Collection: Xavier Fabré
Xavier Fabré was born in Barcelona in 1959, graduating in architecture in 1988 from Barcelona s School of Architecture (ETSAB). After graduating, he and Lluís Dilmé founded the Dilmé & Fabré studio, implementing projects in the spheres of education, social care, housing, museums and public spaces, such as L escola d Ensenyament Integrat de Música i Dansa Oriol Martorell (1995-1997), the park in the Sant Narcís neighbourhood in Girona (1994-1999), or several housing complexes in El Prat de Llobregat (2002), Girona (2004) and Figueres (2004). Xavier Fabré s collaboration with Ignasi de Solà-Morales and Eulàlia Serra on theatre projects led the three architects to take on the reconstruction of Barcelona s Liceo opera house after it was ravaged by fire in 1994. They were initially tasked with refurbishing the theatre after the tragic fire, but the commission was extended to include the reconstruction and, in 2002, they were awarded the project for the Liceo s shop. In recognition of the excellence of their work in this project, the Government of Catalonia awarded the three architects its Premio Nacional de la Generalitat in the category of Cultural Heritage.
In their work as designers, the partnership s creation of specific furniture for the new opera house was notable, conceived in a contemporary language that takes into account the context. This furniture includes the red velvet armchairs and the Liceo pendant lamp, installed in the theatre foyer at the Carrer de Sant Pau entrance and the service entrance, re-edited by Santa & Cole. After the outstanding Liceo project, Xavier Fabré and Lluís Dilmé went on to revamp several performing arts and music venues. These include Teatro Guastavino in Vilassar de Dalt (2002), Teatro Principal in Sabadell (2002, built in 1860) and the renovation of Teatro Cal Ninyo in Sant Boi de Llobregat (2004). In 2012, Lluís Dilmé and Xavier Fabré were among the founding partners of DFT Arquitectes, an architectural studio focused on the refurbishment of auditoriums, theatres and opera houses.