Ricardo Bofill

Ricardo Bofill is a Spanish architect that was born in Barcelona. He studied architecture in Switzerland and post-graduation started an architecture firm in Spain. The group evolved to become the Taller de Arquitectura group today-- an international and extremely successful architecture firm.

Bofill has won awards numerous awards throughout his lifetime for his architectural acheivements. Notable awards include the Vittorio de Sica Architecture Prize, Life Time Achievement Award, The Israelí Building Center, Chicago Architecture Award, Illinois Council/American Institute of Architects/Architectural Record,  Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Degree, and the Ministry of Culture France.

Notable works:

The Barcelona Airport

The Barcelona Airport was completed in 2009 and serves at least 25 million passengers every year. My sister traveled throughout Europe last year and flew into this airport for a quick trip to Spain. This enormous airport is 525,000 square meters big!

This airport was designed to serve as a gateway linking Barcelona with the rest of Europe and beyond. Bofill designed various terminals to combine different means of transportation such as airplanes, high-speed trains, local trains, and the subway.

The building is comprised of two main spaces under the same roof. The check in area is 500 meters wide, including security and baggage collection areas. The other building is 700 meters long, accommodating pre-boarding and boarding areas.

The Grand Salle Arsenal in Paris

Bofil designed and remodeled the Grand Salle Arsenal in 1985. The Arsenal Concert Hall is a cultural venue dedicated French music. This building is located in Metz, capital of the Lorraine region, France. The Arsenal is home to the French National Orchestra of Lorraine and almost 200 events are held in the Grand Salle Arsenal every year. The Arsenal has gained wide recognition as one of the most beautiful concert halls in the world.



Originally the Arsenal was built by Napoleon III in 1859 as storage for weapons and ammunition.  It remained as an arsenal until WWII. In 1985, the project of remodeling was awarded to Bofill. The  inauguration took place in February 1989 with its first concert. One of the performers, Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, stated that the venue was "an instrument of music on its own."










Here is an interview with Ricardo Bofill for you readers that are fluent in Spanish!

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