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
	NOUVEL'S TORRE AGBAR The Torre Agbar, a new tall building from Ateliers Jean Nouvel, in collaboration with b720 Arquitectura, Garcia-Ventosa Arquitectura, and Leopoldo Rodes Arquitecto, thrusts into Barcelona's skyline from the Placa de las Glories, a gritty district that Barcelona's planners have designated "the next big thing," a new center of commercial activity. — Published 2006.0823
	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
	HOUSE OF SERT Spanish architect Josep Lluís Sert (1902-1983) is perhaps best known for his buildings and urban-scale projects. As a member of GATEPAC ("Group of Spanish Architects and Technicians for the Progress of Contemporary Architecture"), he was concerned with the role of architects in city planning. And yet he was also a master of small-scale interior and furniture design. Some of his favorite forms were inspired by vernacular houses. — Editor — Published 2005.1214
	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
	BARCELONA RUNS DEEP The Poblenou area of Barcelona is experiencing a renewal. As the doorway to the site for the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures — with themes of cultural diversity, sustainable development, and world peace — this traditional industrial district is taking on a new technological focus. — Published 2004.0317
	HOTEL TRESSANTS IN MENORCA When Italo Calvino wrote his 1972 novel about magical cities based on places he imagined Marco Polo might have visited, he was probably not thinking specifically of the Spanish island of Menorca (Minorca). — Published 2004.0121
	SERT'S MIRO FOUNDATION In 1974, Spanish architect Joseph Lluis Sert completed the Miró Foundation, a museum in Barcelona dedicated to his friend, modern artist Joan Miró. The light-filled galleries were as varied as the artwork they were designed to display. — Published 2002.0206
	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

Architecture Design and Building in Spain