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Criticalista

Rants and reflections on architecture, cities, and politics

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Category: review

Revisit: Casa Batlló

[Originally published in The Architectural Review December / January 2026] The year 2026 marks 100 years since the death of … More

architectural tourism, Barcelona, Casa Batlló, Gaudí, Revisit, The Architectural Review

Revisit: La Fábrica

[Originally published in The Architectural Review August 2025] Ricardo Bofill lived and worked in La Fábrica until his death in … More

adaptive re-use, La Fábrica, politics, Ricardo Bofill, Taller de Arquitectura, The Architectural Review

Two-Timing Tower

[Originally published in Bauwelt 15.2025] The new training tower recently completed at Barcelona’s Vall d’Hebron fire station, designed by local … More

Barcelona, Bauwelt, brick, Carles Enrich, concrete, tower, training facility

Radiotherapy and Hemodialysis Center

[Originally published in The Architectural Review, April 2025] While hospitals naturally require particular sanitary conditions, they must also accommodate people … More

Baas Arquitectura, brick, Casa SOLO, Catalonia, healthcare, The Architectural Review

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

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

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

Sharing School

[Originally published in Bauwelt 5.2023. Photos by Aitor Estévez] Barcelona has some of the densest neighborhoods in Europe, so it … More

Barcelona, Bauwelt, community, Poblenou, school, SUMO Arquitectes

Up Close and Personal

[Originally published in Bauwelt 4.2023] One of the growing problems facing Spain today is the ongoing depopulation of its interior … More

Aragon, Auditorium, Bauwelt, brick, Magén Arquitectos, small town

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

Bauwelt, COVID-19, garden, Granada, Improvisation, nightclub, Tomás García Píriz

Community Integration

[Originally published in Bauwelt 14.2022] With a current average life expectancy of almost 84 years, Spain’s is one of the … More

adaptive re-use, Bauwelt, Chamberí, day center for elderly persons, Madrid, Mariluz Sánchez Moral & Padilla Nicás Arquitectos

Public Property

[Originally published in The Architectural Review in April 2022] Before the arrival of steel and concrete, the most widely used … More

housing, IBAVI, Mallorca, stone, structure, The Architectural Review, vault

Open House

[Originally published in Bauwelt March 2022] Since the emergence of the pandemic, outdoor private space has come to be newly … More

architecture, Arquitectura-G, Barcelona, Bauwelt, courtyard, flexibility, house, inside-outside

Archaeological Building

[Originally published in Baumeister December 2021] Older buildings are no longer what they used to be. Until recently, the argument … More

adaptive re-use, archaeology, Baumeister, homelessness, Josep Ferrando, prison, Reus, shelter, Tarragona

Hide and Seek

[Originally published in The Architectural Review May 2021] One of the first alterations that pupils of the Imagine Montessori Primary … More

education, Gradolí & Sanz Arquitectes, Montessori School, Open-ended architecture, The Architectural Review, Valencia

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

adaptive re-use, Baas Arquitectura, Barcelona, DETAIL magazine, Oliva Artés Museum of the History of Barcelona, sculpture

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

activism, adaptive re-use, Bauwelt, Boris Strzelczyk, David Estal, El Cabanyal, l'Escorxador del Cabanyal, protest, punk, Salvem El Cabanyal, Tato Herrero, Valencia

Circular Container Housing

Does the sight of absurd architectural projects containing shipping containers make you cringe? Do you break into a cold sweat … More

APROP, Barcelona, circular economy, housing system, prefabrication, shipping containers, Straddle 3, sustainable design

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

Barcelona, Baumeister, building typology, Eixample, enfilade, housing system, Maio Architects, room

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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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