The countless analyses carried out on the architectural configuration of the Alhambra and the Generalife have paid particular attention to all manner of historical and stylistic, as well as constructional, aspects, but without sufficient examination of their relation to contemporary developments within the discipline. This is generally perceived as being rather remote, in spite of the fact that their influence on eminent practitioners and projects can be demonstrated. A study was therefore proposed that explores such matters at three levels: the international, beginning with the modern antecedents that led to revised readings of the site; the national, focusing on the Alhambra Manifesto as a culmination of collaborative thinking; and the local, discerning the repercussions on the urban environment of activities in the monument itself. From all of this can be deduced the full effect of its extraordinary qualities, seen as timeless concepts of major significance, that reaffirm it as a universal benchmark for a long line of recent and, undoubtedly, future projects.
Alhambra, Generalife, modern architecture, contemporary architecture.