Carles Buïgas i Sans (1898–1979)
Carles Sans Buïgas I Sans, born in Barcelona 1898, was a Spanish architect, engineer and lighting specialist, known mainly for designing the Magic Fountain of Montjuic.
He was raised in a wealthy family in Barcelona. At the age of 7 he moved with his family to Montevideo (Uruguay).. The family returned to Barcelona in 1910 due to the economic crisis in Uruguay. In 1916 he joined the School of Industrial Engineering of Barcelona, but did not finish the studies because he began working as assistantfor the future draft of the electricity industry exhibition in Barcelona. Later he attended the Ecole de Génie Civil, Paris.
In 1922 he began designing his first fountains and waterfalls. His early works were on the Royal Palace of Pedralbes. Eugeni d'Ors defined his work as a new style of art, the art of waterlight. The project that he became famous for was the Magic Fountain of Montjuic, created during the World’s Exhibition 1929 in Barcelona. During the Spanish Civil War he settled in Paris, where he lived until 1942. He spent the last years of his life in Cerdanyola del Vallès, where he died and was buried.
Important Works by Carles Buïgas i Sans
- Magic Fountain, Montjuïc, Barcelona
- Areal tramway Barcelona from Barceloneta to Montjuïc, including Torre Jaume I and Torre Sant Sebastià)
- Artistic Lighting of the Sagrada Familia.
- Fountains airport, Barcelona.
- Fountains of amusement park Montjuïc
- Ilumination of the drach caves, Porto Cristo, Mallorca
