Becoming a dodecahedron

Eduardo torroja between the postwar and the cold war

Abstract

Engineer Eduardo Torroja is best known for his pioneering work with concrete, in particular through his role in major works of architecture and civil engineering during the Second Spanish Republic. Although his work from after the Spanish Civil War is less known, it was under Franco that he was able to consolidate his influence over the construction industry in Spain. Nevertheless, the issue of his political convictions is full of nuances and dualities. This article brings together information that has till now appeared in disparate publications and documents. What emerges is a multifaceted portrait of Torroja in the postwar period, paying special attention to his trips abroad – from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West, to the divided Berlin of the Cold War, to Stalin’s Moscow – as well as the religious buildings he designed in the Alto Ribagorzana region as part of the Franco regime’s water management policies.