Manel Castellnou

Manel Castellnou, architect by the Escola Superior d’Arquitectura of Barcelona in 1983, lives currently in Lleida. Being the result of the work of a multidisciplinary team, Castellnou’s projects suggest a new way of living public space, seen as a meeting and entertainment area.

Manel Castellnou wants to set in motion the dream of creating a warm city. He shares this idea with Alfredo Rodríguez –“only the ones in love with the city should take part in it” -; Adam Caruso, who sees cities as the expression of a certain living culture; Allan B. Jacobs, who has graded cities according to their quality of life (in his book Great Streets), or Jordi Borja, who defines cities as a concentration of meeting points, of exchange and diversity.

Castellnou's urban elements are solid and with pure shapes. A clear example is his Vía Augusta bench, that was thought to resist great mechanical and environmental pressure, and is at the same time a place of contemplation, peace and quietness.

His buildings, on the other side, are globally planned, from the architectural project to every interior design small detail. Along with his work as an architect, Manuel Castellnou also teaches at the Project Workshop for architecture students in Barcelona, tutors projects in international Workshops, collaborates with other architectural teams and participates in national and international awards.