CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Renzo Piano demonstrates a mastery of light throughout his work. At the new California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, he exhibits the same care lighting a museum of the natural world as he has in lighting some of the world's finest art collections. — Published 2008.1112
	CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM OF CASTILLA AND LEÓN The Contemporary Art Museum of Castilla and León (MUSAC) by Spanish architects Mansilla + Tuñón, located in León, Spain, reflects van der Rohe's philosophy in its minimalist architectural language — and the museum won the 2007 Mies van der Rohe Award, the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture. At the same time, its design works to redefine both the role of a museum with respect to its cultural context and the way people experience museums. — Published 2008.0102
	MADRID TAKES FLIGHT In 1930 Le Corbusier wrote: "the beauty of an airport is in the splendor of wide open spaces" and added that the most appropriate architecture would emphasize "sky, grass, and concrete runways." Barajas New Area Terminal (NAT) in Madrid, a joint venture between Richard Rogers Partnership (London) and Estudio Lamela (Madrid), lives up to that height of inspiration. — Published 2006.0215
	SALVADOR DALI — ARCHITECT Throughout his life, surrealist Catalan artist Salvador Dalí played the role of cultural provocateur, but behind the extravagance was a more subtle, private man. His artistically formative years revolved around his intense relationship with his wife, Gala Diakonova, and their treasured joint project, a house in the remote Port of Lligat on the Mediterranean coast near Cadaqués, Spain. — Published 2005.0202
	UNIVERSO GAUDí In concluding "The Year of Gaudí," the Center of Contemporary Culture in Barcelona and the Queen Sophia Museum in Madrid have brought together an impressive array of materials for an exhibition about the life, work, and influences of master architect Antonio Gaudí. The show, "Gaudí's Universe," comprises almost 400 pieces in three sections: "Things Seen," "The Studio," and "The Legacy." — Published 2003.0122
	INSIDE CASA BATLLó The interior of Casa Batlló, an art nouveau masterpiece of Spanish architect Antonio Gaudí, has been one of Barcelona's best-kept secrets. This year, to honor the 150th anniversary of Gaudí's birth, the current owners have opened Casa Batlló to public view for the first time since it was completed nearly a century ago. — Published 2002.1113
	OLD WINE IN NEW BUILDINGS He's not as well-known as Santiago Calatrava, but Jesus Manzanares is certainly a rising star of contemporary Spanish architecture. Forty-one years old and based in Madrid, this architect has carved out a career specializing in one building type, wineries. He has built his professional reputation during a decade of dramatic economic change in the Spanish wine business. — Published 2001.1017

Rachel Grossman