I am fortunate to have seen numerous beautiful buildings and spaces, so when I recently went to Olot near Girona, Spain, to explore the works of 2017 Pritzker Prize Laureates, RCR Arquitectes, I thought I was all prepared. But even though I was familiar with their works through publications, what I encountered firsthand, moved me in the most surprising and delightful ways. The sheer ingenuity and brilliance of these structures, so integral to their places and consequential of their given programs, empower architecture and yield sensations that are truly special and unforgettable.
.jpg?1580742177 "© Evgeni Pons. Bell-Iloc Winery")
Catalan architects, Carme Pigem (b. 1962), her husband Ramon Vilalta (b. 1960), and Rafael Aranda (b. 1961) grew up in Olot, Catalonia, Spain. All three studied at Vallés School of Architecture, ETSAV, outside Barcelona. They all graduated the same year, in 1987: classmates Ramon and Rafael in January, and Carmen – the next semester, in November. As a teenager, Rafael spent his summers helping his father building houses; the other partners’ families were unrelated to architecture. Still, there was an urge to start practicing right after graduation, initially at Ramon’s house. In March 1988 the partners rented an apartment for their studio. They count their start from that date. The first project was an addition to a house for a family friend. After producing countless design and working drawings the trio realized that it was not the kind of project they were envisioning doing. So, they decided to take a break from practice and enter a competition. They won it in 1988 but their project for Punta Aldea Lighthouse in Gran Canaria was not built. Since then they have been winning competitions regularly. Most of their works are in the Olot-Girona region but in the last decade, they started also to build in France, Belgium and the United Arab Emirates.
