The architect Rafael Olalquiaga Soriano has passed away at 85 years of age. Born in Bilbao in 1939, Olalquiaga began his professional career in 1963, when he graduated from Madrid’s School of Architecture, and in 1967 he earned his doctorate in the same institution.

For over three decades he collaborated closely with Ramón Vázquez Molezún in the latter’s studio, leaving a mark in numerous projects. He also worked in a team with José Antonio Corrales and took part in major programs of the Instituto de Colonización and of Typsa in its early years.

In 1994 he opened his own practice in Madrid, Olaquiaga Arquitectos, which his sons Pablo and Alfonso Olalquiaga Bescós would later join, consolidating the family undertaking. His oeuvre was recognized and awarded both within Spain and abroad, and among the distinctions he received were those of the 13th Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism, the COAM, and ASPRIMA.