Introducing jmGlasgow Talks: Elena Mileva on the Legacy of Ricardo Bofill

We’re excited to launch our new monthly jmGlasgow Talks series, a space for energetic discussion on architecture, theory, and the built environment. Each month, we’ll gather around the table with speakers sharing stories, research, and provocations to spark debate and inspire new ways of thinking. Our first talk features Elena Mileva, who last summer, together with two friends from the University of Strathclyde, became the first recipients of the Andrew Gillespie Trust travel scholarship.

The trust’s aim is to encourage collaborative learning for architecture students by providing a grant for three students to travel and see the completed works of an architect of their choice. Elena and her team spent two weeks travelling from Barcelona to Montpellier and finishing in Paris, visiting 27 of Ricardo Bofill’s buildings and interviewing 60 people who lived and worked in them.

“Bofill had an incredibly diverse career, engaging with social, political, and geographical contexts far removed from our base in Glasgow. He was known for never looking back at his work, so our goal was to reflect on the legacy he left behind. Throughout the journey we reflected upon our initial opinions and critiqued each building through the lens of how they served the community. The emphasis on the everyday drew us to a community engagement approach for our observations, which aligned with Bofill’s emphasis on social housing and experimental design, especially during the earlier stages of his career. We had the opportunity to visit some of his most iconic buildings such as Walden 7, La Fabrica, Les Espaces d’Abraxas and many more.”

           - Elena Mileva, Architectural Assistant, jmarchitects

Stay tuned next month, Paul and Phil will be up front to discuss Ancient Ruin and Modern Ruin: Byzantine and Kahn.

Photography / Imagery Credit: Elena Mileva

Credit: Elena Mileva, jmarchitects