The essay Juhani Pallasmaa: tradición y cultura (Juhani Pallasmaa: Tradition and Culture) written by me has been published within the publishing series of the Documentation Centre of Fundación Arquia. The essay focuses on the Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa’s thought and his written and published work in the last 30 years, with a focus on his publications in Spanish language. The essay can be read in Spanish at the new website of the Fundación Arquia’s Documentation Centre.
The year 2026 marks two significant milestones for the Finnish architect and thinker Juhani Pallasmaa. His ninetieth birthday —he was born on September 14, 1936, in the city of Hämeenlinna, in southern Finland— coincides with the thirtieth anniversary of the first English edition of his influential book The Eyes of the Skin. Juhani Pallasmaa has been active for six decades as an architect, writer, critic, editor, curator and designer of architectural exhibitions, after obtaining his architect’s degree from the Helsinki University of Technology in 1966. Alongside his professional practice —he ran his architecture office from 1983 to 2012— he has held teaching and leadership positions at academic centers and institutions in Finland and abroad for many years, and has served on countless juries for architectural competitions and awards, including the Pritzker Prize jury from 2008 to 2014.