1933-2022

With the death of Jaime López de Asiaín Martín, Spanish architecture has lost one of its fathers of bioclimatism. Son of an architect, López de Asiaín graduated from the ETSAM in 1960 and settled in Seville after becoming Chair of Aesthetics and Composition, but his role both at the School of Architecture of Seville and in the city went beyond his academic labor. After winning in 1969 the National Architecture Award with Ángel Díaz for the Spanish Museum of Contemporary Art – today Museo del Traje (Museum of Garment) –, López de Asiaín completed important buildings in Seville and alternated work in his city with periods abroad, as visiting professor at Berkeley – where he collaborated with Christopher Alexander – and as director of the recently created School of Las Palmas. The architect’s greatest contribution however was his pioneering environmental concern, which gave rise to researches and books, as well as to sound and efficient projects like the microclimate of Expo 92. During his last years, López de Asiaín was a critical voice against projects that, in his view, were driving Seville towards a pretentious and unnecessary developmentalism.