The Pyramid | Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura

The société des autoroutes de France presented the Taller de Arquitectura with a very imprecise brief for the design of a park. Given the aggression the mountain had suffered as a result of its having to accommodate a motorway, and the unappealing nature of this kind of public work, it was decided to build a monument to dignify the new highway and to recall the importance of the pyrenean passes in the history of Catalonia. The pyramid, built from the stones excavated while the motorway was under construction, sits on an 80-m high 100 x 100-m square base. The garden that surmounts it creates a false perspective that highlights the temple on the top, a monument in homage to Catalonia. Its red brick columns symbolise the four stripes on the catalan flag, the origin of which goes back to the IX century when count Guifré el Pilós, wounded in a battle against the moors, was rewarded with a new banner by the king of France: soaking his fingers in his own blood, the count drew four red lines on his golden shield. With the imminent disappearance of the frontier post at its base, the pyramid became the symbol of a united Europe. Client: société des autoroutes de France