Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA) has long stood as a beacon of urban innovation, postmodern form, and architectural storytelling. Based in the design capital of Barcelona, the studio was founded by visionary architect Ricardo Bofill Levi, whose use of bold geometry, color, and cultural sensitivity reshaped the way we imagine cities. Today, RBTA is a multidisciplinary team of architects, urban planners, interior designers, graphic designers, executives, and project managers who have completed over 1,000 projects across 40 countries. After the founder’s passing in January 2022, his son Ricardo E. Bofill Maggiora has taken the helm—leading the studio into a new era of evolution, while staying grounded in its original spirit.
What legacy did your father leave you?
Above all, his name—which became a global brand. He used to say he wanted the smallest studio in the world, but one that operated globally. His architectural philosophy was deeply international: he believed you couldn’t be an architect of just one city or country. You had to open yourself to the world, embrace its contrasts, and learn from its diversity. Beyond his built legacy, he also left me El Taller, where I’m now sitting in his office—without him, but feeling his presence every day.
What defines the architectural thread of El Taller’s work?
We believe that the city is the setting where architecture unfolds—and urbanism is central to how we approach our projects. Barcelona itself offers a broad architectural spectrum—from Gaudí to contemporary movements. While only about 5% of our projects are local, the remaining 95% span the globe, a tradition that began with my grandfather, expanded with my father, and now continues with me.
La Fábrica is one of your most iconic projects. How has it remained relevant over time?
My father envisioned La Fábrica—once a cement plant—as a space for ideas, proving that industrial structures could be reimagined beyond their original function. He transformed it into a living, sustainable oasis that continues to evolve. We maintain it by inhabiting it, restoring it, and nurturing it. The building breathes through cross-ventilation, low-tech design, and local materials, many similar to those used by Gaudí. Craftspeople played a huge role in its transformation, and today we’re renovating the offices once again to give them a fresh face.
La Muralla Roja has become a viral architectural icon. What’s the secret to designing timeless spaces?
Muralla Roja is a spatial experiment: 50 interlocking units arranged around staircases with no preconceived aesthetic. We only knew it would be built. Its fame exploded when a replica appeared on Squid Game, and its impact has transcended its size. Timelessness isn’t about scale; it’s about robust design processes and methodologies that endure. Great architecture takes patience, clarity, and care—like any other art form.
RBTA is known for bold colors and striking geometry. How did that visual language begin?
Color has always played a powerful role in Spanish culture—from the national flag to the symbolism of bullfighting. In our work, color becomes materiality. It animates and intensifies space. The Mediterranean’s vibrant palette invites contrast and energy. For us, color is part of an architect’s vocabulary, much like light or form.
You’ve worked all over the world. Which place has influenced you the most professionally?
India. Since 2008, we’ve developed over a million square meters there—from luxury residences to social housing, parks, and office complexes. I also spent two decades in China and a decade in Russia, but India has a unique spiritual richness and 5,000 years of cultural heritage that seeps into architecture. It’s a land of tropical abundance, deep symbolism, and profound contrasts. In Kolkata, I’ve worked with families who now feel like my own.
What’s it like for a Spanish architect to work in such a culturally different place?
There are climatic parallels between India and Spain, which make design solutions transferable—like internal courtyards and cross-ventilation for high-density cities. I’ve worked in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Kolkata—each with its own rhythm. In Kolkata, walking the streets feels like you’re simultaneously in the 1st and 21st centuries. It’s a place that welcomes storytelling, which is essential to how we approach architecture.
What’s the difference between “doing architecture” and “building cities”?
They are distinct disciplines. Territorial planning shapes a region, while urban design—a term coined by Ildefons Cerdà, who designed Barcelona’s masterplan—focuses on streets, plazas, parks, and the public realm. A city must be sustainable and human-centric, and architects must understand how solids (architecture) and voids (urban space) interact. Architecture also involves interiors, landscape, objects—even down to ashtrays or drinking glasses. A lead architect must orchestrate all these scales like a conductor leading a symphony.
How do you define a smart city?
Depending on the country, it may be called a smart or biological city. The idea is to generate oxygen instead of carbon, using closed-loop systems. Offices rich in CO₂ can be balanced with adjacent gardens. We now have tools to make cities more like forests, reversing climate damage. Biotech and natural systems must integrate so we’re no longer aliens on our own planet.
Besides architecture, what other disciplines shape your work?
Narrative. Every project needs a story—one that moves people from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Storytelling gives a project depth. I often complement my practice with short films, concepts, or allegories, all feeding into the design process.
How do you blend lessons from the old school with contemporary thinking?
I learned 75% of what I know working with my father and mentors like Peter Hodgkinson and Manolo Núñez. They instilled in me a respect for gravity, for building beyond drawing. The rest came from school. Today, I merge those principles with digital tools and ecological values. We need both the wisdom of the past and the technology of the future.
What’s next for RBTA?
For me, the next 10 years will be about dedication and joy—continuing the work that my father began, surrounded by a team I deeply admire. Many of us have worked together for over 30 years. I want this creative family to thrive and keep shaping spaces with meaning.
Interview by: Ariel Aizenman
Photos: Courtesy of RBTA
