz; the Vice-Rector for Institutional Relations and Communication of the Technical University of Madrid, Marta Olea Cárdenas; as well as members of the General Council and deans of the Association’s Regional Branches.

During the ceremony, the figure of Agustín de Betancourt y Molina (Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, 1758 – Saint Petersburg, 1824) was remembered as one of the great engineers and inventors of the Spanish Enlightenment, founder of the Royal Corps of Civil Engineers (Cuerpo de Ingenieros de Caminos y Canales) in 1799 and of the School of Civil Engineers (Escuela de Ingenieros de Caminos y Canales) in 1802, essential institutions for the development of civil engineering in Spain. He also developed intense international activity in France and England, and in Russia he held important responsibilities in the field of infrastructure, having been summoned by Tsar Alexander I.

The sculpture has been donated to the Madrid City Council, which has provided a landscaped area at 7 Calle de Agustín de Betancourt in the district of Chamberí for its placement. The 200-kilo bronze piece on a granite pedestal has been sponsored by various institutions, including the ACS Foundation. In gratitude for this collaboration, a replica of the sculpture was received by Antonio García Ferrer, President of ACS Foundation.

Video of the presentation

On March 6, 2026, the 24th "In Memoriam"; Concert was held at the National Music Auditorium as a tribute to the victims of terrorism, presided over by Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain. The event took place in the presence of victims of terrorism, representatives of victims'; associations and foundations, as well as numerous authorities. During the event, the RTVE Symphony Orchestra and Choir, under the direction of Carlos Miguel Prieto, performed the War Requiem, Op. 66 by Benjamin Britten (1913–1976), with soloists Miren Urbieta-Vega (soprano), Moisés Marín (tenor), and Sebastián Peris (baritone), along with the Sinan Kay Boy Choir.

The War Requiem was premiered on May 30, 1962, as a memorial dedicated to all those who fell in armed conflicts. It is a monumental score that brings together a large orchestra, a chamber ensemble, mixed choir, boy choir, and three solo voices. The composer integrates two narrative levels into the work: the Latin liturgical text of the requiem, entrusted to the main orchestra, choir, and soprano, and the poems of the soldier and poet Wilfred Owen, who died in the final hours of World War I, performed by the tenor and baritone with an independent instrumental ensemble. Added to this dialogue is the participation of a children's choir, which symbolizes guidance towards a path of light and hope for the departed.

Organized by the Victims of Terrorism Foundation, the 24th "In Memoriam" Concert was sponsored by the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (INAEM), RTVE, Fundación Montemadrid, the Madrid City Council, and the Ministry of the Interior, as well as other collaborating entities such as ACS Foundation.

Photo: © Casa de S.M. el Rey

On January 8, 2026, the presentation of the new book published by ACS Foundation—A Look at the Neo-Mudéjar Style in Madrid—took place in the auditorium of the Official College of Architects of Madrid (COAM).

The event featured the participation of the Dean of COAM, Sigfrido Herráez; the President of ACS Foundation, Antonio García Ferrer; Myriam Peón, Director General of the New Urban Planning Plan of the Madrid City Council; José María Pérez Peridis, heritage communicator and expert; Elena de Mier, architect and coordinator of the publication; and José María de la Riva, geographer and author of the book. 

This new publication—the 60th work on historical heritage published by the foundation—offers a rigorous and accessible introduction to one of Madrid's most unique architectural languages. It traces its evolution, highlights its main examples, and explores the cultural context that gave rise to it.

Access the digital publication here (Spanish).

The exhibitions “Ignacio Aldecoa: The Craft of Writing” and “Carmen Martín Gaite: A Paradigm of a Woman of Letters,” organized by the National Library of Spain to mark the centenary of the birth of both authors, are supported by ACS Foundation and other institutions. They will be open to the public until June 14, 2026, at the National Library’s headquarters.

Ignacio Aldecoa was one of the most prominent writers of the so-called “Mid-Century Generation” or “Generation of the 1950s,” and a master of the modern Spanish-language novel and short story. Through this exhibition, the BNE aims to bring his life and work closer to the general public by exploring his family background, formative years, university studies in Salamanca and Madrid, his first steps in the literary world, and his definitive literary consolidation during the 1950s and 1960s. In this way, the National Library of Spain helps to reclaim a fundamental figure in our most recent literary history.

Ignacio Aldecoa Exhibition Dossier here

Ignacio Aldecoa Exhibition Brochure here

The Carmen Martín Gaite exhibition highlights the milestones of her personal and intellectual journey and her cultural legacy through a selection of photographs, portraits, manuscripts and typescripts of her major works and notebooks, letters, collages, books from her personal library, audiovisual materials, personal objects, and the international reach of the writer through translations of her work into European and non-European languages. This journey showcases the diversity of her literary interests and how they unfolded in various directions: from traditional genres (poetry, short stories, novellas, novels, essays, and theater) to the hybrid format her daughter named the “notebook of everything,” from historical research to literary criticism, from opinion articles to collages, and from theatrical adaptations of classics
and television scripts to literary translations from six languages (English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Galician, and Romanian).

Carmen Martín Gaite Exhibition Dossier here

Carmen Martín Gaite Exhibition Brochure here

The XIII Conference on Best Practices in Cultural and Natural Heritage, organized by Hispania Nostra and ACS Foundation, was held on December 16, 2025, at the headquarters of the Official College of Architects of Madrid. This edition focused the debate and case presentations on Heritage Management in the Face of Risks, a numerous Assets of Cultural Interest (BIC) and sites declared World Heritage have been affected in our country by fires, floods, earthquakes, and vandalism, among other factors.

The cultural sector must equip itself with the appropriate tools (Safeguarding Plans) for emergency situation management and understand the procedures for action and coordination with the various institutions involved in an emergency. Lessons learned from the Lorca earthquake, the La Palma volcano, the floods in Valencia, or the fire at the Córdoba Mosque are crucial for continuing to improve the protection of our cultural and natural heritage.

Full program here.