The work of RCR Arquitectes (Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramón Vilalta) had caught my attention in publications for quite some time. I had been impressed by the conceptual strength, the determined and skilful development and execution, and the sense of distilled abstraction and haptic materiality in their projects. Nevertheless, I also had my reservations: don’t these buildings project a somewhat autistic sense of separateness and autonomy? Aren’t their rigorous geometry and tough materiality somewhat arrogant and self-conscious? A hasty visit to Les Cols Restaurant and Pavilions in Olot a few years ago also left me a bit puzzled.
However, the first sight of La Lira Theatre Public Domain in Ripoll, which I visited on a more recent trip, made me realize that my earlier judgements had been too hasty and guided by my personal preconceptions. I realized once again that one’s judgement of an architectural entity should only be based on personal experience and a direct encounter, not photographs or a fleeting glimpse.
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