Architecture Between the Pyrenees

Wedged between?France?and?Spain,?Andorra?is the sixth smallest nation in?Europe. Less than 500 square kilometers in area, the landlocked microstate can be found in the eastern Pyrenees on the Iberian Peninsula. Today, new architecture is being built between Andorra’s rugged mountains and three narrow valleys that combine to form its Gran Valira river.

With roots stretching back thousands of years,?Andorra’s culture is Catalan. Iconic structures like the Caldea thermal spa in?Escaldes-Engordany?stand in contrast with Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque structures and buildings. Geographically, there is a varied landscape of oceanic, alpine, continental climates that have shaped what could be built and local construction techniques. In turn, these remote conditions combined with limited transportation links to outside countries until the 20th century. The following projects showcase some of?Andorra’s modern architecture built over the last decade across a range of programs and landscapes.