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Criticalista

Rants and reflections on architecture, cities, and politics

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Author: Rafael Gomez-Moriana

Architect, educator and writer. Partner at ArqEstructura. Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Calgary. Blogger at criticalista.com.

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

climate change, denialism, environment, fascism, floods, Spain, Valencia

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

cartography, Forensic Architecture, Gaza, Genocide, Israel, maps, politics, war

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

architects, Bajet Giramé, Barcelona, Bauwelt, Manifesta

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

architecture, Barcelona, Barcelona Pavilion, cemetery, crematorium, design, Mies, Spain, travel

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

capitalism, economy, homelessness, poverty, Spain

Tabula Gaza

As is well-known, Benjamin Netanyahu studied architecture in his youth, a profession tasked with making the world a better place … More

architectural education, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gaza, Genocide, Israel, palestine, politics, urbicide, war

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

architecture, bioclimatic, climate change, construction, Eivissa, housing, Ibiza, Peris+Toral, renewable-energy, sustainability, The Architectural Review

Which Way, Barcelona?

Gaudí must be rolling over in his grave. A Formula 1 race car burning rubber and making noise before one … More

automobile, Barcelona, Formula 1, fossil fuels, politics, urbanism

A Moving Structure

It has won the 2022 City of Barcelona award, the Best Public Library of 2023 Award, the 2023 FAD Architecture … More

Biblioteca Gabrial garcia Marquez, cantilever, library, materiality, structure, suma arquitectura

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

15-minute city, automobile, car-free city, Incremental Urbanism, The Line

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

Bauwelt, camouflage, house, Madrid, OF Architects & Ignacio G. Galán, suburbia

Form Follows Footwear

[Originally published in The Architectural Review April 2024] Plaza Gomila, a small urban square in Palma on the Mediterranean island … More

Camper, El Terreno, GRAS Reynés Arquitectos, MVRDV, Palma de Mallorca, Plaza Gomila, The Architectural Review

Bike Lanes and Politicians

This is Christians Brygge, a central Copenhagen traffic thoroughfare. It varies between one and two lanes for motor vehicles in … More

Amsterdam, automobile, bicycling, bike lane, Copenhagen, corruption, politics, Toronto

Failing the Test of Time

The famed Sant Antoni Library by RCR Arquitectes, Catalonia’s only Pritzker Prize-winner, has been undergoing a complete renovation since September … More

Barcelona, Pritzker Prize, RCR, renovation, Sant Antoni Libary, sustainability, time

Greetings from Barcelona

[Last December, Bauwelt Magazine asked their contributors to send them a postcard from their hometown along with a new year’s greeting addressing … More

Barcelona, Bauwelt, macba, public space, Raval

A Highly Contested Urban Space in Barcelona

It’s finally happening. A commercial thoroughfare in my neighborhood that is much too narrow, traffic-laden, and overcrowded with shoppers is … More

automobile, Barcelona, pedestrians, right to the city, streets, urban design

Making a Difference

[Originally published in DETAIL Magazine 5.2023] Project Gomila is a micro-urban reconstruction initiative by the owners of the Spanish global … More

Color, DETAIL magazine, Incremental Urbanism, Micro Urbanism, MVRDV, Palma de Mallorca, Project Gomila

La comida es un medio para hablar de espacios e infraestructuras

[Originalmente publicado en Bauwelt 11.2023] Bajo el título FOODSCAPES, el pabellón español presenta un examen del contexto agroarquitectónico y analiza … More

Bauwelt, foodscapes, Spain, Venice Biennale

The Post-Olympic Transformation of Barcelona

[Originally published in Heide Wessely and Sandra Hofmeister, editors: Barcelona: Urban Architecture and Community Since 2010. Munich: Edition DETAIL, 2023] … More

architecture, Barcelona, Edition DETAIL, politics, tourism, urbanism

Life in a Gated Community

When my parents retired around 20 years ago, they decided to move to Seville, my father’s hometown. Since they were … More

automobile, gated community, suburbia

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Criticalista collects Rafael Gomez-Moriana's writings on architecture and the built environment. All photographs by the author unless indicated otherwise.

©2014 Rafael Gomez-Moriana. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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