Ricardo Bofill Leví (; 5 December 1939 – 14 January 2022) was a Spanish architect from

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. He founded

Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA) is an architecture firm that was founded in 1963 by Ricardo Bofill, initially as Taller de Arquitectura (). It is headquartered in Sant Just Desvern near Barcelona, in a former cement factory known a ...

in 1963 and developed it into a leading international architectural and urban design practice. According to

architectural historian An architectural historian is a person who studies and writes about the history of architecture, and is regarded as an authority on it. Professional requirements As many architectural historians are employed at universities and other facilities ...

Andrew Ayers, his creations rank "among the most impressive buildings of the 20th century."

Early life and education

Born in late 1939, just after the end of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, Ricardo Bofill grew up in a well-to-do family with deep Catalan and Barcelonese roots. His grandfather (1860–1938) had been involved in prominent local institutions such as the

Institute for Catalan Studies The Institute for Catalan Studies ( ), also known by the acronym IEC, is an academic institution which seeks to undertake research and study into "all elements of Catalan culture". It is based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. IEC The IEC is known ...

, the , and the . His father Emilio Bofill (1907–2000) was an architect, builder, and developer who studied at ', Catalonia's oldest professional architecture school. Ricardo Bofill would later describe him as "republican, liberal, progressive, austere and logical." Ricardo's mother, Maria Levi (1909–1991), was an Italian of Jewish descent born in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, who became a prominent sponsor of Catalan literature and culture in post-war Barcelona. His sister Anna Bofill Leví is an architect, composer, pianist, and author. Bofill went to school at the from 1942, the Catholic in Barcelona from 1949, then at the

Lycée français de Barcelone The ''Lycée français de Barcelone'' (LFB; , ) is a French international school in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The school was founded in 1924, and is directly operated by the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE), an agency of the French ...

in the 1950s. He spent much of his youth traveling, first with his family and later on his own, and developed a passion for

vernacular architecture Vernacular architecture (also folk architecture) is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. It is not a particular architectural movement or style but rather a broad category, encompassing a wide range a ...

. In 1957 he enrolled at the ', where he engaged in student activism with the unauthorized

Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia The Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (, PSUC) was a communist political party active in Catalonia between 1936 and 1997. It was the Catalan branch of the Communist Party of Spain and the only party not from a sovereign state to be a full membe ...

, and was soon arrested in a demonstration and expelled from the university and from Spain. He moved to Switzerland and enrolled at the ' in 1958, which he left in 1960 to return to Spain. His first architecture design was a summer home in Ibiza, completed in 1960. In 1961-1962 he went into Spanish

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such ...

for nine months. He was again arrested and briefly incarcerated on political grounds in Barcelona in 1964.

''Taller de Arquitectura''

In 1963, Bofill and a group of close friends created

(Ricardo Bofill Architecture Workshop), initially hosted in his father's construction business with offices on

Plaça de Catalunya Plaça de Catalunya (, meaning in English "Catalonia Square"; sometimes referred to as Plaza de Cataluña, its Spanish name) is a large square in central Barcelona that is generally considered to be both its city centre and the place where the ol ...

in the center of Barcelona. Building on Catalan traditions of craftsmanship, he enlisted architects and engineers but also writers and artists into a multidisciplinary effort, which later branched into

urban design Urban design is an approach to the design of buildings and the spaces between them that focuses on specific design processes and outcomes based on geographical location. In addition to designing and shaping the physical features of towns, city, ...

and

urban planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

. The team experimented on original methodologies based on three-dimensional modular geometries, such as those of the in

Reus Reus () is the capital of Baix Camp, in Camp de Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. The area has long been an important producer of wines and spirits, and gained continental significance during the time of the Phylloxera plague. Currently it is known f ...

(1964–1970), ''

El Castillo de Kafka EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...

'' in

Sant Pere de Ribes __NOTOC__ Sant Pere de Ribes is a town in the center of the Garraf comarca, in Barcelona province, Catalonia, Spain. The remains of a 12th-century castle once ruled by the troubadour Guillem de Ribes Guillem de Ribes ()José María Coll"El trovad ...

above

Sitges ; , ) is a town about 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain, renowned worldwide for Sitges Film Festival, its film festival, Carnival, and LGBTQ culture. Located between the Garraf Massif and the Mediterranean Sea, it is know ...

(1964–1968), '' Xanadu'' (1966–1971), and '' La Muralla Roja'' (1968–1973) in

Calp Calpe (; ) is a coastal municipality located in the ''comarca'' of Marina Alta, in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of and a population density of . The city lies at the foot of the ...

. The same thinking was developed on a larger scale with the project ''La Ciudad en el Espacio'' ("The City in Space"), whose construction started in the

Moratalaz Moratalaz is a district of Madrid, Spain. It is a well-known area because musicians such as Melendi and Alejandro Sanz have lived there. Moratalaz is on east of municipality of Madrid. It has of surface area and is delineated by the highways of ...

area of

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

in 1970 but was abruptly stopped by Francoist mayor

Carlos Arias Navarro Carlos Arias Navarro, 1st Marquess of Arias Navarro (11 December 1908 – 27 November 1989) was the Prime Minister of Spain during the final years of the Francoist dictatorship and the beginning of the Spanish transition to democracy. Arias ...

. It was instead realized with the construction of

Walden 7 Walden 7 is an apartment building designed by Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura and located in Sant Just Desvern near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. It was built in 1975. Name The name of the building is inspired by B. F. Skinner's novel, ...

Sant Just Desvern ; ) is a town near Barcelona, in the ''comarca'' of the Baix Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain. Sant Just Desvern is located in the 2,078317º of longitude and 41,381611º of latitude. It is situated at 122 m (average) above sea level. The maxim ...

near Barcelona (1970–1975). These projects were recognized as exemplars of

critical regionalism Critical regionalism is an approach to architecture that strives to counter the placelessness and lack of identity of the International Style, but also rejects the whimsical individualism and ornamentation of Postmodern architecture. The stylings ...

and can be viewed as a reaction against both architectural modernism and the

Francoist dictatorship Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

in Spain. Bofill then started working in France, and gradually introduced symbolic elements into the ''Tallers designs that echo French traditions of

classical architecture Classical architecture typically refers to architecture consciously derived from the principles of Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or more specifically, from ''De archit ...

. In 1971, he was invited by , a key planner of the

Cergy-Pontoise Cergy-Pontoise () is a new town and an agglomeration community in France, in the Val-d'Oise and Yvelines departments, northwest of Paris on the river Oise. It owes its name to two of the communes that it covers, Cergy and Pontoise. Its population ...

urban project, to develop a design concept analogous to that of the in Reus. This morphed into a project named ''La Petite Cathédrale'' ("the small cathedral") but actually intended as a large-scale development, which was approved in 1973 but canceled in 1974. Another major development was a competition-winning concept for

Les Halles Les Halles (; 'The Halls') was Paris' central fresh food market. It last operated on 12 January 1973 and was replaced by an underground shopping centre and a park. The unpopular modernist development was demolished yet again in 2010, and replac ...

in Paris in 1975, whose construction subsequently started but was reversed in 1978 by the newly elected mayor

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

. Other projects did come to fruition in the ' around Paris which offered a favorable environment for large-scale experimentation, including ''

Les Espaces d'Abraxas Les Espaces d'Abraxas is a high-density housing complex in Noisy-le-Grand, approximately from Paris, France. The building was designed by architect Ricardo Bofill and his architecture practice Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA) in 1978 ...

'' in

Marne-la-Vallée Marne-la-Vallée () (English language, English: Marne Valley) is a new town located near Paris, France. Disneyland Paris, Walt Disney Studios Park, Val d'Europe, University of Marne la Vallée, Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée, ESIEE Par ...

and '' Les Arcades du Lac'' in

Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines () is a new town and an agglomeration community in the French department of Yvelines. It is one of the original five villes nouvelles ( new towns) of Paris and was named after the Saint Quentin Pond, which was chosen ...

. This phase culminated in the expansive

Antigone ANTIGONE (Algorithms for coNTinuous / Integer Global Optimization of Nonlinear Equations), is a deterministic global optimization solver for general Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programs (MINLP). History ANTIGONE is an evolution of GloMIQO, a global ...

new district of

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

in Southern France, for which Bofill presented the initial master plan in 1978. It is associated with both large-scale industrialization in

precast concrete Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a reusable molding (process), mold or "form" which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and maneuvered into place; examples i ...

and classical forms and geometries in contemporary architecture, which Bofill called "modern classicism". As a consequence, Bofill opus is often cited as that one of the most representative and signififant

postmodern architects Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting the worl ...

to have lived and created in Europe. From the mid-1980s on, he increasingly shifted to glass and steel for the materials used in his projects, while still using a classical vocabulary of columns and

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

s. Representative projects of that period include the 77 West Wacker Drive office tower in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, the extension of

Barcelona Airport Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within cit ...

ahead of the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

, and the National Theater of Catalonia, also in Barcelona. In 2000, Bofill re-centralized the activities of the ''Taller'' at its

head office Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

near Barcelona. His designs in more recent years gradually shed his classical decorative vocabulary of the 1980s and 1990s, while retaining a highly formal sense of geometry. Representative buildings of this more recent period include the W Barcelona Hotel on the Barcelona seafront and the

Mohammed VI Polytechnic University University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P; ) is a Moroccan non-profit private research university. Its main campus is located within the Green City of Benguerir. Centered on African development, the university is oriented towards applied resear ...

in Ben Guerir,

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

Personal life and death

Bofill met Italian actress

Serena Vergano Serena Vergano born Adalgisa Serena Maggiora Vergano (25 August 1943 in Milan, Italy), is an Italian actress. She was the muse of the Barcelona School of Film, acting in many of the films of this movement. Career Daughter of the director Al ...

in 1962; their son

Ricardo Emilio Bofill Ricardo Emilio Bofill (born 1965 in Barcelona), full Spanish name Ricardo Emilio Bofill Maggiora Vergano, also known as Ricardo Bofill Jr., is a Spanish architect, author and film director from Catalonia. As of late January 2022, he was co-head o ...

was born in 1965. Bofill and French visual artist Annabelle d'Huart had another son, Pablo Bofill, born in 1980. Both sons eventually worked with their father at

, and are co-leading the firm as of January 2022. From the 1990s, Bofill lived in Barcelona together with Catalan designer Marta de Vilallonga. In October 2021, he was named in the

Pandora Papers The Pandora Papers are 11.9 million leaked documents with 2.9 terabytes of data that the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) published beginning on 3 October 2021. The leak exposed the secret offshore accounts of 35 ...

. He died from complications linked to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

in Barcelona on , at the age of 82.

Selected works

Urban design

* Large-scale master plans for Boston Central Artery (1987),

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

waterfront (1991),

Nansha District Nansha District may refer to: * Nansha District, Sansha, a municipal district in Sansha, Hainan * Nansha, Guangzhou Nansha District and Nansha New Area is one of 11 urban districts and a state-level new area of the prefecture-level city of ...

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

(1992), Barcelona Diagonal Mar (1992),

Paseo de la Castellana Paseo de la Castellana, commonly known as La Castellana, is a major thoroughfare in Madrid, Spain. Cutting across the city from south to north, it has been described as the "true structuring axis" of the city. History and description The street ...

extension in Madrid (1996/1999), Trinity Riverfront in Dallas (2013), Greater Moscow (2013) *

district in

, developed from 1979 with many buildings also designed by Bofill and his ''Taller'' * Master plan for the redevelopment of the Kirchberg district in

Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...

(1998), including the creation of the urban square ''Place de l'Europe'' and the twin towers of ''La Porte'' designed by the ''Taller'' * Urban neighborhoods in

(', 1970),

(''

'', 1982),

('' Les Arcades du Lac'', 1982),

(''Le Belvédère Saint-Christophe'', 1985),

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

( På Söder Crescent, 1992),

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

(', 2004) *

campus in Ben Guerir, Morocco (2011/2016)

Buildings

* La Fábrica, headquarters of

and residence for Bofill and his family (1975) * Early housing complexes in Spain based on geometrical pattern combinations: ''

'' (1968), '' Xanadu'' (1971), '' La Muralla Roja'' (1973), ''

'' (1975) *

Les Échelles du Baroque Les Échelles du Baroque is a residential building complex of Paris. Overview The project completed in 1985 by the international team Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura was part of a renovation program in Paris 14th arrondissement, near Montpa ...

apartment building in Paris (1985) * 77 West Wacker Drive office tower in Chicago (1992) * Madrid Congress Center (1993) * National Theater of Catalonia in Barcelona (1997) *

Casablanca Twin Center The Casablanca Twin Center () is a complex of two skyscrapers located at Casablanca, Morocco. The two structures, the ''West Tower'' and the ''East Tower'', have 28 floors each. - Emporis The center houses a complex of shops, offices, and a fiv ...

in Casablanca, Morocco (1999) * in

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

, Spain (2007) *

W Hotel W, or w, is the twenty-third letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''double-u'',Pronounced in formal situation ...

on the Barcelona waterfront (2009) * Terminal 2 (1992) and Terminal 1 (2009) of

Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (Catalan language, Catalan: ''Aeroport Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat'', Spanish language, Spanish: ''Aeropuerto Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat''), and also known as Barcelona-El Prat Airp ...

Writing

* Ricardo Bofill, ''Hacia una Formalización de la Ciudad en el Espacio'', Barcelona: Blume Editorial, 1968 * Ricardo Bofill,, ''L’Architecture d’un Homme'' (with François Hébert-Stevens), Paris: Arthaud, 1978 * Ricardo Bofill and Jean-Louis André, ''Espaces d’une vie'', Paris:

Odile Jacob Odile Jacob is a French publisher who founded ''Les Éditions Odile Jacob'' in the middle of the 1980s. She is also a trained scientist, studying the workings of the brain, the mind and thought. She is a member of Le Siècle.Frédéric Saliba, 'L ...

, 1989 (Translated into Spanish as ''Espacio y Vida'', 1990, and in Italian as ''Spazi di una vita'', 1996) * Ricardo Bofill and

Nicolas Véron Nicolas Véron () is a French economist. He is a senior fellow at Bruegel in Brussels, which he co-founded in 2002–05, and at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington DC, which he joined in 2009. In 2012, he was included ...

, ''L’Architecture des villes'', Paris:

, 1995

Filming

* ''Circles'', 1966. Color, 35 mm, 17 minutes. Directed by Ricardo Bofill and Carles Durán. Actors: Serena Vergano, Salvador Clotas. Phography: Juan Amorós. Presented at Festival de Tours, France, 1968 * ''Schizo'', 1969–1970. Color, 35 mm, 60 minutes. Directed by Ricardo Bofill, Carles Durán and Manolo Núñez Yanosvski. Actors:

, Modesto Bertrán. Phography: Juan Amorós. Choreography: Antonio Miralles. Presented at 48 Mostra Cinematografica Internazionale di Venezia, Sala Volpi, 1991.

Recognition

In a noted study of France's evolving social structures and landscapes published in 2021, political scientist

Jérôme Fourquet Jérôme Fourquet (born 8 February 1973) is a French Political science, political scientist who specialises in the study of Opinion poll, opinion polling. Since 2011, he has been the director of the "Public opinion and corporate strategy" departm ...

and journalist Jean-Laurent Cassely wrote that "the monumental projects designed by Spanish architect Ricardo-Bofill in Noisy-le-Grand (

), in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines ( Les Arcades du Lac) and in Montpellier (the Antigone neighborhood) are basically the architectural signature of the 1980s" in the country.

Exhibitions

Bofill and his '' Taller de Arquitectura'' were featured in three exhibitions of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

: "Transformations in Modern Architecture" (1979), "Ricardo Bofill and Leon Krier: Architecture, Urbanism, and History" (1985), and "Architecture & Design Drawings: Rotation 3" (2006). They were also featured at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

in 1980, 1982, and 1992.

Degrees and awards

* 1968: Fritz Schumacher Honoris Causa Degree,

University of Hamburg The University of Hamburg (, also referred to as UHH) is a public university, public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('':de:Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen, ...

* 1978:

American Society of Interior Designers The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes the profession of interior design. It has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. Throughout all of the associations o ...

, International Prize * 1979: Architecte Agréé, * 1980: Prize of Architecture of the City of Barcelona, for the renovation of the cement factory in Sant Just Desvern * 1985: Honorary Fellow,

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

* 1989: Ordre des Architectes Conseils du Brabant, Belgium * 1989: Chicago Architecture Award, Illinois Council /

Architectural Record ''Architectural Record'' is a US-based monthly magazine dedicated to architecture and interior design. Its editor in chief is Josephine Minutillo. ''The Record'', as it is sometimes colloquially referred to, is widely-recognized as an important ...

* 1989: Académie Internationale de Philosophie de l´Art, Bern, Switzerland * 1995: Doctor Honoris Causa, Metz University * 1996: Honorary Fellow of the

Association of German Architects The Association of German Architects (, BDA) is an association of architects founded in 1903 in Germany. It publishes the bimonthly magazine ''der architekt''. The BDA has over 5,000 members. In 1995, it founded the German Architecture Centre ...

* 2009: Life Time Achievement Award, Israeli Building Center * 2009: Vittorio de Sica Architecture Prize, Quirinal, Rome * 2021: Doctor Honoris Causa,

Polytechnic University of Catalonia The Polytechnic University of Catalonia (, , ; UPC), currently referred to as BarcelonaTech, is the largest polytechnic university in Catalonia, Spain. UPC's objectives are based on internationalization, as it is one of Europe's techni ...

Honors

* 1984: Officer of l'

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

, France * 1993:

Creu de Sant Jordi The Creu de Sant Jordi (, in English language, English 'St George's Cross') is one of the highest civil distinctions awarded in Catalonia (Spain), surpassed only in protocol by the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Gold Medal of the G ...

, Catalonia

Influence

Several architects who worked with Bofill went on to create significant architecture firms of their own, notably in 1978,

Nabil Gholam Nabil Gholam (born 1962 in Beirut, ) is a French-Lebanese architect, urban planner and the founder of Nabil Gholam Architects (ngª). In 2010, ''Monocle'' magazine has called Gholam a "leading" architect in Lebanon. In ''Modern Architecture: A Cr ...

in 1994, and in 2000.

Bjarke Ingels Bjarke Bundgaard Ingels (; born 2 October 1974) is a Danish architect, founder and creative partner of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). In Denmark, Ingels became well known after designing two housing complexes in Ørestad: VM Houses and Mountain Dwe ...

has acknowledged the seminal influence of Bofill's early work such as La Fábrica and Walden 7 on his own vision of what creativity could achieve in architecture.

Gallery

File:Edifici JS Bach 28 - Barcelona (Catalonia)-08019-2519.jpg, Carrer Bach 28, Barcelona (1963) File:Edifici Ricardo Bofill carrer Nicaragua.jpg, Carrer Nicaragua 97–99, Barcelona (1965) File:083 Barri Gaudí, de Ricard Bofill.jpg, Barri Gaudí, Reus, Catalonia (1970) File:Apartaments El Castell (cropped).JPG, Apartaments El Castell, Sant Pere de Ribes File:Walden7 devant.JPG, Walden 7, Sant Just Desvern (1974) File:Walden-7 Sant Just Desvern 2.jpg, Walden 7, Sant Just Desvern (1974) File:Meritxell Andorra 5.jpg, Sanctuary of Meritxell, Andorra (1977) File:Taller d’Arquitectura Sant Just Desvern.jpg, Taller de Arquitectura, Sant Just Desvern (1970s) File:Montpellier - Résidence Le Nombre d'Or (29248497783).jpg, Place du Nombre d'Or, Montpellier (1984) File:Antigone Esplanade de l'Europe.jpg, Esplanade de l'Europe, Montpellier (1980s) File:Montpellier - Les Échelles de la Ville (29247829934).jpg, Les Échelles de la Ville, Montpellier (1987) File:Montpellier - Communauté Agglomération Montpellier (29840186506).jpg, Communauté d'Agglomération, Montpellier (1991) File:Bofills bage1.jpg, Pa Soder Crescent, Stockholm (1992) File:Bofill.jpg, United Arrows Building, Tokyo (1992) File:Chicago 2007-2.jpg, 77 West Wacker Drive, Chicago (1992) File:Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, Bofill.JPG, Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, Barcelona (1996) File:Edificio Apot (Campo de las Naciones, Madrid) 01.jpg, Apot Building, Madrid File:Montpellier - Piscine Olympique d'Antigone (29875127695).jpg, Olympic Swimming Pool, Montpellier (1999) File:UPC.CampusNorte.Edificio.Nexus2.jpg, Nexus II building, UPC Campus Nord, Barcelona (2002) File:The Citadel Center, Chicago Loop, Chicago, Illinois (11004317004).jpg, Citadel Center, Chicago (2003) File:W Barcelona by Ricardo Bofill.jpg, W Hotel Barcelona (2009) File:Hotel W Barcelona (2).jpg, W Hotel File:35 Quatre barres i Hotel W.jpg, Hotel W and ''Quatre Barres'' monument File:Barcelona Airport Эль-Прат - panoramio (4).jpg, Barcelona Airport, Terminal 1 (2010) File:Palacio Municipal de Congresos de Madrid 05.jpg, Palacio Municipal de Congresos, Madrid

References

Notes

Books about Bofill and his work

* José Agustín Goytisolo, ''Taller de Arquitectura : poemas''. Barcelona: Blume, 1976 * ''Ricardo Bofill, Projets Français 1978-1981''. Paris: L’Equerre, 1981 * Annabelle D’Huart, ''Ricardo Bofill, Los Espacios de Abraxas, El Palacio, El Teatro, El Arco''. Paris: L’Equerre, 1981 * “Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura”. ''Global Architecture'' No.4, New York: Rizzoli International, 1985 * "The City: Classicism and Technology". Max Protetch Gallery. ''Artforum'' 4, 1986 * ''Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura: Edificios y proyectos 1960-1984''. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 1988 * Warren A. James, ''Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura: Buildings and Projects 1960-1984''. New York: Rizzoli, 1988 * Annabelle D’Huart, ''Ricardo Bofill''. Paris: Editions du Moniteur, 1989 * ''Ricardo Bofill. Barcelona Airport''. Milan: Edizioni Tecno, 1991 * Jean-Louis André and Patrick Genard, ''Swift, Architecture & Technologie''. Taller Design, 1991 * Bartomeu Cruells, ''Ricardo Bofill: Obras y Proyectos''. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili 1992 * ''Memory-Future''. Barcelona: Taller de Arquitectura, 1993 * Bartomeu Cruells, ''Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura''. Bologna: Zanichelli Editore, 1994

External links

Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura's Website

Photos of selected works of Ricardo Bofill

Ricardo Bofill feature in some/things
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bofill, Ricardo 1939 births 2022 deaths Postmodern architects Spanish people of Jewish descent People of Italian-Jewish descent Spanish people of Italian descent Architects from Catalonia Urban planners from Catalonia People named in the Pandora Papers Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain