Lecture by Francesc Rifé at MArch

DATE

21.05.2025

The session offered an in-depth look at his career and the philosophy behind his practice, which is rooted in order, materiality, and restraint—showcasing an architecture that does not seek to impose or dazzle, but rather to accompany, adapt to what already exists, and find its strength in speaking softly. This serene and essential approach had already been sensed by students during their visit to his studio in Barcelona last January.

During the lecture, Rifé shared projects that, while diverse in scale and program, reveal a constant sensitivity to context and the memory of place. In the Tritium winery, for example, the intervention begins with the original cellars and walls, preserving the essence of winemaking tradition without resorting to nostalgic literalism. Similarly, in Casa Pujol, a gentle curve naturally organizes the space, as if the project had been drawn by the landscape itself. Rifé emphasized that the goal is not to replicate the past, but to build upon it with respect and measured restraint.

Other recent works demonstrate how this logic of restraint also applies to commercial and exhibition contexts. The Nino Álvarez stores in Barcelona and Madrid reinterpret materials such as marble and steel through a contemporary and precise lens, creating atmospheres where every element carries weight. In the Farsight showroom, the design creates a spatial narrative that blurs the boundaries between art and ceramics, while the ephemeral installations for Vibia and MCI Light, presented in Milan, turn light from a mere resource into architectural matter—contained, nuanced, always essential.

In his talk, Francesc Rifé conveyed the idea that every project is an opportunity to do less, but with more intention. Can Bellpuig is born from a single technical gesture that becomes the guiding thread of the design, and Casa Grande, a former manor house converted into a hotel, translates the client’s desire to inhabit in a different way—with calm, with pause. All the examples he shared point to the same principle: contain the gesture, contain the light, contain time. A lesson in architecture that does not seek protagonism, but rather permanence.

MARCH VALENCIA | ARQUITECTURA Y DISEÑO

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