Josep Acebillo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Josep Acebillo
Born	1946 Huesca, Aragon, Spain
Nationality	Spanish
Alma mater	Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Occupation	Architect
Awards	Honorific Medal of the City of Barcelona (1999) RIBA Gold Medal (1999)
Practice	ASoffice - Architectural Systems Office
Projects	1992 Summer Olympics 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures 22@

Josep Acebillo (born in Huesca, Aragon, Spain, in 1946) is a Spanish architect. He is known for his important work in urban planning, especially in the city of Barcelona. He helped transform Barcelona into a modern city, ready for big events like the 1992 Summer Olympics. Today, he is a Research Professor at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.

Josep Acebillo's Life and Work

Josep Acebillo studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. He graduated in 1974. Early in his career, from 1974 to 1979, he worked on his own or with a design studio called MBM. During this time, he won several awards for his urban planning ideas. These included prizes for designing school buildings and master plans for towns. A master plan is like a big guide for how a town or city will grow and develop.

Leading Urban Projects in Barcelona

From 1981 to 1987, Josep Acebillo became the director of Urban Projects for the Barcelona City Council. This was a very important job. He was in charge of designing and building many new public spaces. These included 140 urban areas, new roads, monuments, and public buildings. The public spaces created in Barcelona during this time were so good that they won the Prince of Wales Prize in Urban Design in 1990.

Later, from 1988 to 1994, he led IMPUSA. This was an institute for urban development in Barcelona. His main task was to manage the projects and build the main facilities for the 1992 Summer Olympics. Because of his big contribution to changing the city, he received the Honorific Medal of the City of Barcelona in 1992.

Shaping Barcelona's Future

From 1993 to 2011, Josep Acebillo was the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Barcelona Regional. This was a special group that thought about and planned big urban projects for the city. His work helped Barcelona develop important new buildings and transport systems. For these efforts, he won the Special European Price of Urbanism in 1997/1998.

In 1998, he was made "Commissioner of Infrastructures and Urban Planning" for Barcelona. This meant he was in charge of the city's big building projects and how the city was planned. In 1999, he became the Chief Architect of Barcelona. This was a very high position. In the same year, he was made an honorary member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Barcelona also received the RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture in 1999. This award recognized the great changes made to the city by people like Josep Acebillo.

From 2003 to 2006, he helped lead the Barcelona Urban Strategy Advisory Council. This group had famous architects and experts. They gave advice to the city on how to plan for the future.

International Work and Teaching

From 2007 to 2016, Josep Acebillo started his own company called Architectural Systems Office. This company worked on urban development projects in different countries. They won awards for their designs, like a project in Bar, Montenegro, in 2008. They also worked on big projects in cities like Kazan and Ekaterinburg.

Because of his success in Barcelona, many other cities asked Josep Acebillo for help. He advised cities like London and Kazan on their urban plans. In London, he was part of the International Design Committee to help with city development.

Today, Josep Acebillo is a Research Professor at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. He also advises different governments on big development projects, like one in Italy.

Academic Roles

Josep Acebillo has also spent a lot of time teaching and sharing his knowledge. He has been a professor at many universities around the world:

• Professor at the ETSAB (Technical Superior Architecture School of Barcelona) from 1975 to 2001.
• Professor at the International Architecture and Urban Design Laboratory in Italy.
• He directed special courses on large-scale architecture and complex urban projects at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and Pompeu Fabra University.
• He was a Visiting Professor at famous universities like Yale University (1997) and Harvard Graduate School of Design (2002).
• From 2001 to 2016, he was a Full Professor at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio in Switzerland. He also served as the Dean of the Architecture Academy there from 2003 to 2007.
• He directed research projects on urban systems and models.
• He has also been a Visiting Research Professor at Kazan State University and Tongji University.

Awards and Recognition

Josep Acebillo has received many awards for his important work in architecture and urban planning:

• 1996: First prize for the design of the extension of the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.
• 1999: Royal Gold Medal for Architecture from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). This award was given to the city of Barcelona and the people who helped transform it, including Josep Acebillo.
• 1999: Named an Honorary Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
• 2000: First prize for redesigning Faliron Bay in Athens, Greece.
• 2001: Barcelona Energy Improving Plan Award for making Barcelona more renewable.
• 2002: Special prize at the Venice Biennale (a big international art and architecture exhibition) for his leadership in architecture around the world.
• 2002: Jury Mention for the project to clean up the Besós River Channel.
• 2005: First prize for designing public spaces and urban development along the riverfront in Zaragoza for the International Expo 2008.
• 2007: Energy Award for the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona.

See also

In Spanish: Josep Acebillo para niños