A critique in drawings. The architecture of Gio Ponti for the headquarters of the institute of architects in Barcelona

In 2012, the Institute of Architects of Barcelona commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the inauguration of its headquarters. An ambitious project that emerged with the intention of displaying an avant-garde image of Catalan architecture, making it visible in the heart of the city. Xavier Busquets won the contest with an architectural plan of great simplicity and purity composed of simple volumes, designed in the International Style of architecture. Following publication of the award, Gio Ponti, a member of the jury panel, handed the architect a set of drawings and notes that developed a critique of the award-winning draft project. In this paper, we study the relationship between the recommendations made by Gio Ponti and the architectural proposal of Busquets, in the architectural context in which the construction project developed up, until its inauguration.