Josep Torres Clavé was a Spanish architect. He graduated from the Barcelona School of Architecture in 1929. He commenced his professional journey as an apprentice in the studio of his uncle Jaume Torres Grau, later engaging in collaborative projects with Josep Lluís Sert, ultimately becoming his partner in 1930.
In 1929, he played a pivotal role as a founding member of GATCPAC (Group of Catalan Architects and Technicians for the Progress of Architecture), which led to the establishment of GATEPAC at the national level a year later. This collective of professionals, immersed in the European rationalist movement, united to confront and counteract cultural decline in design and architecture. They advocated for a new professional ethos emphasizing increased social responsibility. The group disbanded with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, with many members forced into exile and some tragically losing their lives, including Josep Torres Clavé, who was killed in the conflict at the age of 33.
Among his notable architectural endeavors are some of the most iconic structures of Catalan rationalism, such as the Central Anti-Tuberculosis Dispensary and the Casa Bloc, both located in Barcelona and designed in collaboration with Josep Lluís Sert and Juan Baptista Subirana.
As a designer, his contributions ranged from furniture for private residences, including his own, to his full dedication to the initiatives undertaken at GATCPAC. These designs were showcased at MIDVA (Barcelona), a store co-founded in 1935 with J.L. Sert and Antoni Bonet, aimed at promoting innovative designs geared towards standardized solutions, utilizing cost-effective materials for architectural purposes. Both MIDVA and the magazine AC (Documentos de Actividad Contemporánea), spearheaded by Torres Clavé himself, served as primary platforms for disseminating the ideology of GATCPAC.
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Buildings
Barcelona, Spain
Apartment block