Remembering Ricardo Bofill

Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA) is a prolific architecture practice founded in 1963 by Ricardo Bofill and a group of friends. He gathered architects, engineers and authors in a multidisciplinary endeavour that subsequently stretched into urban design and planning, based on Catalan handicraft traditions.

Bofill won several honours for his work during his life, including the Ciudad of Barcelona Prize of Architecture for La Fábrica and the Israel Building Center's Life Time Achievement Award. He was also a member of the American Institute of Architects as an honorary fellow.

Bofill's most well-known structures are enormous and colourful housing developments, public buildings, transport infrastructure and urban design that frequently employed geometric shapes and drew inspiration from Mediterranean and Arab architecture.

Here, we share some of Bofill's most iconic designs to reflect on his illustrious career.

The Red Wall, 1972

Manzanera, Calpe, Spain

The Red Wall (La Muralla Roja) is a well-known building. It is a residential complex within the La Manzanera development in Spain's Calpe that is reminiscent of a fortress. The vivid hues that adorn the exterior and interior facades are chosen to either clash with nature or complement it, evoking the geometries of Dutch artist MC Escher and inspired by the Mediterranean tradition of the casbah (or fortress). This building was also the inspiration for the video game Monument Valley 2 in 2017.

The Walden 7, 1975

Sant Just Desvern near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain

The Walden 7 housing complex in Sant Just Desvern, Spain, was constructed in 1975. The terracotta façade pays tribute to the Algerian desert, while the cool turquoise interior evokes a North African medina, inspiring many locals to refer to the structure as "The Kasbah".

La Fábrica, 1975

Sant Just Desvern near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain

A decaying cement structure houses La Fábrica, a complex that includes the RBTA offices and Bofill's family home. The architect has made it his life's work to resurrect and revalue this structure. The restoration by Bofill preserves the factory's original concrete features while also including green roofs and landscaped terraces. Its main point is "The Cathedral", which comprises a large exhibition space located in an old industrial hall with 10-metre-high ceilings.

Les Espaces d’Abraxas, 1982

Noisy-le-Grand, near Paris

This is the signature edifice of Marne-la-Vallée, a new town developed near Paris in the 1960s. While designing the apartment complex as a "urban monument", architect Ricardo Bofill insisted on it having a monumental and symbolic element. "Le palacio", "le théâtre", and "l'arc" are three key aspects in the plan. It is an icon of postmodern architecture and has been featured in several films and music videos.

Les Espaces d'Abraxas by Ricardo Bofill. Photograph: courtesy of RBTA.

Les Espaces d'Abraxas by Ricardo Bofill. Photograph: courtesy of RBTA.