He was born in Barcelona in 1902. After graduating from the Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arqutectura in 1929 he worked with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret in Paris.
Returning to Barcelona in 1930, he continued his practice there until 1937. There, he created several outstanding pieces of modern architecture like the the weekend house at Garraf Catalonia, the Central Dispensary of Barcelona, and the Master Plan of the City of Barcelona (1933-35).
During that time, he also helped organize the first group of architects affiliated with Congres International d’Architecture Modern or CIAM.
From 1937 through 1939 he lived in Paris where he designed the Spanish Republic’s pavilion at the World’s Fair, the Paris Exposition 1937. The Spanish Pavilion was built right beside the Nazi Germany Pavilion, while in Spain the Civil War was going on, and the Nazis had just bombed the town of Guernica.
For the artistic content of the building, he called on his Spanish artist friends Picasso, Miro, and Calder. Picasso’s contribution was Guernica, which became the focal point of its design.
After the Civil War, he went into exile in the US, where he worked with the Town Planning Associates, carrying out numerous urban plans for the cities in South America.
After a one year visiting professorship at Yale University in 1952, he became dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design from 1953 to 1969.
There, he initiated the world’s first degree program in urban design, integrated the programs of architecture, planning, landscape, and urban design, and taught many of today’s leading architects.
In 1955, he founded a studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which in 1958 became a partnership with Huson Jackson and Ronald Gourney. The studio designed many well-known projects including the Maeght Foundation in southern france, the Fundacio Miro in Bacelona, and a few buildings for Harvard University include the Holyoke Center, the Harvard Science Center, Peabody Terrace Apartments.
His other memorable works include the US Embassy in Baghdad, Motor City in Brazil, and his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Through his architecture, he hoped to achieve a balance of contrasting elements. He worked to effectively and successfully combine people with machines, urban density and support services, and community spaces with private spaces.
In 1981, he was awarded the AIA Gold Medal. He died in Barcelona in 1983.
source: philstar.com
