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Criticalista

Rafael Gómez-Moriana's architecture blog

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Category: Notes

The Politics of Architecture

Why is supposedly “advanced” architecture appreciated by so many of today’s dictatorial rulers, and what does this tell us about … More

architecture, BIG, Bjarke Ingels, Jair Bolsonaro, politics

The Phenomenology of Solar Energy

I recently installed a thermo-solar water heater on my rooftop, and it has profoundly changed the way I live, making … More

architecture, HVAC, mechanical systems, phenomenology, solar energy

Is Tourism the Only Thing Killing Barcelona?

A few days ago, The Guardian published a piece titled “Why Tourism is Killing Barcelona” that describes the damage that “overtourism” … More

Barcelona, dirt, disrespect, drugs, tourism, urban decline

Knock on Stone: A Brief, Informal Acoustic Experiment at the Barcelona Pavilion

The original Barcelona Pavilion is believed to be the first time that stone was “hung” in the form of thin … More

acoustics, Barcelona Pavilion, construction, Mies, pavilion, stone

Mega-Market

Barcelona’s biggest market, Mercat Sant Antoni, has finally opened its doors after a renovation process lasting nearly a decade. The … More

Barcelona, Eixample, infrastructure, megastructure, modernisme, rehabilitation, Sant Antoni Market renovation, superilla

A New Low: the World’s Tallest Building

Faced with a half-day layover in Dubai recently, I decided to visit the tallest building in the world. I could … More

Burj Kahlifa, cantilever, Dubai, perfume bottle architecture, skyscraper

A Guide to the Many Flags Visible in Barcelona These Days

[Originally published in Art4d Magazine] Barcelona is currently festooned with flags hanging from apartment balconies. It’s been this way especially … More

Catalonia, design, flags, history, politics, Spain

Spongifying the City

Esponjamiento urbano, a Spanish term that literally translates as “urban spongification”, refers to the process of aerating dense, historical urban … More

air, esponjamiento urbano, light, public health, public space, urban design, urban sponging, urbanism

Notes from a Recent Construction Site Visit

I was recently fortunate enough to be shown a truly interesting work of architecture currently under construction in Barcelona: La … More

activism, atrium, Barcelona, building industry, building typology, CLT, co-operative, courtyard, housing, Lacol, urban infill, wood

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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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