The Architecture Schools of Madrid and Barcelona have always carried on a certain degree of rivalry. However, in the 1960s two of their most promising graduates, Antonio Miró (1931-2011) and Fernando Higueras (1930-2008), discovered an affinity that made them join forces and write together one of the most brilliant chapters of 20th- century Spanish architecture.

In 1959 Higueras and Miró completed their studies in Madrid and Barcelona, respectively, where they stood out as students. Both participated in a national competition organized for students from the two schools, in which the objective was to design an enclosure for elephants in a zoo: Miró, in collaboration with Emilio Donato and Javier de Mesones, won the first prize, and Higueras was a runner-up...[+]