Carlos Lamela (Madrid, 1957) leads Estudio Lamela, one of the largest architecture offices in Spain founded more than 60 years ago by his father, Antonio Lamela. He defines himself as an educated, calm, orderly and happy person who has a passion for architecture and aviation.P. What makes you happy? A. I think it is a concept that has part of objectivity, since there are very defined patterns. It makes everyone happy to be well, to be healthy, that their family and personal environment is well, to have a job that satisfies them. I think it's a very simple recipe, right? Q. What can make you lose your temper? A. I don't know if I've ever lost my good manners in my life, I don't think so. I give a lot of importance to education, to good manners, and more and more. I am a calm person.P. Do you think education has been lost? A. I don't think it has been lost, I think the concept has changed. In some things it has been lost, but in others it has been gained. The average is positive. That education that we were accustomed to when we were little, or in our parents' time, which was a very formal education, has perhaps changed. I participate a lot in that education, due to my age and my references. In that formal education we have gone backwards.P. If someone loses his manners in front of you, is he able to get your attention? Yes of course. In a very polite way, yes. For example, if I'm on the AVE and there are people who are talking on their cell phones tirelessly, I approach them and say 'excuse me, would you mind talking on the platform?' and I have to say that when I do it I have always found absolutely positive responses. I've never had any problems. Furthermore, I am not confrontational at all. I flee from conflicts. I have been lucky and I am lucky to be surrounded by extraordinary people in all the areas in which I move. In that I am lucky.P. What do you think your team thinks about you?A. Well, I am a calm, responsible and easy-going person.P. What project resists you? A. I clearly have one that resists me and that I would love to do, which is a large high-rise building. We have done several projects for 200 meter buildings, but for whatever reason we have not been able to execute them, they have always remained there in the pipeline. The city doesn't matter.P. How many countries do you know? A. I tell you exactly the number, because I count them. 70 countries. I've been counting them for 25 years because I joined a club in Hong Kong called the Travelers' Century Club, which only admitted members who had been to 100 countries. My last country, number 70, was Iraq.Q. Mostly for work or pleasure? A. I would say half and half. I don't have a defined border between my personal and work life, because architecture floods my life and my life floods work. So sometimes I don't know when it's work and when it's pleasure.Q. When planning a trip, what do you look for? A. I am a very curious person. I would tell you that the taste of architecture predominates, the cities predominate over the landscape and nature. I mean, I'm more into hard surfaces than soft ones. I wouldn't go to Costa Rica, for example, to see nature.P. What will be your next destination? A. It's going to be Canada, because I don't know it and I really want it. I have Canada, Cuba and Peru pending, which are three countries that I don't know. In Europe I have Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia left. Also one pending thing that I have had for 40 years is to do the Trans-Siberian Railway. From Moscow to Beijing by train, but now is not the time. I had it scheduled on a couple of occasions and in the end the definitive opportunity never came. Q. The scrupulous order around him catches my attention.R. Yes, I am an organized person.P. Does it condition your life? R. No, it comes naturally to me, I have always done it since I was little. Sometimes I place things without realizing it. Now, for example, I am talking to you and I am placing the papers. But it's not obsessive and, furthermore, it doesn't take up my time either. When I get to work I go to my table and rearrange everything in case the person cleaning has moved something. I get home and line up my shoes. I get out of the shower, take the towel, fold it, hang it and leave it perfect as it was when I took it, for example. Clutter bothers me a lot, it makes me restless and would possibly cause me some stress. Of course, I have to have the car perfectly clean. I suffer a lot having a dirty car. Q. How do you manage stress? Q. Me, personally, with peace of mind.P. Are your friends lifelong? A. From school, since he was five years old. One of the things that makes me feel luckiest in my life is that I have many, very good friends. I have cultivated a lot of friendship. I have been lucky that people have always been very good to me and I only have gratitude for everyone.P. One of his hobbies is aviation. How do you get to it? A. Since I was little I loved airplanes. I have an image when I was three years old in El Retiro (Madrid) when I was trying to catch a plane that was passing through the sky with my hand. I remember when I was 13 or 14 years old drawing airline planes, I knew all the airline companies in the world, I drew the planes with their different colors, with the logos.P. At any point did you hesitate between being an architect or a pilot? A. No, because at the age of 14 it was already clear to me that I was going to be an architect. Keep in mind that at that age you already had to make the decision of what you wanted to be. And I believe that my father had taken it upon himself to convince me subliminally. At the age of 30 I started flying ultralights, it was a very nice hobby, but I had the misfortune that two teachers were killed in an accident. And then, I gained respect for him. But I liked it so much that at almost 40 years old I decided to get the private pilot title, which was something more serious, more professional. Q. Is it still flying? A. Yes of course. I just had the medical examination to renew my licenses and in the summer I am going, like every year, to Italy to fly. My vacations depend on my flights and Italy is always a destination. For me it is a fundamental country in my life. I am very Spanish, but I could also have been Italian because they are two very similar countries and they represent the world of architecture, art, and landscape. When I finished my degree, I went to Italy to study, to Florence, and I discovered a wonderful country, which I love. If I get lost, let them look for me in Italy.P. He has produced a film. How was it? A. One day I decided to write an idea, a film came out of it and I made the decision to co-produce it. García y García, which premiered in 2021, has been another experience in my life that I am very happy with. It had a maturation period of eight years. I have discovered that constructing a building and making a film are two very similar processes.Here you can consult the latest 'After work' interviewsFollow all the information on Economy and Business on Facebook and xor in our weekly newsletter