On another scale. Antonio Fernández Alba, the city and the territory.

Abstract

Antonio Fernández Alba, an esteemed architect and academic, left a significant legacy in the fields of architecture and education before his passing in 2024. Born in 1927 and qualified in 1957, he began his journalistic career in 1953, contributing to various publications that reflected his commitment to architectural and cultural innovation. His work was characterised by a profound attention to urban reality and by his teaching role at the School of Architecture in Madrid, where he promoted a demanding pedagogical approach and team formation. Recognised with the National Architecture Award for his Convento del Rollo, his trajectory also encompassed projects for colonisation villages for the National Institute of Colonisation, such as Cerralba and El Priorato, where his designs integrated architecture with the environment. In the 1960s, he joined the El Paso group, contributing to a new architectural regionalism. Throughout his life, Fernández Alba published numerous critical texts that explored the relationship between architecture and the city, as well as reflections on the urban crisis under Franco’s regime. His work was characterised by a humanistic approach and the pursuit of a dialogue between architectural space and its cultural and historical context. Through his writing and projects, Alba established himself as a key figure in contemporary Spanish architecture, committed to cultural renewal and the preservation of heritage.