Iñaki Baquero, a lecturer in the Area of Projects at the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture, donated part of the archives collected by his father, Manuel Baquero, to the School. Manuel Baquero, a full professor of Drawing at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, passed away last year following a lengthy career as an architect and university professor.

The donated materials consist of several hundred specialised magazines on Architecture, design and urbanism, which date to the time period between the early 1950s and present day. The items, therefore, hold great historical value and, from now on, will be a fantastic source of reference for the teaching staff and students at the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture. 

“I think this is the best tribute we could do for someone who dedicated so much effort to collecting these publications. You have to bear in mind that, 40 or 50 years ago, access to information wasn’t as easy as it is now, and he would have to go to specialised bookshops every month to get the magazines. Discovering what were the sector’s latest developments or newly created projects in the fields of design and Architecture through these magazines is an exciting experience”, remarked lecturer Baquero.

The donated archives include numerous editions of major Spanish Architecture magazines from the post-war period, such as Informes de la Construcción, Temas de Arquitectura y Urbanismo and Hogar y Arquitectura, three benchmarks in the dissemination of Architecture from the mid-20th century. Also of great value are the issues of Catalan publications that no longer exist, such as CAU: construcción, arquitectura, urbanismo –still considered one of the finest Spanish publications in terms of journalism and graphic design from the 20th century– and Jano Arquitectura –a Catalan publication famous for its Humanist approach to Architecture and design.

In addition to Catalan and Spanish publications, the endowment also includes a series of prestigious international magazines, such as France’s L’Architecture d’aujourd’hui and L’Architecture de Lumière, as well as the Belgian magazine Acier-Stahl-Steel. 

“Though many of these magazines have been digitalised and others have deteriorated due to use, I think it’s a luxury to be able to read them physically, leaf through them and feel them and enjoy the smell of aged paper”, concludes Baquero.