[Originally published in Mark Magazine #39] “Young architects” is a culturally loaded term, often conjuring notions of rebellion, utopian idealism, … More
Tag: Barcelona
Gaudí’s hanging chain models: parametric design avant la lettre?
It is known that Gaudí preferred modelling architecture over drawing it; especially models made of chains hung from a ceiling, or strings … More
The Cantilever Race
The skyscraper race is over. It’s been won hands down by an absurdly high building in Dubai which doesn’t look … More
Context is Still Everything
The building visible in the photo above is a soon-to-be-completed design museum by the veteran firm MBM (Martorell, Bohigas, MacKay). … More
Blackwashing
You wouldn’t know it from looking at photographs such as these. You wouldn’t even know it if you were standing … 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
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
Designer Façadism
A new luxury apartment building for tourists has recently opened on Passeig de Gràcia, across from Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Milà, … More
Disseny Hype
“Disseny Hub” is a new cultural institution in Barcelona dedicated to design; or, to put it more correctly, to promoting … More
Gaudí in Red Alert
“Gaudí en alerta roja” is the title of an online petition currently the source of much debate in Barcelona. Its … More
Welcome to the Hotel Barcelona
In case anyone hasn’t noticed, Barcelona is in the tail-end of a hotel construction boom. And Barcelona being “Barceloooooonaaaaaa” means, … 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
Criticalista 