Yellow Garden

[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

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