Oriol Bohigas, Josep Martorell, David Mackay / Oriol Capdevila, Francesc Gual. MBM Arquitectes

MBM Arquitectes is an architecture and urban planning firm founded in 1962 in Barcelona by Oriol Bohigas (1925–2021), Josep Maria Martorell (1925–2011), and the Englishman David Mackay (1933–2014). Its origins date back to 1951, when Bohigas and Martorell began collaborating after graduating. Initially, they joined the R Group and later became part of the so-called Barcelona School, which combined rationalism with Italian neorealism and a concern for the urban context.

During the 1950s and 1970s, MBM carried out numerous residential and public projects, including the Escorial housing estate (1952-55), the Mutua Metalúrgica de Seguros (1959), the building at Pallars 301-319 (1960), the Augusta Clinic (1968-75), schools such as Thau (1972-75) and Sant Jordi, and residential complexes such as Milans del Bosch and Vall-Roig.

The studio won several FAD awards (1959, 1962, 1966, 1979) and the City of Barcelona Award in 2000. During the Olympic period (1985-1992), following the arrival of Albert Puigdomènech, MBM was responsible for key projects in Barcelona: the Olympic Village, the Olympic Port, the Sailing School, associated parks, the Creueta del Coll, the Palau Nou de la Rambla, and the renovation of the El Corte Inglés building.

Since 2000, Oriol Capdevila and Francesc Gual have joined as partners. Recent projects include the Disseny Hub Barcelona (2008-2013), the RBA headquarters (2011), the Tecnocampus in Mataró (2011), the Torre Blanca in L'Hospitalet, and the headquarters of the UGT (General Union of Workers' Unions). Internationally, they have designed a hotel in Puerto Vallarta, buildings in Berlin, Maastricht, and Parma, and coastal developments in Italy.

Their historical archive, with approximately 1,200 projects, was donated in 2018 to the College of Architects of Catalonia, where the MBM COAC Archive was created, partially digitized. It is currently part of the National Archive of Catalonia, with exhibition plans for the centenary of Oriol Bohigas.

MBM maintains a pragmatic, functional, and contextual approach, combining tradition and modernity. It has maintained operational continuity for more than seven decades, adapting to changes through the incorporation of new partners and collaborators, and has grown internationally.