Ignasi de Solà-Morales

Barcelona, 1942 — 2001

Architect, theorist, and educator, Ignasi de Solà-Morales saw architecture as a constant dialogue between thought and form. A leading voice in restoration and urban space, his work bridged critical reflection and the physical transformation of cities. He taught at Columbia University, was a member of New York’s Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies, and served as director of the Historical Archive at the Architects’ Association of Catalonia (COAC).

Born in Barcelona in 1942 into a family of architects, Ignasi de Solà-Morales earned a degree in Philosophy before completing a PhD in Architecture—two fields that shaped a career where theory and practice always went hand in hand. In 1971, he founded his own studio, where he championed an architecture rooted in context, critical thinking, and cultural awareness.

A specialist in restoration, he led landmark projects such as the reconstruction of Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu after the 1994 fire and the rebuilding of the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion. His work extended to urban planning in Marseille, Tarragona, and Barcelona, as well as to buildings ranging from theaters to housing and sports facilities.

A restless thinker, Solà-Morales left a deep mark as both a writer and educator, coining concepts like the now-famous terrain vague—a term he used to describe abandoned or undefined urban spaces whose very in-betweenness holds new potential for the city. Alongside his teaching at universities around the world, his legacy also includes the Liceo lamp, designed for the theater’s grand foyer.

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