Abelardo Lafuente, the Spanish architect from Manila who triumphed in China and the USA.

This talk deals with the exciting story of an almost unknown figure: the architect Abelardo Lafuente, who enjoyed great success in Asia in the early 20th century.

Abelardo Lafuente (Madrid, 1871-Shanghai, 1931) was born in Spain, but grew up in Manila, studied at UST and began his professional career in the Philippines in 1898. He participated in the 1904 Expo Fair as part of the Philippine jury committee. He was very successful in China until 1926, and his fame in Asia took him to Hollywood and Mexico. In his three-decade long, prolific career, he produced projects of all kinds on both continents.

We are, therefore, before such a singular and unique figure that the study of his work is a must for anyone who wants to understand the architecture that Spain exported at the beginning of the 20th century. Lafuente introduced the Spanish neo-Arabic style to China and also to Manila. He signed many projects in the city and also directed the construction of more than 800 km of railway from north to south Luzon.

About the speaker: Álvaro Leonardo-Pérez is a Doctor of Architecture by the UAH (2019) and Founder and Director of the "Abelardo Lafuente Research Project".