Roqueta, Santiago
Born in 1944 in Barcelona, Santiago Roqueta studied at the city's Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura (ETSAB). Beginning a long career in industrial design, Santiago Roqueta founded the first Barcelona design editing house, Snark Design in 1969. The idea was to distribute classic pieces, publishing works by Gerrit Rietveld, Giacomo Balla and Salvador Dali and later incorporating his own designs. In 1972 BD Ediciones de Diseno published a design by Santiago Roqueta which signified his recognition in the world of industrial design.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Santiago Roqueta began to design bars, clubs and restaurants, contributing to Barcelona s legendary night life. Barcelona designers began to design striking spaces that sought to revitalise the society of the time, with projects such as the Posa Restaurant (1970), the Massana Restaurant (1975), Salas Zeleste (1973 and 1979) or the Snooker Club (1985 and FAD award). Santiago Roqueta then embarked on artistic projects, designing the interior of the Ciento Gallery and the offices of the production company Oviedo TV (1985-1998), for which he also made furniture, and stage designs for films and TV series. Santiago Roqueta had a close professional relationship with Gabriel Ordeig and Carles Riart.
Over the course of his career, Santiago Roqueta received numerous awards, including the FAD award for the interior design of the Snooker Club and the Silver Delta, and for his Vallvidrera armchair in collaboration with Carles Riart. Many of his designs are exhibited around the world, from the Museum of Modern Art in New York to the National Art Museum of Catalonia.
Tenacious and obliging, Santiago Roqueta embodies the figure of teacher, mentor, and promoter, leaving his indelible imprint on Spanish design.
Santiago Roqueta died in 2005
