Posts Tagged: housing
Electoral Architecture
Elections for the mayorship of Barcelona are coming up later this year, and we’re already being delivered promises in the form of outrageous urban-architectural proposals. As reported by yesterday’s La Vanguardia, a German businessman named Karl Jacobi, who is running for
Electoral Architecture
Elections for the mayorship of Barcelona are coming up later this year, and we’re already being delivered promises in the form of outrageous urban-architectural proposals. As reported by yesterday’s La Vanguardia, a German businessman named Karl Jacobi, who is running for
Housing Thinking
[Originally published in HOUSE US, eds. Jae Sung Chon and Kent Mundle (Winnipeg: OCDI Press, 2018)] In comparison to the design of a single (-family) house, or indeed any singular architectural object, housing involves a different way of thinking. The
Housing Thinking
[Originally published in HOUSE US, eds. Jae Sung Chon and Kent Mundle (Winnipeg: OCDI Press, 2018)] In comparison to the design of a single (-family) house, or indeed any singular architectural object, housing involves a different way of thinking. The
Notes from a Recent Construction Site Visit
I was recently fortunate enough to be shown a truly interesting work of architecture currently under construction in Barcelona: La Borda housing co-operative, by Lacol arquitectura cooperativa. Visiting buildings under construction is fundamental to architectural learning. On a construction site,
Notes from a Recent Construction Site Visit
I was recently fortunate enough to be shown a truly interesting work of architecture currently under construction in Barcelona: La Borda housing co-operative, by Lacol arquitectura cooperativa. Visiting buildings under construction is fundamental to architectural learning. On a construction site,
Dizzying Inequality
Ben Wheatley’s film High Rise, a multi-story about decadence and class war in a Brutalist housing estate in London, brought plenty of images to my mind when I saw it. The first was a tower built by Ábalos & Herreros in
Dizzying Inequality
Ben Wheatley’s film High Rise, a multi-story about decadence and class war in a Brutalist housing estate in London, brought plenty of images to my mind when I saw it. The first was a tower built by Ábalos & Herreros in
Revisiting Casa Bloc
The architecture of housing differs fundamentally from the architecture of other building types in that it is never a purely qualitative consideration: unlike a singular custom house, “housing” raises issues of standardization, modular repetition, aggregation and urban morphology. With housing, especially the
Revisiting Casa Bloc
The architecture of housing differs fundamentally from the architecture of other building types in that it is never a purely qualitative consideration: unlike a singular custom house, “housing” raises issues of standardization, modular repetition, aggregation and urban morphology. With housing, especially the
Twisted Logic: Turning Torso as ‘Innovative’ Housing?
I recently had the pleasure of visiting Malmö, Sweden; best known –in terms of contemporary architecture– for its Santiago Caltrava-designed ‘Turning Torso’ skyscraper, Scandinavia’s tallest building and Europe’s tallest residential tower at time of completion. Its politically problematic construction became the subject of
Twisted Logic: Turning Torso as ‘Innovative’ Housing?
I recently had the pleasure of visiting Malmö, Sweden; best known –in terms of contemporary architecture– for its Santiago Caltrava-designed ‘Turning Torso’ skyscraper, Scandinavia’s tallest building and Europe’s tallest residential tower at time of completion. Its politically problematic construction became the subject of
Multiple Discovery, Idea Theft, or Tweaking?
Having an original idea is everything in architecture. Its history is one of innovations and breakthroughs; of new ideas, materials, and applications. Originality is what distinguishes architecture from ordinary building construction, where the ad nauseam repetition of sameness is business-as-usual. Builders can copy with impunity, but
Multiple Discovery, Idea Theft, or Tweaking?
Having an original idea is everything in architecture. Its history is one of innovations and breakthroughs; of new ideas, materials, and applications. Originality is what distinguishes architecture from ordinary building construction, where the ad nauseam repetition of sameness is business-as-usual. Builders can copy with impunity, but
