Luis Laorga facts for kids

Luis Laorga (born in 1919, died in 1990) was an important Spanish architect. He made a big difference in Spanish architecture during the second half of the 1900s. He was known for his amazing buildings and how he designed them. Many people believe he helped change how buildings were made in Spain. During his career, he worked on about 600 projects. Many of these were very important, and more than ten of them won top awards in different competitions.

Becoming an Architect

Luis Laorga became a professional architect in 1946. In his early years, he won first prize in four major competitions. Three of these wins were with his former classmate, Javier Sáenz de Oiza. Together, they won awards for designing the Aránzazu Sanctuary, the Basílica de la Merced, and the plans for the aqueduct area in Segovia. Their work earned them the Spanish National Award of Architecture in 1947. At the same time, Laorga also worked on other projects, like the Rosario church in Batán.

Designing Homes and Schools

During the 1950s, Luis Laorga mainly focused on housing projects. He designed many different types of homes. These included social housing, like the 'poblado mínimo' (minimum village) of Caño Roto. He also designed houses for the United States Air Force (USAF) in Madrid and Zaragoza.

Self-Built Homes

Laorga created several building plans for self-construction projects. These were located on the edges of Madrid. He also designed many houses in the countryside. His larger apartment buildings were also very notable. Two famous examples are Ponzano 71 and Concha Espina 65. In those years, he also worked on schools. These included Recuerdo in Chamartín and many rural schools.

Big Projects in the 1960s

In the 1960s, Laorga took on many large-scale projects. He worked with José López Zanón on several big designs.

University and School Buildings

Together, they designed the Laboral Universities in Coruña, Madrid, Cáceres, and Huesca. They also created plans for Nautical Schools in Cádiz, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Alicante, and Vigo. One of their most important projects was the Civil Engineering University of Madrid.

More Educational Buildings and Churches

During the 1960s, Laorga completed many more educational buildings. These included Nuestra Señora de los Milagros in Ourense, San Buenaventura School in Madrid, and the Paules seminary in Andújar. He also designed Melchor Cano School in Tarancón and the Colegio Mayor Loyola in Madrid's University City. He built five churches during this time: La Natividad and La Visitación in Moratalaz, San Juan de Ávila in Usera, La Merced in Los Peñascales, and Nuestra Señora de la Peña in Vallecas.

Community Work

Besides his many building projects, Luis Laorga was also very involved in social work. He helped with many community initiatives. For example, Father Llanos shared how Laorga took him to El Pozo del Tío Raimundo. There, Laorga built the first 'chabola' (shack) for him. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Laorga continued to build in El Pozo. He helped create classrooms, a school, a cinema, and a nursery.

Later Years and Style

In the 1970s, Laorga mostly stopped working on very large projects. He focused on designing single-family homes, often for his family or friends. He continued this until 1981. That year, he had a stroke that caused him to stop working as an architect completely.

Laorga had a very unique style in all his designs. He started by making sure everything was logical and useful. Then, he used strong building methods and different materials. His buildings were simple but also very expressive and fresh. He created projects with a strong personality. He made sure all parts of the building worked well together, from fitting into the location to making users comfortable. He paid close attention to every detail and used materials wisely. This made his buildings comfortable and welcoming. Each of his projects had its own special feel, even if he used similar ideas. He drew his designs with a lot of freedom, especially in the small details and unique parts of each building.

See also

In Spanish: Luis Laorga para niños