Born in 1959 in San Sebastian, Juan Miguel Otxotorena Elizegi has lived in Pamplona since 1976, which was when he went to the city to start his university studies. He graduated as an architect at the Navarre University in 1983. He was distinguished with an Extraordinary Award for his Doctorate in1987. In 1990 he was appointed amongst many candidates the professorship of the Architectural Form Analysis Chair at Valladolid University, where he taught until 1994. For 15 years –from that time until up to September 2009– he was the Director of the Pamplona School of Architecture at the University of Navarre. He is still practices as a Professor and Director of the Projects Department.
Apart from numerous articles on critics and theory in magazines, he has published the following books: El discurso clásico en arquitectura: arquitectura y razón práctica [The Classical Discourse on Architecture: Architecture and Practical Reasoning], 1989; Arquitectura y proyecto moderno: la pregunta por la modernidad [Architecture and Modern Design: The Question of Modernity], 1991; La lógica del post. Arquitectura y cultura de la crisis [The Logic of the After: Crisis in Architecture and Culture], 1992; Sobre dibujo y diseño: a propósito de la proyectividad de la representación de la arquitectura [On Drawing and Design: apropos Projectivity of the Representation of Architecture], 1996; and La construcción de la forma: para una aproximación contemporánea al análisis de la arquitectura [The Construction of Shape and Form: for a Contemporary Approach to the Analysis of Architecture], 1999. These are essays and papers on the subject of the theory of architecture and design, and also shapes and forms and their representation, all within the environment of the great debate on Modernity which has played such a great role in our current culture and over the past few decades.
Involved in editorial initiative since the creation of the company T6) ediciones, of which he is a founding member, he directed different magazines and collections of specialised books. He is also creator, member and co-director of the AS20 research group, which promotes research projects referred to the 20th Century Spanish Architecture, and promoter of activities amongst which we can highlight the following: Bienales of Latinamerican Architecture and the International Congresses of 20th Century Spanish Architecture, which are regularly programmed in Pamplona every alternative two years.
Since the 12th of December 2005, date when he took possession and made his inaugural speech, he is an Academic Corresponding to the Architecture and Fine Arts Section of the Royal Academy of Doctors of Spain. He has directed 6 doctoral theses which received the maximum qualification in the corresponding public doctorate dissertation.
His experience in the free exercise of the profession started in 1989. In 1998 he founded the current OTXOTORENA ARQUITECTOS firm in which architects, surveyors and engineers collaborate, and with which he had obtained successive recognition on constructed buildings, amongst which we can highlight the second European Prize for Architecture of Sports Facilities (1999), and a whole series of open project competitions first prizes —on his own or associated with other architects—, such as those referred to the sports centres in Estella and Olazagutía, the new Headquarters of the Parliament in Navarra, The Palace of Congresses and Auditorium of Pamplona, the reconditioning of the León Cathedral cloisters, the new building for the Valle de Egüés Town Hall, the Aquavox Hydrothermal Center (Pamplona), the Tudela Courts, etc.
He has published works and projects in, amongst others, national magazines such as Arquitectura, Arquitectura Viva, ON Diseño, A+T Revista de Tecnología y Arquitectura, Arquitectos, NA Nueva Arquitectura, CONarquitectura, Pasajes, VIA Arquitectura, Diseño de la Ciudad, Arketypo, Formas de proyectar, Documentos de Arquitectura, Basa, Promateriales, TC Cuadernos etc.; and in international magazines such as: Archdaily (England), Archdez (India), Archilovers (Italy), Archipendium (Germany), Archistrona (Poland), Architécti (Italy), Architectus (St. Louis-Minn EEUU.), Architonic (Switzerland), Archworlds (India), Arhitext (Romania), Book Design Publishing (China), Braun Publishing (Switzerland), Catálogo Diseño (Chile), Design Boom (China), Designer&Designing (China), Dezeen (England), Disegnare: idee e immagini (Italy), DN (Norway), Floornature (Italy), Images Publishing (Australia), Interior Architecture of China (China), Journal du Design (France), Mapolis (Germany), ORIS Magazine (Croatia), Spaziosport (Italy), The Good Team (China), Thinkarchit (China), Urbanism and Architecture (China), World Architecture News (England), etc.
