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Ricardo Bofill Leví (Catalan: [ri'kardo bu'fi? ??'?i]) (born 5 December 1939) is a Spanish architect, who, since 1963, continues to lead the international architectural and urban design practice Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura. Ricardo Bofill was born into a family of builders in 1939 in Barcelona. He studied at the Barcelona University School of Architecture and graduated from the School of Geneva. At the age of 17, Ricardo Bofill designed his first project, a summer home in Ibiza, and by 23, became lead architect of el Taller. Over fifty years later, Bofill still leads Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura, with over 1000 projects to date in over 50 countries.

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Early Years

Bofill was raised in a Catalan bourgeois family. His father, named Emilio Bofill, was a builder and developer, Bando Republican, and liberal and a progressive who was vehemently against Francisco Franco's regime. Ricardo's mother, Maria Levi, was an Italian Jew who functioned as the matriarchal pillar of the family.

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Education

During his adolescence, Ricardo Bofill studied at the Lycée Français de Barcelone. He spent much of his youth traveling throughout Spain, spending a significant amount of time in Andalusia where he discovered Spanish vernacular architecture. In 1957, he attended the Barcelona School of Architecture. While there, like many students of the time, he began developing strong Marxist ideals. During a demonstration, he was arrested and expelled from the university and Spain. Ricardo Bofill fled Barcelona in 1958 for Geneva, where he attended the Université de Beaux-Arts Genève to complete his education.

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Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura

Founding Years

In 1963, Ricardo Bofill joined his family business, forming a multidisciplinary, multitalented team consisting of architects, engineers, planners, sociologist, writers, movie makers and philosophers. Bofill revived the characteristic craftsmanship of traditional Catalan architecture. Later on, he began to deal with local urban-planning problems within the Spanish political and social level. The necessity to approach large- scale projects led Bofill's team to conceive a ridged yet organic methodology based on the geometric formation of elements in space. Such was developed in a theoretical manner with the project The City in Space, and realized with the construction of Walden 7.

Projects like Muralla Roja in 1973 and Xanadu in 1971 are renowned for their adherence to Critical Regionalism and can be seen as Ricardo Bofill's reaction against the modernist architectural tendencies and the politics of the time in Spain.

La Fabrica

The conversion of the abandoned cement factory from the late 19th century into RBTA's studios and Ricardo Bofill's personal residence began with a process of destruction, demolishing pieces of the structures to reveal hidden forms. The factory lies directly next to Walden 7, in Sant Just Desvern, Spain.

The remaining eight silos were transformed into offices, a model-making laboratory, archives, a library, a gigantic space known as "The Cathedral", used for meetings, exhibitions, concerts, and professional activities of the architect. Above the Cathedral lie Ricardo's residence, green roofs and terraces. The entire complex was planted with lush gardens to create the effect of an oasis within the industrial area.

The renovation project, which began in 1973, incorporates various architectural languages; Catalan Civic Gothic style and Surrealist elements and is an early example of European Post Modernism.

French Period

As a result of the economic crisis and the tense political situation in Spain, Ricardo began focusing elsewhere. In 1971, Ricardo formed a complementary team in Paris, in response to the demands of various projects for the French "New Towns". During this phase, Bofill introduced in his proposals symbolic elements directly related to the French monumental architecture. La Petite Cathédrale and La Maison d'Abraxas are examples of these inhabited monuments.

In France, Ricardo Bofill's name is largely associated with the project of Les Halles. In 1974, Ricardo Bofill won the French Ministry of Culture's competition for "le trou des Halles" along with 10 other teams. The concept of Bofill's scheme was "a monument within the city", a green area with architectural character as per French tradition, a place in the heart of Paris where people could meet . Despite being considered the winner of the competition, and beginning construction of the project, enormous controversy ensued when the mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac, decided to raze Bofill's project, and imposed the construction of the scheme by architect Jean Willerval.

From 1979 on, the activities of Bofill's Taller de Arquitectura took place mainly in France, focusing primarily on social housing, with the simultaneous construction of four projects: Les Arcades du Lac and Le Viaduc in Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines Building; Le Palais d'Abraxas, Le Théâtre and L'Arc in Marne-la-Vallée; Les Echelles du Baroque in the XIVième district in Paris; as well as Antigone in Montpellier.

Bofill's design studies for precast concrete units contributed in the 80s, to the Taller's affirmationof the validity of classical forms and geometry in contemporary architecture. Today, Ricardo is seen as one of the founding European Post Modernists. In the 1990s, the inclusion of glass and steel amongst the materials used in his projects is simply the outcome of a process marked by the study of and research into forms and materials, as seen in the BNP Paribas Headquarters and Parfums Christian Dior Headquarters in Paris, and United Airlines Headquarters in Chicago.

Current Company

In 2000, Bofill centralized El Taller's activities to its headquarters, La Fabrica, in the outskirts of Barcelona. As always, Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura is a family business. His two sons Ricardo E. Bofill, acting as President, and Pablo Bofill, serving as CEO, help lead a diverse team. Together with his two partner architects, Peter Hodgkinson and Jean- Pierre Carniaux, Bofill's Taller continues the spirit and philosophy that motivated his team in the early 1960s to approach international projects from the large scale of urban design contributing to a new "integrated urbanism", which include the schemes for Luxembourg's Place de l'Europe, New Castellana in Madrid, Boston Central Artery, Moscow Agglomeration's City Expansion and large infrastructures for public transport, such as the Barcelona Airport's Terminal 1 and 2.

El Taller has continued to create sports, cultural, and retail facilities in Europe and Asia; both social and Class A residential buildings, from Senegal to Stockholm, from Beijing to Paris; office buildings and headquarters of leading companies in the US, France and Spain. One of the formative post modern architects, Bofill still utilizes classical composition to resolve the monotony of pre-fabrication, as seen in the Hague's Monchyplein scheme and recent projects in Russia. But Ricardo Bofill cannot be typecast, as the W Hotel in Barcelona and Polytechnic University Mohammed VI are proof of his diverse architectural abilities.

While Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura works on all types of projects, from master plans to luxury residences, the core of its business and interest remains in social housing, which it continues to design across the world.

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Selected Constructed Works

Spain

• Desigual Headquarters (2013): The new headquarters for the global fashion company Desigüal enjoys a great location on Barcelona's beach front along the animated Barceloneta boardwalk and next to the W Barcelona Hotel.
• Barcelona Airport South Terminal (2010): Project for the new South terminal at Barcelona Airport which is expected to handle up to 25 million passengers a year through its 50 fingers.Module 5.
• Barcelona Airport (Completed in 2003): Module-5, the extension to Barcelona Airport Terminal, contains a luminous boarding hall and 6 new fingers for international flights.
• W Barcelona Hotel (Completed in 2009): Project to enlarge the Barcelona port on 15 hectares of land claimed from the sea with a new sports port, an office building and a seaside 5-star hotel.
• A Coruña Convention & Exhibition Center (Competition Completed In 2005): Project consisting of two buildings which content convention and exhibition halls, a ferry terminal, entertainment areas and retail area.
• The New Port Mouth Of Barcelona (2000-2009 under construction): Project to enlarge the Barcelona port on 15 hectares land claimed from the sea with a new sports port, an office building and a seaside 5 stars hotel.
• Miguel Delibes Cultural Center. (Valladolid. Competition Completed in 2007): A cultural facility accommodating a Symphonic music concert hall (seating capacity for 2,080) and the headquarters of the local symphony orchestra, a chamber music concert hall (seating capacity for 450), the conservatoire, an experimental theatre (seating capacity for 480) and the Valladolid school of the dramatic arts.
• Manzanares Park. (Madrid. Completed in 2003): Rehabilitation of a section of the Manzanares river, which includes a recreation park, sport facilities, an open auditorium for 30,000 people.
• Logistics Park Office Complex. (Barcelona. Completed in 2002): Complex of office buildings of heights varying between 3 and 5 floors.
• Nexus Ii. (Barcelona. Completed in 2002): 4-storey office building on the site of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, for private firms linked to the university.
• Maritime Front Block. (Barcelona. Completed in 2002): Housing complex (250 apartments) with retail area on the sea front.
• El Gornal Housing. (El Hospitalet, Barcelona. Completed in 1997): Housing complex with 176 apartments composed by two 13th-floor towers and one 6th-floor lineal building.
• National Theatre Of Catalonia. (Barcelona. Completed in 1997): Project for the national theatre of Catalonia: repertory theatre (1.000 seats), experimental theatre (400 seats) open-air theatre (400 seats) with various facilities: theatre school, rehearsal rooms, a bar, stage set workshop.
• Fnac De La Illa Diagonal. (Barcelona. Completed in 1996): Shop specialised on audiovisuals and books, situated in the mall 'La Illa', in the city centre.
• Hubber Office Building. (Calle Berlin, Barcelona. Completed in 1993): Project for an office building - 19.000 m2 with commercial area, in central Barcelona.
• Madrid Congress Center. (Completed in 1993): Project and realisation of a congress palace and convention centre with two auditorium for 2.000 and 900 people plus lecture halls, exhibition space, bars, restaurants, retail, offices and general ancillary areas.
• Extension To Malaga Airport. (Competition Completed in 2000): Extension project encompassing a new processor and a hall to link with the existing building, a communication element with the future intermodal station and a satellite for a planned second runway.
• National Institute Of Physical Education. (Barcelona. Completed In 1991): A Catalan university conceived as a training centre for physical education teachers, which forms part of the olympic ring on Montjuïc hill.
• Extension To Barcelona Airport. (Completed in 1992): A new terminal for Barcelona's International Airport as well as the expansion of existing terminals.
• Turia Gardens. (Valencia. Completed in 1988): Preliminary project for the design of garden in the dry riverbed of the Turia River (approx. 8 km x 200 m.) in the centre of the city of Valencia.
• Aiguera Park. (Benidorm. Completed in 1987): Project and realisation of a park in the city centre, including public facilities, parking facilities and a system of traffic connections.
• Ricardo Bofill Taller De Arquitectura Headquarters. (Sant Just Desvern, Barcelona. Completed in 1975): Renovation of an old cement factory (30 silos) including the Taller offices and other spaces for social and cultural facilities.
• Walden 7. (Sant Just Desvern, Barcelona. Completed in 1974): Residential complex of 400 apartment units, offices, parking facilities and shopping area.
• Gaui District. (Reus, Tarragona. Completed in 1970): 600 apartment public housing complex, with public facilities such as schools and retail.
• Kafka's Castle. (Sitges, Barcelona. Completed in 1968): Vacation apartments.
• Club Mas Pey. (Sant Feliu de Guixols, Girona Completed in 1966): Sport Club with facilities situated within a designed landscape near the sea.
• La Manzanera Resort. (Completed between 1964-1982. Calpe, Alicante): Residential complex including a group of apartment units in three buildings: Xanadu, La Muralla Roja and El Anfiteatro, with sport facilities, a restaurant, a bar and parking.
• Apartment Building. (Calle Nicaragua, 99 Barcelona. Completed in 1965): An eight-storey corner building (2,300 m2). It won the FAD Architecture Award in 1964.
• Two Apartment Buildings. (Calle compositor Bach, 4, Maestro P. Cabrero, 6 Barcelona Completed in 1965): A 8 floors high building (3.348 m2)
• Apartment Building. (Calle Compositor Bach, 28, Barcelona. Completed 1963)

Andorra

• The Sanctuary of Meritxell. (Completed in 1977): A religious centre consisting on a sanctuary, meeting rooms and apartments for clergy.

France

• Cartier Headquarters. (Paris. Completed in 2002): Cartier main offices occupy a city block in Saint Honoré district. The buildings form an interior court which will provide new spaces for Parisian fashion designers.
• Axa Headquarters. (25, Avenue Matignon, Paris. Completed in 1999): Renovation of an 18th-century building into an office building and an extension of 6,550 m².
• Bank Paribas. (Paris. Completed in 1997): Project of an office complex crossed by a commercial passage in the centre of Paris.
• Olympic Swimming Pool Of Montpellier. (Completed In 1999): Sport facilities complex, which includes an Olympic pool, a leisure pool, a fitness club, a solarium, two restaurants and shops.
• Hotel Costes K. (before Kleber Palace. Paris. Completed in 1993): A luxury hotel equipped with 85 bedrooms and 7 storeys of underground parking, located near the Trocadéro.
• G.a.n. Offices.(Paris. Completed in 1992): Design for an office building of 6,000 m2 for the insurance company GAN (Groupe d'Assurances Nationales)
• Mercure Hotel. (Montpellier. Completed in 1992): A hotel situated at the entrance of the Antigone neighbourhood that concentrates a 100 rooms.
• Christian Dior Headquarters. (Paris. Completed in 1992): Restructuring project of an ancient building for office use and design of a new facade.
• Taller De Arquitectura Offices. (Paris. Completed in 1991): Renovation of the printing offices of Le Petit Parisien, originally the Teatre de l'Escalier d'Or, and conversion into a prestigious space to house the office of Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura.
• L'aire Des Volcans. (Clermont Ferrand. Completed in 1991): Project for the reconditioning of a parking area of the French Highway A71, on a 30 ha. site. The program includes a service station, a restaurant, a hotel, an exhibition centre displaying regional products.
• Decaux Offices. (Paris. Completed in 1991): A 5,000-sqm. office building for Decaux company.
• Le Port Juvenal. (Montpellier. Completed in 1989): Housing complex (350 apartments) in Antigone district.
• The Arsenal Music Center. (Metz. Completed in 1989): Project and Completed of a music centre, including the auditorium for the Lorraine Philharmonic Orchestra.
• Regional Government Headquarters Of Languedo-Roussillon. (Montpellier. Completed in 1988): First prize in a limited competition for the project of a regional government administrative centre.
• Rochas Headquarters. (Paris. Completed in 1987): A new façade of the headquarters building of La Societé de Parfums Rochas.
• Les Echelles De La Ville. (Montpellier. Completed in 1987): Project and construction of an office building in Antigone, to link the old city centre and the new district under construction.
• Domaine Chateau Lafit-Rothschild. (Pauillac. Completed in 1986): Project for the construction of wine cellars near Bordeaux.
• Les Temples Du Lac. (St. Quentin en Yvelines, near Versailles. Completed in 1986): 200 apartment complex and gardens related to the built projects «Les Arcades du Lac» and «Le Viaduc».
• Les Echelles Du Baroque. (Paris. Completed in 1985 ): Complex of 272 apartments and shops. The two buildings are set around three plazas, one circular, one elliptical and the other in the form of an amphitheatre.
• Belvedere Saint Christophe. (Ville Nouvelle de Cergy Pontoise. Completed in 1985): 380-apartment complex with shops and a public garden around three plazas.
• La Place Du Nombre D'or. (Montpellier. Completed in 1984): 288 apartment complex and retail around a public plaza, that marks the beginning of the new urban axis of the Antigone new quarter.
• Les Espaces D'abraxas. (Marne la Vallée. Completed in 1982): Social housing complex of 591 low cost apartments consisting of three buildings: «Le Palacio», «Le Théatre» and «L'Arc» set in a public garden space.
• Les Arcades Du Lac. (Near Versailles. Completed in 1981): Social housing complex with 600 apartment units, public and private facilities.
• Antigone Quarter. (Montpellier. Completed in 1978): Urban development plan on a plot of 36 hectares. On an axis of 2 km, the realized project constitutes the harmonic and ordered expansion of the city towards the river Lez. The Taller is responsible for the ensemble of this new area of apartments, shops, public and private facilities and green spaces.
• Les Halles Garden. (Paris. Project 1975 Competition): Project for an urban space in the centre of Paris (old Baltard market Les Halles), with creation of garden, private housing units and public facilities. The first phase (housing) began in 1978, then was stopped by J. Chirac, Mayor of Paris, and finally demolished in 1979.
• Marca Hispanica Park. (Le Perthus, Spanish-French borders. Completed in 1976): The Pyramid is a monumental sculpture which involves and interacts with its environmental setting. It was commissioned and built in homage to the region of Catalonia.

Italy

• Salerno Sea Front. (Salerno. To be completed in 2014): Design for the water front of Salerno including the Santa Teresa Area and Piazza and Piazza della Concordia.
• Apartment Tower. (Savona. Completed in 2007): The project of urban development of the Savona Port includes a residential complex, an office building and retail.
• Maritime Station. (Savona. Completed in 2003): Project of a new maritime station in Savona's harbour.
• Stefanel Shops. (1994): Project of six fashion boutiques for the chain Stefanel, in Rome, Milan, Turin, Bologna and Rimini.
• Bologna High Speed Station. (1993-1998): This project implies the rehabilitation of the existing station, to accommodate for the high-speed train station.

Portugal

• Colombo's Resort. (Porto Santo Island. To be completed in 2008): Residential and leisure resort project in the seashore.
• Funchalcentrum. (Funchal, Madeira Island. Completed in 2007): Project of urban development and refurbishing of an industrial area.
• Atrium Saldanha. (Lisboa. Completed in 1998): Mix-use office and retail building which includes a shopping centre, bars, restaurants, underground parking.

Belgium

• Belgium Swift Headquarters. (La Hulpe. Completed in 1989): Project of the new headquarters building of an international banking transfer company.

The Netherlands

• Burgemeester De Monchyplein. (The Hague. Completed in 2004): Project for the urban restructuring of a neighbourhood in the city centre, with a housing complex and green public spaces.

Luxembourg

• La Porte. (Completed in 2005 ): Tour A and Tour B, two 18-story office towers (68 m high) situated in Place de l'Europe, Plateau Kirchberg, headquarters of the European Community.
• Weidert Housing Complex. (Completed in 1999): Project for luxury residential housing in the city centre.
• Plateau Kirchberg. (1998): Project for the urban restructuring of the administrative district, centre of the European Community institutions.
• La Place De L'europe. (Completed in 1998): Project of a plaza in the Plateau Kirchberg, with a housing complex, an auditorium and a book centre.

Sweden

• Pa Soder Crescent. (Stockholm. Completed in 1992): Project of 400 unit housing complex and public facilities forming a plaza, in the city centre. The arc-shaped main building is known to Stockholm inhabitants as Bofills båge.

Czech Republic

• Karlin Hall. (Prague. To be completed in 2013): Renovation of an old industrial building into an office building.
• Corso Ii. (Prague. 2008): Office Building (13,000 m2)
• CORSO KARLIN. (Prague. Completed in 2000): Renovation of an old industrial building into an office building.
• Karlin Palace. (Prague. Completed in 1999): Renovation of an old industrial building into an office building.

Lebanon

• Platinum Tower. (Beyrouth. Project 2003 ): A 120 meters high, 33-storey building, located in Beirut's marina which contents luxury apartments and underground car park on four floors.

Morocco

• University Mohammed Vi(Benguerir. 2011): The project includes the University Building, the OCP building, a hotel, a conference hall, a student residence, a sports and a medical centre, R&D laboratories related to OCP activities (mining and processing phosphates), car park and generous green areas.
• Casablanca Twin Center. (Casablanca. Completed in 1998): Development project of 77.000 sqm consisting of a World Trade Centre, two 115 metres high towers accommodating offices, apartments and retail area.

Algeria

• Agricultural Village Houari Boumedienne. (Abadla. Completed in 1980): Project of the agricultural village Houari Boumedienne consisting of 350 apartment units, a market and a mosque.

United States

• Jp Morgan Headquarters. (Chicago. Completed in 2003): Office complex consisting of two buildings of 35 and 11-stories each.
• 180 North Lasalle. (Chicago. Completed in 1999): Renovation project of the facade and the lobby of an existing building.
• Formerly the Donnelley Building. (Chicago. Completed in 1992): A 50-story office tower facing the Chicago river, located at 77 West Wacker Drive.
• Shepherd School Of Music. (Houston, Texas. Completed in 1991): Music Instruction and Performance Building for Rice University to be used by the 300 staff and students, including a concert hall for 1,200 people, rehearsal halls, classrooms, practice rooms and offices.

India

• Signature Tower III. (2010, Gurgaon, India): Signature Tower III is a class A office Project in Gurgaon of 54117,20 sqm, consisting of 2/3 towers of a floor plate of 1800-2000 sqm.

terrace.

Japan

• Lazona, Kawasaki Plaza. (Kawasaki Completed in 2006): The new shopping centre of the city of Kawasaki consists of a building articulated around a semicircular plaza that acts as the pole of attraction for the inhabitants of the area (10 million people). The 4 storeys high building contains retail stores, boutiques, restaurants and cinemas.
• Shiseido Building. (Completed in 2001): Shiseido Company representative building, situated in Ginza district, including a shop, a show room, an art gallery, bars and restaurants and offices.
• Aoyama Palacio. (Tokyo. Completed in 1998): Design of a complex composed by housing, offices and commercial facilities in Omotesando quarter.
• United Arrows Main Shop. (Tokyo. Completed in 1992): Shopping gallery located in the district of Shibuya. an interior street divides the building into two volumes linked on the top floor, providing the public with a flowing, varied itinerary. both façades, interior and exterior, are light, transparent and envelop the entire complex.

China

• Tomorrow Plaza(2010, Shenyang, China - To be completed September 2013): Mix-use urban landmark, which includes a transportation centre, a retail hub, a neighbourhood with elegant double orientation apartments. The balanced Master Plan encourages social activities. Public facilities such as sports club, health and spa, restaurants, office space, residential space are all mixed in one ideal city model, an original example of 21st-century urbanity and life-style.
• Shangrila Hotel. (Beijing. Completed in 2008): Hotel complex with a 5 star hotel.
• The Reflections. (Beijing. Project 2005 ): A luxury residential complex located south of Yuyuantan Lake. The total construction area of the building is around 150,000 m².
• Supershine Upper East Side. (Beijing 2004. Completed in 2008.): Development project of plots C5-C8 of Beijing Sunshine Upper East Side International Community (residential and retail).

Russia

• Smolniy. (2011, St. Petersburg, Russia): The project Smolniy 17 is an homage to the city of Saint Petersburg and its history. It has its own genuine and dynamic style with a personal and creative interpretation of Italian classicism. RBTA design adapts a classical-modern vocabulary to integrate the building into its sensible location. The North façade offers privileged views to Smolniy cathedral; towards the East the building enjoys panoramic views to the Neva river while the South 260m long façade faces the busy Tulskaya street.
• Alexandria (Saint Petersburg. 2007): Located in a historical district of Saint Petersburg near Smolny Cathedral and the Neva River.

Source of the article : Wikipedia