ORIS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO ARCHITECTURE

CARME PINÓS

The transition of Spain to democracy in the 1980s generated not only the liberation of society but also the flourishing of art, especially the rise of architecture. Carme Pinós acted as the protagonist of the rise of Catalan architecture, then in partnership with Enric Miralles.

Since 1991, in her Éstudio Carme Pinos, she has developed architectural concepts based on research and intensive work processes infused with the joy of creation. Her famous projects – Cube and Cube II in Guadalajara, Mexico, the CaixaForum Cultural and Exhibition Centre in Zaragoza or the Massana School of Arts in Barcelona – are original and powerful buildings that open up to the society and the context.

Realizations of Carme Pinós are both an act and expression of a clear attitude. Greatly sculptural, as bold cantilever structures, they enter the environment and initiate a dialogue. With her diverse oeuvre – from shaping public spaces to design – and fully aware of her responsibility as an architect, Carme Pinós aspires to offer dignity to the society and create opportunities for a better world.

Having affirmed the position of women in architecture, she belongs to a series of heroines of the modern age, such as Charlotte Perriand, Lina Bo Bardi, Alison Smithson, Zaha Hadid, Yvonne Farrell & Shelley McNamara, Anne Lacaton, Anna Heringer, Carme Pigem.

Written by Vera Grimmer

Oris Award is given by: Vera Grimmer, Maroje Mrduljaš, Ante Nikša Bilić, Tadej Glažar, Andrija Rusan