The Txipi Txapa project has emerged as the winner in the citizen consultation organized by the Elgoibar City Council to define the future development of Usetxe square. In the survey, conducted between June 2 and 15, 2026, 665 residents participated, with the most valued design being the winning one.
The winning design secured a total of 280 votes, clearly surpassing the other two finalists. In second place was Kutxa bat, aukera anitz, with the support of 164 residents, while Debabegira took third place with 161 votes. Additionally, 61 invalid ballots were counted.
The three projects put to public vote were finalists in an architecture competition initially featuring 19 studios. Following a preliminary selection, five projects advanced to a study phase, from which these three were chosen for the final public vote.
The authorship of the winning project was undisclosed at the time of the vote but will be revealed this Monday, when the name of the architecture studio responsible for the future Usetxe square's development is announced. Subsequently, the demolition of the old Pedro Muguruza schools is scheduled for the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the Elgoibar City Council will collaborate with the architecture studio to materialize the project, incorporating necessary measures without altering its essential spirit. The aim is to open the space to the Deba River, removing the visual and physical barrier posed by the former school building.
The project includes the creation of the square and, beneath it, an area with premises to serve the needs of collectives currently using the old schools. It has a total budget of 2.4 million euros, with a contribution of 1.8 million euros from the Basque Government.
