Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill dies at 82

Ricardo Bofill, founder of Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA), died in Barcelona on January 14, 2022, at age 82. Known for iconic projects like La Fábrica, Walden 7, and La Muralla Roja, he also designed Salerno's Piazza della Libertà and Crescent complex, inaugurated in September 2021. Campania Region President Vincenzo De Luca, who as mayor championed the project, expressed condolences. Born in Barcelona in 1939, Bofill was expelled from the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura during political unrest and completed his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts in Geneva. He inherited his father Emili Bofill's architecture firm, founded in 1932, transforming it into an international multidisciplinary practice. His team included literary critic Salvador Clotas, poet José Agustín Goytisolo, economist Julia Romea, and architects Anna Bofill and Peter Hodgkinson. Bofill rejected 'soulless functionalism,' embracing archetypal forms, traditional composition, and Mediterranean stylistic diversity. Key works include Les Espaces d'Abraxas (1982) in France, Shiseido offices in Tokyo (2001), and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco (2016). He also designed Barcelona Airport terminals and Savona port (2005).