Manuel de Solà-Morales, architect, professor and founder of the Barcelona Urbanism Laboratory passed away on Monday, February 27, 2012. This special issue is comprised of the memories, tributes, sketches, and impressions that many of his friends, proteges and colleagues sent us in response to our call. Through such a rich array of individual voices we can begin to grasp the extent to which, for so many of us, Manuel was a role model, friend and teacher.