On Monday 20 October, at the age of 96, Federico Correa, a leading figure in Catalan and Spanish architecture of the last 70 years, co-founder and teacher of EINA, left us.
Federico Correa, a cosmopolitan and multifaceted man, partner from the beginning with Alfonso Milà, together with Oriol Bohigas and J. Ma. Martorell (from MBM) led the transition to modern architecture, in the most difficult years for this discipline.
The Barcelona architect always had a concept of architecture as a "service to society". A disciple of José Antonio Coderch, his influence can be seen in his meticulous, intimate and detailed work on residential architecture, and above all on interior design, a term that he himself helped to coin.
Federico Correa's long career has contributed to forging Barcelona's image of cosmopolitanism and modernity and has been the reference point for two key architectural periods in the city: the 'Gauche Divine', with the interior design work for the Reno, Il Giardinetto and Flash Flash restaurants, and the Olympic city, as he was co-author of the development of the Montjuïc Olympic Ring with the major refurbishment of the Olympic Stadium.
Federico Correa has been a master of masters as many architects and interior designers of the "second generation" have passed through his office, as apprentices first, and as great architects, later, they have enlarged and improved their exquisite manners.
As a professor at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB) and at EINA, of which he was co-founder, he is remembered as an erudite, highly critical character who taught above all how to look at and read architecture, and to ask why we do things. An exercise of his in the first year, that of a simple bench to sit on, is a pedagogical paradigm even today: a small, simple and humble project, but from which Correa extracted all the complexity so that the students understood what they were facing.
At EINA, Federico Correa was a professor of Interior Design Projects from the creation of EINA until 1977. Later, he also taught Product Analysis (1994), the final project (1995-1999) and Projects II (1999) of the Higher Degree in Design. At the same time, he took part in various seminars and conferences such as: Análisis de los elementos del interiorismo (1976), Espacios interiores de la vivienda (1981), the inaugural lecture of the 1984-1985 academic year entitled La Villa reale di Marlia and El so. Seminari Acústica (interior design) (1992).
Let us remember his memory with the last interview published in El País by Anatxu Zabalbeascoa a few days before his death.
Image: Self-portrait (1979) made by Federico Correa EINA's art collection.
Self-portrait (1979) made by Federico Correa