[Originally published in Mark Magazine #52] Our Lady of the Pillar, Zaragoza’s 17th-century baroque basilica, is dedicated to the Virgin…
How to become a “public space” benefactor in 6 easy steps:
Pssst. Nouveau-riche and dying to go down in philanthropic history? Why not build a “public space” vanity project? It’s easy. Here’s how you do…
Pure Shit
I couldn’t agree more, Frank.
Groupies
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #51] We’ve all heard of ‘selfies’. What about ‘groupies’? During the opening of the 14th…
Cities that Come and Go
Within walking distance of Barcelona’s historic centre, there lies a small satellite town that comes and goes with regularity. It tends to…
Cruise Ships
Le Corbusier famously wrote in Vers une architecture that we should look to ocean liners as examples of a new, modern architecture. This…
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…
Morning Glory
It must surely be a signal from the cosmos. Yesterday, September 8th, at precisely 7:39 AM, I woke up, opened…
Drawing Conclusions
Guerilla Architect
Al Jazeera is currently airing a series of architectural documentaries in six parts titled “Rebel Architects“, the first of which is…
When in Rome
Barcelona’s public space is yet again being hotly contested. Protests against the many illegal tourist apartments in this city, sparked by last week’s publication…
Reality Check: Spain
[Text originally published in Mark Magazine #50] Revisiting architecture is always a good thing to do, especially when the work…
Criticism as Reality Check
As my article titled “Reality Check: Spain” in the current (at time of post) 50th issue of Mark Magazine hopefully makes clear, architecture…
Architecture’s Prime Taboo, is one of its ‘Fundamentals’, too.
Russia’s pavilion at the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale, titled ‘Fair Enough’, is one of the few exhibitions in the entire Biennale…
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…
Some Reflections on Concrete Formwork
Every building material symbolizes something, and the most modern building materials are no exception. Glass, we have been told, is representative…
Groupies: A Mark Magazine project at the Venice Architecture Biennale
We’ve all heard of ‘selfies’, perhaps even taken a few ourselves. So why not ‘groupies’? During the opening of the…
Skin-Deep Beauty
Rambla de Canaletes, Barcelona. 8:30 AM. The morning light is shining through the window openings of a façade that has been…
The Barcelona Brand
Barcelona is the sixth most powerful urban brand in the world, according to a report published today in The Guardian,…
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…
Criticalista 