Seven projects in this month's issue take the pulse of contemporary Spanish architecture. Little known to most outsiders, Spain has become a powerhouse of architectural talent over the past two decades, fueled by a growing economy, a thriving public sector, and a thirst for the symbols of modernity that mark the country's emergence from the underdevelopment and political repression of the Franco dictatorship (1939–75) into the community of democratic European nations. While Spain’s best-known architects, such as Rafael Moneo and Santiago Calatrava, are among the most sought-after internationally, the current boom is led by a large group of lesser-known figures, many working in regional capitals far from the traditional centers of the design scene, Barcelona and Madrid. Their work shares a sharply chiseled sculptural precision and a dignified austerity, occasionally mixed with more formally complex and experimental approaches, traits that spring from common origins. The architecture community is closely knit, organized in small practices around local schools of architecture and professional associations, with a rigorous professional training and esprit de corps. A Modernist tradition is deeply rooted in Spain; it has been passed from master teachers to students and apprentices in an uninterrupted chain since the 1950s.

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Photography © Roland Halbe [Baluart Auditorium, Archive & Exhibition Space, Museum of Contemporary Art]; Duccio Malagamba [Theatro El Musical, Guadalquivir River Promanade, Jerez City Planning Offices]; Courtesy Pablo Gallego Picard [Presidential Compound]