[Originally published in Bauwelt #16.2022] When Spain imposed its nation-wide lockdown to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus on … More
Category: Previously published
Public Property
[Originally published in The Architectural Review in April 2022] Before the arrival of steel and concrete, the most widely used … More
Open House
[Originally published in Bauwelt March 2022] Since the emergence of the pandemic, outdoor private space has come to be newly … More
Archaeological Building
[Originally published in Baumeister December 2021] Older buildings are no longer what they used to be. Until recently, the argument … More
Enric Miralles, 1955-2000
[Originally published in The Architectural Review July-August 2021] It has now been more than 20 years since Enric Miralles died … More
Hide and Seek
[Originally published in The Architectural Review May 2021] One of the first alterations that pupils of the Imagine Montessori Primary … More
Grit and Glam
[Originally published in DETAIL magazine 5.2021] There is no mistaking old from new in this adaptive reuse project by Baas … More
Urbicide Rebellion Slaughterhouse Reno
[Originally published in Bauwelt 8.2021] The adaptive reuse of L’Escorxador del Cabanyal, a former slaughterhouse in Valencia, Spain, as a … More
110 Rooms, 22 Flats, and One Good Idea
[Originally published in Baumeister 3/2020] The number of rooms contained in a building is not the way most young architects … More
Traces of the Past
[Originally published in Baumeister January 2020] Vilanova de la Barca is a small town located on the eastern bank of … More
Circle of Life
[Originally published in The Architectural Review December 2019/January 2020] Article 12 of the 1964 Venice Charter of the International Council on … More
The Poseidon Adventure
[Originally published in The Architectural Review July-August 2019] The small, idyllic Mediterranean island of Formentera, Spain, isn’t the first place … More
CAP Macba
[Publicado originalmente en BCN MÉS #80] El pollo que se está montando entre el movimiento vecinal ravalero y el Macba sobre el … More
¡Viva la macromani!
Como ocurre cada verano, otro año más se van llenando las calles de miles de turistas, aquella especie que arrasa … More
Viviendas para vivir
[originalmente publicado en BCN MÉS #79] En las últimas décadas, hemos logrado conectar la ciudad con el mar, hemos creado espacios … More
Arquitecto de mierda / Shit-Architect
[Texto originalmente publicado en / Text originally published in BCN MÉS #73. English translation follows below] Arquitecto de mierda En … More
For Greener Cities
[Originally published in RocaGallery.com. Versión en castellano sigue a continuación] Urban mobility is becoming ever more diverse: electric cars, trucks, … More
Into the Woods
[Originally published in RocaGallery.com. Versión en castellano sigue a continuación] Forget steel or concrete; or even carbon fibre. The most … More
Mercats: Sant Antoni & Abat
[originalmente publicado en BCN MÉS #74] Ahora que el recién reformado Mercat de Sant Antoni lleva unos meses abierto, ha llegado el … More
Architecture and Design Reboot
[Originally published in RocaGallery.com. Versión en castellano sigue a continuación] Recycling is great…in theory. In practice however, it is only … More
Small City Architecture: Walden 7 as a Social Network
[Originally published in RocaGallery.com. Versión en castellano sigue a continuación] “The city is like a great house, and the house … More
Overarching Craft
[Originally published in The Architectural Review July/August 2018] Matola, a hamlet in the semi-desert of the southeastern Spanish province of … More
Bicivia 7: El carril bici que une la metrópoli
[articulo publicado originalmente en BCN MÉS #71] En marzo [2018] se inauguró un nuevo carril bici –la Bicivia 7– de apenas … More
Housing Thinking
[Originally published in HOUSE US, eds. Jae Sung Chon and Kent Mundle (Winnipeg: OCDI Press, 2018)] In comparison to the … More
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
Inner Space
[Originally published in Azure Magazine November 2017] For an up-and-coming advertising agency called The Keenfolks, following the rules is not necessarily top … More
Diving Deep
[Originally published in Frame Magazine #118] In creating Tunateca Balfegó Espai Gastronómic, a restaurant dedicated exclusively to dishes prepared with Atlantic … More
La globalización de los mercados municipales
[publicado originalmente en BCN MÉS #63] Cualquiera que haya pisado uno de los recién remodelados mercados municipales en barcelona se … More
Disappearing Act
[Originally published in Baumeister 9/2017] As the place where Ancient Greeks first set foot on the Iberian peninsula, the archaeological … More
Loop the Loop
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #69] Solo Houses is the name of a project that’s intended to include more than … More
At Home: Santa Clara 1728
[Originally published in Azure Magazine, June 2017] Nestled within a labyrinth of narrow streets, small squares and gracefully aged buildings … More
Earthy, Corpulent and Well-Structured
[Originally published in Baumeister, June 2017] The Costa Brava’s Empordà region has a long history of exporting wine. Empúries, an … More
Destination Architecture
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #68] Barcelona may be well known today as an urban tourism destination, but it was … More
Interview with Daniel Mòdol, Architect and Politician
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #68] In Barcelona, architect and independent politician Daniel Mòdol was recently appointed city councillor for … More
Out-of-Doors House
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #67] This remarkable house cost under €900 per m2 to build. Admittedly, mentioning the cost … More
Rem Koolhaas, Mythologized on the Big Screen
[Originally published in Azure Magazine Nov. / Dec. 2016] Filmed, produced, directed and edited by Tomas Koolhaas over the course of … More
Three Roles Played by Architecture in Three Recent Films
[Originally published in O magazine] Buildings are as ubiquitous in films as they are in our lives. Even in the most … More
The Venetian Front
[Review of the 15th International Architecture Exhibition originally published in Mark Magazine #63. Photos by Sergio Pirrone.] Reporting From the … More
A World Apart: Architectural Autonomy as Artistic Freedom / Un mundo aparte. La autonomía arquitectónica como libertad artística
[Originally presented at and published in Out-onomy, Critic|all II International Conference on Architectural Design and Criticism, ETSAM / Resumen en castellano sigue … More
Reporting From the Affront
[Text published in art4d magazine #238] The Venice Biennale is a huge event; architecture’s biggest. It’s so big, if we … More
Monolith of Memory
[Text originally published in Mark Magazine #61] The Camp de Rivesaltes, a sprawling military base built in 1938 near Perpignan, … More
Avoid the Void
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #60] In recent decades, architecture commemorating violent death has typically relied on a dark, austere and … More
Dis-fru-tar
[Originally published in Azure, November-December 2015] Disfrutar means “to enjoy” in Spanish. It’s an appropriate name for a restaurant that encapsulates … More
La crítica arquitectónica y la imagen del arquitecto / Architectural Criticism and the Public Image of the Architect
[English text follows below] [una versión previa de este texto ha sido presentada en un simposio de la ETSAB y publicada … More
A conversation with Ricardo Devesa
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #58] Ricardo Devesa is editor in chief of Actar, a Barcelona-based publisher known for books … More
Size Isn’t Everything
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #57] It’s been said that the most difficult thing to design in architecture is a … More
The Art Studio-Museum
[Originally published in Oris Magazine #92] Situated on the distant side of the forested hillcrest that overlooks Barcelona, the Arranz-Bravo Studio … More
Brutal Underground
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #54] Barcelona has a problem: too many motor vehicles occupy too much space and fill … More
A Response to Marc Kushner’s ‘A New Golden Age of Architecture’
[Originally published on medium.com] Dear Marc Kushner, Like yourself, I also want people to love architecture. But unlike yourself, I don’t … More
Observations on Attitude
[Originally published in Log Journal #32] Visiting “Fair Enough,” the satirical exhibition in the Russian Pavilion, I was reminded of … More
Carme Pinós Honours the Pillar
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #52] Our Lady of the Pillar, Zaragoza’s 17th-century baroque basilica, is dedicated to the Virgin … More
Groupies
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #51] We’ve all heard of ‘selfies’. What about ‘groupies’? During the opening of the 14th … More
Criticism 2.0, or Nobody Likes a Critic when Everyone’s a Critic
[This text originated as a talk at the CICA Critical Juncture symposium session “Architectural Criticism Now” in February 2014 at the … More
Reality Check: Spain
[Text originally published in Mark Magazine #50] Revisiting architecture is always a good thing to do, especially when the work … More
Destination: Barcelona’s Renaissance Fira Hotel
[Originally published in Azure, May 2014] The elevator soars up the Hotel Renaissance Fira Barcelona, and my knees buckle beneath … More
B720 Corners the Flea Market
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #48] With its beginnings dating back to the 14th century, Barcelona’s flea market La Fira de Bellcaire (also known … More
Spanish Steps
[Originally published in Azure, Nov/Dec 2013] One thing becomes immediately apparent when approaching MediaLab-Prado. There is no confusing old with … More
Sociability Generator
[Originally published in Azure, October 2013] Gràcia, with its narrow streets and the atmosphere of the former village still intact, … More
A Barcelona Hotel gets Graphic
[Originally published in Azure, September 2013] For Pau, its new hotel in Barcelona, the Room Mate group sought an interior … More
Learned from Las Vegas: DHUB Design Museum, Barcelona, by MBM
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #45] This building is important. It occupies a prominent site at the intersection of three of … More
Product Placement / Emplazamiento publicitario
Product Placement [Originally published in Arquitectura Viva #153 under the title “Marcas y contextos”. Translation: Eduardo Prieto] “Designed by Apple … More
Going Slowly: Cadaval and Solà-Morales
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #39] “Young architects” is a culturally loaded term, often conjuring notions of rebellion, utopian idealism, … More
Ill-Fitting: The Balenciaga Museum
Fashion, Architecture, Politics: Image is Everything The inauguration of a cultural institution is normally a cause for widespread celebration; even … More
Quietly Brilliant: Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #35] Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano are truly architects’ architects. They may not be a … More
Quaderns #262: A Gut Reaction
[Originally published in Quaderns d’arquitectura i urbanisme online] Quaderns d’arquitectura i urbanisme #262 is provocatively titled “Parainfrastructures”, an invented word that … More
Experimenting in Public is not a Crime
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #33] Seville’s public squares come in all shapes and sizes. Some are large and officious, others small … More
Strike a Pose
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #32] What is it that makes these architectural images so seductive? To be sure, there … More
Blackwash
You wouldn’t know it from looking at photographs such as these. You wouldn’t even know it if you were standing … More
Power to the People
[originally published in Mark Magazine #29] The office of Andrés Jaque Arquitectos Still on the shy side of 40, Andrés … More
Interview with Peter Eisenman
[This is an excerpt of an interview I conducted with Peter Eisenman in Santiago de Compostela in May 2010. The … More
Top-Down Tower
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #27] Social housing is among the most regulated–and least glamorous–areas of architecture. While all housing … More
City as Landscape
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #27] Library Is the pleasure of architecture intellectual or sensual? Of the mind or … More
Triumph of the Shell
[originally published in Mark Magazine #26] In cinema, there is a common type of architectural scene: a building … More
Building as Research
Truss space Two facades with different pillow systems: ETFE fog configuration and ETFE diaphragm configuration. The range of building … More
Jurisprudence
Courts of justice are steeped in protocol and decorum, not merely because of tradition, but in order to establish and … More
Optimization Takes Command
Angelo Roventa’s Elastic Dwelling applies a principle—and a mechanism—that is borrowed from a commercially available pre-manufactured industrial product: the high-density … More
Monument Ahead
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #22] Granada, the medieval seat of the Nasrid dynasty, whose rulers built the Alhambra, is … More
Team Play
As any sports fan can confirm, the architecture of elite sporting venues is the forefront of technologically inventive design these … More
Two Optimistic Architecture Yearbooks: a comparative analysis
One of the interesting things about architectural yearbooks is that they provide a snapshot, or to use a more appropriate … More
Integrated Highrise
Barcelona is a city without very many tall buildings. Not only that: the few tall buildings that do exist are … More
Water Tower and Bridge Pavilion
[originally published in Mark Magazine #16] Water TowerOne of the ironies of world expositions is that while they apparently act … More
Punch and Play
Any voyage from an airport to a city centre proves that urban peripheries the world over relate more to each … More
Exquisite Corpse
A large sculpture next to a mega monochrome painting – at first glance and from a distance, that’s what the … More
Everyday Camouflage in the City
[Originally published in Lotus International # 126. Earlier versions published in proceedings of Second Savannah Symposium “Authenticity in Architecture” (2001) and in On … More
Benidorm: The Pursuit of Pleasure by the Most Efficient Available Means
Benidorm is a city in southeastern Spain with an urban morphology that is highly unusual for Europe: it is a … More
Daniel Libeskind, utopianist
Cuando el arquitecto Daniel Libeskind dice “no pienso en el conjunto de la ciudad” porque “mi interés se centra en … More
Less and More
[Originally published in HUNCH 6 / 7 109 Provisional Attempts to Address Six Simple and Hard Questions, in which 109 … More
The Virtue of Reality: “Puntos de luz”, the butterfly effect, and (web) site-specificity
[Originally published in http://www.puntosdeluz.net by Chema Alvargonzalez] The butterfly effect, first formulated by meteorologist Edward Lorenz in the 1970s, “refers … More
From White Cube to Big Box: Three Exurban Themes in the Work of Kim Adams
“Non-places are the real measure of our time; one that could be quantified…by totaling all the air, rail and motorway … More
Rocket Architecture
[Originally published in Canadian Architect, February 2001] The ensemble of structures illustrated here could easily be mistaken for recent work by … More
Kitbashing, Street Remakes, and Bisexual Architecture: A Conversation with Kim Adams
Rafael Gómez-Moriana: Kim, you gave a talk in 1988 at the Christiane Chassay Gallery in Montreal in which you showed … More
Winnipeg: One Great Situation-Normal (1)
[Originally published in Winnipeg Art Gallery exhibition publication Sit(e)ings: Trajectories for a Future] “Incredible…one can actually order ‘a cup of coffee’ … More
Go With the Flow
The World Waterpark at West Edmonton Mall is a vast steel and glass-vaulted tropical microclimate in the middle of that … More
The Valparaiso School and the Construct(ion) of Regional Identity
[Originally published in Hispanic Studies vol. 23] The School of Architecture at the Catholic University of Valparaiso is an important … More
Under Water
[Originally published in Canadian Architect March 1999] The swimming pool is an icon of modernism, a veritable symbol of the health and … More
Relationship of Convenience: The Polarization of Theory and Practice in Architecture
[Originally published in Proceedings of The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture West Central 1997 Regional Conference, Faculty of Architecture, … More
Straightforward
“Architecture, whether it is a work of art or not, must be utilitarian or else fail completely.Art is not utilitarian.” … More