"The summer of my life had a very sad part: the loss of a role model."

BarcelonaThe most special summer of architect Josep Miàs's life is a profoundly sad one. It was the summer that Enric Miralles died twenty-five years ago, from a brain tumor at the age of 45. He had been his professional mentor and life reference for a decade: first, as a professor; then, as a colleague, and finally, as a friend. "The summer of my life had a very sad part: the loss of a reference. It was a very hard blow, but I believe that hard blows are learning opportunities to begin a new phase," says Miàs.

That July of 2000 brought him back to his hometown of Banyoles, a place of contemplation where he could "rewind," he says. During that traffic, he remembers rereading Foix, a poet who used to recite Miralles. "It was the most introspective summer I've ever had. Being an orphan allows you a moment of reflection amidst frenetic work," he continues. Thus, the dialogue with Miralles became with himself, and that emptiness was filled with questions that would change the way he perceived work and the world, giving continuity to Miralles's legacy: "The dialogue was so intense that it seemed to me like an interrupted conversation that had to be continued." Because the designer of the new Igualada cemetery and the Scottish Parliament was a visionary. "How can we maintain that capacity to be radical visionaries and take risks?" Miàs asked himself at the time.

The questions led him to start his own practice, internationally recognized for projects such as the historic center of Banyoles, the Barceloneta Market, and the Tibidabo Amusement Park. "My architecture changed radically. Mourning helped me realize what message we had to convey," adds the architect, who is still pleasantly surprised by Miralles' presence at their discussions. He has hundreds of anecdotes, but he always remembers the phrase he uttered during a site visit where the builders had messed up. "Nobody sees that," they said, and Miralles retorted: "But God sees everything." Miàs still uses it: "I don't work for you but for another objective, which is to do everything in the best possible way."

The architect is eager to share this painful yet special experience to explain that "that's what life is about, not just happy moments." He also explains that summer "is not a sugary, absurd slogan." "And that we must be able to see beyond the banality and summer silliness" because, "in the future, it is from profound experiences that you will receive more things."