Ricardo Bofill (1939 – 2022)

The Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill died this January, at the age of 82. His workshop and studio were opened for the weekend for the public to pay tribute and remember his life.

For me, this was the first encounter with his work and approach. The workshop, built in and around a ruined cement factory has a cathedral like quality, with contrasts of light and shade, concrete silos surrounded by hanging vines and vegetation.

His vision of the city was not as a series of isolated buildings, but as elements that define the street, the square and shared urban space. The divisions between inside and outside become fluid. The spaces he created encourage you to appreciate the changing dynamics of the surroundings.

"Un nómada. Sigo siendo un nómada”.

Bofill grew up in Catalunya under the repressive Franco regime. He left to travel widely and brought influences from these travels into his work. At the centre of the workshop, as people filed through – a Moroccan rock band played, creating a moving and fitting celebration for a life lived as ‘Un nómada’.