[Originally published in The Architectural Review, April 2025] While hospitals naturally require particular sanitary conditions, they must also accommodate people … More
Author: Rafael Gomez-Moriana
Architect, educator and writer. Partner at ArqEstructura. Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Calgary. Blogger at criticalista.com.
Power Dependency
Yesterday, in the middle of the day, the electricity went out on the entire Iberian peninsula. From one minute to … More
The Rise and Fall of Barcelona: From Architectural Tourism to Touristic Architecture
[Originally published in OnSite Review 46] Has anyone ever noticed how often the word visitor is used by architecture students … More
Outrage: MACBA goes massive and public space suffers
[Originally published in The Architectural Review online. Versión en castellano sigue a continuación.] The multicultural working-class neighbourhood of El Raval, … More
Espacios ambiguos
Espacios versátiles, flexibles e indefinidos, hacia una arquitectura doméstica sostenible y resiliente. [Publicado originalmente en Poch, Marta, editora: Vivienda en … More
Ambiguous Spaces
Versatile, flexible, undefined spaces: towards a sustainable and resilient domestic architecture [Originally published in Marta Poch, ed.: Housing in the … More
Intermediary Space and Free Play
[Originally published in de Aedibus 110: CLR Architectes] By their ability to offer a threshold between the city and the … More
Dear Readers of Criticalista:
As you may have noticed, the world is undergoing a sea-change right now. The recent swearing-in of the 47th president … More
Climate Change? Here it is:
The floods that hit Valencia on 29 October were unprecedented. In the space of only eight hours, a year’s worth … More
Forensic Architecture’s Cartography of Genocide
Forensic Architecture recently completed an exhaustive, highly detailled investigation titled “A Cartography of Genocide: Israel’s Conduct in Gaza Since October … More
A Conversation with Bajet Giramé
[Originally published in Bauwelt 24.2024] This year’s Manifesta is being held for the first time throughout a large metropolitan area. … More
The Barcelona Pavilion-Crematorium
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can give to greatness.” -Oscar Wilde. From the outside, the Crematorium … More
It’s the Economy (that’s) Stupid
Spain’s economy is thriving this year, with the highest growth rate in the EU and one of the top rankings … More
Tabula Gaza
As is well-known, Benjamin Netanyahu studied architecture in his youth, a profession tasked with making the world a better place … More
Just another earth brick in the wall
[Originally published in the September 2024 issue of The Architectural Review] Comfort is the reason we construct most buildings. The … More
Which Way, Barcelona?
Gaudí must be rolling over in his grave. A Formula 1 race car burning rubber and making noise before one … More
A Moving Structure
It has won the 2022 City of Barcelona award, the Best Public Library of 2023 Award, the 2023 FAD Architecture … More
The Pointlessness of The Line
The Line, that gigastructure for Saudi Arabia that has recently been reduced to only a tiny fraction of its initially … More
Everyday Camouflage in Suburbia
[Originally published in Bauwelt 9.2024] The suburban single-family house has long been promoted as the ideal residential building type; as … More
Form Follows Footwear
[Originally published in The Architectural Review April 2024] Plaza Gomila, a small urban square in Palma on the Mediterranean island … More
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