Mauro Lleó studied Architecture at the Madrid School, graduating in 1940. In 1964 he earned his PhD under the requisites of the Ministerial Decree of 1958.

He was an avid traveller, and his experiences are documented in many photographs from his personal archive. In the early years of his professional practice, he travelled to see traditional and agricultural architecture in Spain, as well as a number of cities rebuilt by the General Directorate of Devastated Regions, like Guadarrama and Guernica. Later on, he travelled internationally to learn from other traditions. He visited Brussels, Milan, Turin, the Scandinavian countries, England and Germany, some with funding from the Ministry of Housing.

He was a member of the governing board of the Architects’ Association from 1945 to 1948. In 1963, he received the Cross of the Order of Merit for his participation in the Master Plan of Valencia adapted to the Plan Sur, and he was appointed head of technical services for the Valencia section of the General Directorate of Urban Planning. In 1972, he became a member of the San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts and, beginning in 1980, he held the position of inspector general for the Ministry of Public Works.

We can distinguish several stages in his career: a first stage (1940-1954), in which he developed a more traditional, academic architecture; a second stage (1955-1972), in which he began turning toward modernity with buildings characterized by industrialized construction and the standardization of solutions; and a third stage (1973-1984), when he began collaborating with his nephew Joaquín Lleó Morugan, and which lasted until he retired from professional practice.

In 1942, he was connected with the Devastated Regions agency, where he was chief architect for the Segorbe Regional Office. As such, he was in charge of the reconstruction of towns in the region in addition to working on the city’s cathedral and the churches of Caudiel, Begís and Jérica, among other public buildings.

In urban planning, he participated in drafting the Master Plan for Valencia and its periphery (1944-1946) as a member of the higher commission. He was also chief architect for the technical office of “Gran Valencia” until 1978.

In this first phase, he designed social housing promoted by public bodies such as the General Directorate of Devastated Regions, the National Institute of Colonization and the Obra Sindical del Hogar [Housing Department], specifically with interventions as part of the Plan Riada [Flood Response Plan], including the shelters for victims in Nazaret (Valencia) and Xirivella, both from 1949.

He also developed individual professional projects like the residential building located on calle Eduardo Boscá (1949), which received the Marqués de Sotelo Award in 1955 for offering housing solutions for the middle classes.

From his early years, it is also worth noting his heritage work, such as the expansion of the church of Our Lady of the Rosary in El Cabanyal-Canyamelar, from 1942, the restoration of the chapel of El Cristo del Grao in 1945, the intervention in the Church of Santa Catalina in 1949, and the restoration of the Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas to house the National Museum of Ceramics and Sumptuary Arts, from 1950 to 1954.

Modern influences in the work of Mauro Lleó began with interesting projects included in the Docomomo Ibérico registry, such as the Sueca rice factory (1954), a joint project with the engineer Francisco Ruvira. Innovations were borrowed from the construction of industrial warehouses, such as prestressed concrete beams that demonstrated the architect’s technical profile. This interest is also apparent in his excellent library, no doubt influenced by his grandfather the engineer.

Some of his fully modern designs, which incorporate references to Miesian architecture, include the La Pureza school (1962-1964) and the Javeriana Institution or Women’s Social Institute (1966), both included in the Docomomo Ibérico registry along with the SEAT offices (1965). Here it is worth highlighting the role of the exposed structure in the organization of the design. Of special interest in this modern period are his industrial designs, such as the Flex metal processing factory (1961); the project for the INCUSA tannery (1966), with A. Currás and J.M. López Dávila, which is notable for the use of reinforced concrete shells; and the unbuilt project for Vida Zumos SA (1969) with tensile structures in the style of Frei Otto.

In the sphere of residential architecture, it is worth highlighting the public housing complexes Virgen de la Fuensanta (1957) and Virgen de la Merced (1961), also included in the the Docomomo Ibérico registry. The architect’s many notable private residential developments include EFACSA and ALVACASA, in collaboration with Vicente Valls Abad and Joaquín García Sanz.

In the final stage of his professional career, there is a certain singularity in his office buildings, such as the façade of the Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad in Valencia (1972) or the corner of the building located at calle Pascual y Genís, 1 (1974).

Biography by Maite Palomares Figueres

Bibliografía

• CALDUCH CERVERA, Joan, “Mauro Lleó Serret”, in PEÑIN, Alberto, TABERNER, Francisco, eds., Arquitectos con huella. La arquitectura valenciana a través de sus protagonistas (1788-1971), Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos/COACV, Valencia, 2022.
• MARTÍNEZ GREGORI, Carmen, La modernidad en Valencia a través de tres obras del arquitecto Mauro Lleó, Publicaciones Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, 2017.
• AA VV, Registro de Arquitectura de la Comunidad Valenciana del siglo XX, Generalitat Valenciana, Valencia, 2002, pp. 399, 333, 422.
• DELICADO MARTÍNEZ, Javier, “In Memoriam. Mauro Lleó Serret. Arquitecto y Académico de número”, in Archivo de Arte Valenciano, 25 de febrero de 2001, p. 181.
• CALDUCH CERVERA, Joan, “Mauro Lleó Serret”, in JORDÁ, Carmen, ed., Siglo XX. Veinte obras de arquitectura moderna, Generalitat Valenciana/Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de la Comunidad Valenciana, Valencia, 1997, pp. 145-146.
• LLEÓ SERRET, Mauro, “La preocupación artística en los núcleos urbanos a través de la prehistoria y la historia” [Discurso de entrada en la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos, marzo de 1970], in Archivo de Arte Valenciano, 1971, pp. 53-57.