Team 10 Absent

The individual architects rather than the collective in Spanish journals of the 1960s

Abstract

In 1959, the year of the dissolution of CIAM, although Spain was not completely connected with international architecture, its architects were certainly at a competitive level, having, for example, won a gold medal in the recent Brussels World’s Fair.

At that time, the ideas and demands of the groups that instigated the demise of the CIAMs found an echo in publications around the world, particularly in European ones. But did the same thing happen in Spain? Is the indisputable quality of Spanish architecture in the 1960s a reflection of its awareness of international trends?

This paper aims to review what was published about Team 10 and its members in the main Spanish architecture journals during the first years after its creation and, therefore, to what extent the articles contributed to the knowledge and dissemination of the group among Spanish architects. What was more interesting – the group, the characters or the ideas? Was the coverage constant or was it the result of specific activities or events? What reasons lead to the publication of certain information? Was there a theme or architect that stood out among the rest? Who were the Spaniards that were most interested in the group? The intention is not to offer a closed work on the subject, but to formulate a series of questions that helps us clarify whether there was real awareness of Team 10 in Spain in the 1960s.