In 1832, as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe lay on his deathbed, he famously uttered the words “Mehr Licht” (more light). … More
Category: Texts exclusive to this blog
The Metaphysics of Zoning
Welcome to one of Barcelona’s “newest” green zones. Barely a year old, it’s located one block off Las Ramblas, the … More
Trees in the Air
What is the point of suspending trees in the air? They grow much better on the ground, where they also … More
The Attrition of Automobiles
The 2022 European Prize for Urban Public Space has gone to the disappearance of an urban expressway in Utrecht, Netherlands, … More
Not in Our Public Space
Public space belongs to everyone. That’s why the latest proposal to expand the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona (MACBA) … More
One Permanent Exhibition / Theme Park Inside Another
How many architects have an exhibition of their work permanently on display at a cultural institution, replete with nearly full-scale … More
Statistical Error
In 2018, a study was published that situated “Europe’s most densely inhabited square kilometer” in the working-class town of L’Hospitalet … More
Hotel Empanada
This advertisement for a Barcelona snack bar franchise contains an image of a local landmark building by the late Ricardo … More
Presenting the E-Window®
Are windows really necessary in buildings? Is an LED panel that simulates a window an acceptable substitute? Some seem to … More
The Anti-Circular Pepper Mill Scandal
The other day, I was preparing a dinner party when I realized my pepper mill was empty. I ran to … More
UNStudio’s Plagiarism of Elastic Living by Angelo Roventa
In the field of research, plagiarism is unacceptable and denounced. Here begins a post denouncing UNStudio’s shameless plagiarism of over … More
Dear Ben van Berkel
Dear Ben, To have a design idea copied by you, a global starchitect with offices all over the world, is … More
Home is Where the Pathologies Are
Here we are, in the ninth month of coronavirus crisis, eagerly awaiting the birth, any day now, of a new … More
Dear Mayor Ada Colau:
Dear Ms Colau, internationally esteemed mayor of Barcelona. I write this letter in English because many citizens of Barcelona are … More
Barcelona, posa’t guarra (get dirty)
Welcome to Carrer Príncep de Viana in the Raval neighbourhood of Barcelona, a small, normally quiet street lined with trees … More
Canadà Park: Barcelona’s Maple Leaf Themed Suburb
As an architect who is blessed with having double citizenship –Spanish as well as Canadian– I was quite amused, while … More
Pop (-Up) Urbanism in the City of Design
Barcelona is known around the world today as a city of design. Its urban grid, buildings, parks, squares, streets, benches, … More
Reassessing the Street-in-the-Sky in Times of Coronavirus
As Covid 19 spreads its way around the world, a fear of urban density is similarly catching on, with suburbs, … More
Circular Container Housing
Does the sight of absurd architectural projects containing shipping containers make you cringe? Do you break into a cold sweat … More
Cocooning in Balconville
With lockdown in effect in many parts of the world, and urban streets and squares largely empty, residential balconies have … More