Fernando García Mercadal was born in Zaragoza in 1896. The son of noble parents from Asturias, his father made a fortune as a businessman and was also a city councillor. The family resided in the famous Palacio Argensola in Zaragoza, adjacent to the cathedral, where García Mercadal lived until moving to Madrid to study architecture, where he earned his degree in 1921.

During his university studies, the projects he completed were mainly academicist in nature. One of them, the design for a monumental temple for the Pradera de San Isidro in Madrid, was a notable success, which resulted in him being named number one in his class. He was awarded a scholarship from the Spanish Academy in Rome, which gave him the chance to travel to Italy and other major European countries over the next four years. During this period, and during his visits to Germany and Switzerland, he came into direct contact with the European avant-garde and the principles of the Bauhaus. In Berlin, he met influential architects like Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius. His travels left a profound impact on his professional career and positioned him as one of the main proponents of rationalism in Spain.

Committed to the principles of rationalism and functionalism, García Mercadal returned to Spain determined to adapt these concepts to the Spanish cultural and social context. Although his work as an architect was concentrated mainly in Aragon, he is considered a key figure in the modern movement in Spanish architecture as a founding member of the GATEPAC (Group of Spanish Architects and Technicians for the Progress of Contemporary Architecture), which was founded at the Gran Hotel de Zaragoza in October 1930. As part of his activities with the GATEPAC, his collaboration with the journal AC: Documentos de Actividad Contemporánea helped him disseminate his ideas and connect with other Spanish architects who shared his vision.

García Mercadal’s career was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). During the conflict, he remained in Spain and worked on minor projects. After the war, he was a victim of the cultural and professional isolation imposed by the Franco regime, which marginalized architects who had been associated with rationalism. Despite this situation, he continued working as an architect, although many of his projects from this period were limited by the political and economic restrictions of the post-war period.

His post-war projects included residential designs and urban planning in Zaragoza and Madrid, in which he sought to maintain a commitment to rationalist principles despite the limitations of the situation.

In addition to his professional activity, García Mercadal was a prominent teacher. He was a professor at the Madrid School of Architecture, where he taught architectural design and urban planning. He had a significant influence on generations of architects, especially those interested in reconciling the Spanish architectural tradition with the ideals of European modernism.

In the 1960s, a new generation of architects began to demand acknowledgment of his important role. In recognition of his pioneering work, he received numerous tributes in his later years. Notable examples include the exhibition organized in 1975 by the Architects’ Association of Madrid, which highlighted his contribution to Spanish rationalism. In 1983, just two years before his death, García Mercadal received the Gold Medal of Architecture, the highest award given by the Higher Council of the Spanish Architects’ Associations This recognition consolidated his legacy as one of the most important figures in modern architecture in Spain.

He died in Madrid in 1985, leaving behind a legacy of architectural design and theory that is still an object of study and admiration. In 2025, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of his death, a retrospective exhibition was organized in Zaragoza, compiling original blueprints, photographs, and models of his most notable designs, reaffirming his place in the history of Spanish architecture.

Biography by Roger Subirà

Bibliography

• MARTÍNEZ VERÓN, Jesús, Fernando García Mercadal. Retrato de arquitecto con sombrero, Colección Estudios, Institución Fernando el Católico, Diputación de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, 2024.
• GARCIA MERCADAL, Fernando, LABORDA YNEVA, José, eds., Artículos en la revista de Arquitectura 1920-1934, Éntasis, Cuadernos de Arquitectura de la Cátedra Ricardo Magdalena, Institución Fernando el Católico, Diputación de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, 2008.
• GARCIA MERCADAL, Fernando, La casa mediterránea [exhibition catalogue], Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte, Madrid, 1984.