Born in Valls (Alt Camp) in 1888. 
He finished his architecture studies in 1916 in Barcelona. 
In 1923 he was designated Dean of Barcelona architects College and also named Professor and Secretary of the Escola d'Arts i Oficis of Barcelona (Art and offices school) in 1929. 
He was one of the founders of the Centre d'Estudis Gaudinistes (Gaudinist studies Center) in 1952. 
Martorell was also a writer contributing to different publications, such as Revista de Catalunya, Destino, La Vanguardia, and others. 
He was also the author of an important quantity of books mainly on architecture, including "Arquitectura i escultura barroca a Catalunya", "Gaudí: su vida, su teoría, su obra", and, together with other writers, "Construcciones agrarias en Cataluña" on a question on which he was an expert.  During his life he effectively planned and built nearly 40 cellars and other agricultural constructions which, due to their magnificence, are known as Wine Cathedrals. 
Martinell not only designed the buildings themselves but also organized their internal spaces to increase production, and designed their stores and machinery distribution. 
His style is normally classified as Art Nouveau but with influences of Noucentisme (the style following the Art Nouveau in Catalonia). This is evident in the buildings where he used profusely the Catalan "totxo" (brick) around the windows, and columns and ceramics for decoration. 
Cèsar Martinell died  on 19 November 1973.