Estudio Carme Pinós

Barcelona, Spain

Carme Pinós set up her own studio in 1991 after winning international recognition for her work with Enric Miralles. She has worked on numerous projects ranging from urban refurbishments and public works to furniture design. Her sharp approach to design, anchored by a constant focus on experimentation and research, has made her work garner worldwide recognition.

Her most significant recent works include the design of the MPavilion 2018 in Melbourne (Australia), the CaixaForum Zaragoza (Spain), the Massana School of Arts (Spain), the Departments Building of the University Vienna (Austria) or the Cube Towers in Guadalajara (Mexico).

Carme Pinós combines her work as an architect with teaching and has been guest professor at the University of Illinois, Berkeley University, Columbia University New York, Harvard University GSD, École Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne amongst others.

She received the Arnold W. Brunner Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2022 and was awarded the Spanish National Prize of Architecture 2021. In 2016 she received the Richard J. Neutra Medal for Professional Excellence by the California State Polytechnic University and also the Berkeley-Rupp Architecture Professorship. She was also named Honorary Fellow of the AIA in 2011 and RIBA International Fellow in 2013 for her outstanding contribution to architecture.

Her widely exhibited work forms part of the MOMA New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris or the Venice Architecture Biennale 2018.

CAB 5 Contribution

Project Overview

Everything is in the first sketch

Estudio Carme Pinós sees architecture as a confluence of diverse influences, from the wishes of the client to the structure and the construction of a building, balanced with a responsibility toward the environment, be it city or landscape, and the society that experiences the architecture. All these elements flow together as concepts take shape in early sketches and models that express the most essential qualities of the original architectural idea. The difficulty in developing any project is to remain faithful to this essential idea through each stage of realization, so the project does not become distorted. Architects should be able to draw a direct line between the result of the project and the initial sketch that brought it to life.

In CAB 5, Estudio Carme Pinós demonstrates this idea in representations of the development of a building. In the center of the piece are initial ideas, sketches, and abstract models in black and white. These early concepts are reflected in color photographs of the structure’s realization on a larger scale. The essence of the original idea is still clearly recognizable, both in the image and in the plan, despite the kinds of unforeseen complications that are inevitable in the development and construction of any project.

Past Works

Project Overview

Venue

Chicago Cultural Center

Address

78 East Washington Street, Chicago, IL

Neighborhood

The Loop

Description

The Chicago Cultural Center serves as one of the main exhibition venue sites for CAB 5, featuring projects from more than 80 participants from ten countries.

Opened in 1897, the Chicago Cultural Center is a Chicago landmark building operated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and is home to free cultural exhibits and programming year-round.