The architect Carme Pigem from the RCR agency gave a lecture at the MAMAC this Thursday. She thus opens the cycle of symposia on urban planning and architecture. Open to all, these conferences allow for understanding and discovering the works of famous architects.
Carme Pigem, originally from Catalonia, presented the designs of her agency named RCR after the three architects (Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem, Ramon Vilalta). All three studied in Barcelona. They later won a national competition in Spain: the design of a lighthouse in the Canary Islands.
Shared Creativity
Since 1987, the three architects decided to work together to achieve: “shared creativity. A writer said that ordinary people in a group can achieve extraordinary results,” Carme Pigem tells us. She narrates the steps undertaken before embarking on creation.
The first step: the development of knowledge gained from studies and learning about materiality. The second step involves traveling to observe the creations of the great masters of architecture: “seeing them directly and not in photos is important,” adds Carme. The third step is the openness brought on by other arts: “The work is the same but does not have the limits and technical constraints that architecture carries.”
Emphasizing Nature
The works of the RCR agency are made with a minimum of materials. Their creations are, of course, artificial but attempt to blend into nature, not spoil it but emphasize it. Carme Pigem explains: “one must always ask what and where. The answer will be how.”
The architects of RCR draw freehand sketches for artistry, models for volume, and also use computers for precision. Among their works is the Pierre Soulages Museum in Rodez, situated in the middle of a large park.
