Public space belongs to everyone. That’s why the latest proposal to expand the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona (MACBA) … More
Tag: politics
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
The Politics of Architecture
Why is supposedly “advanced” architecture appreciated by so many of today’s dictatorial rulers, and what does this tell us about … More
A Heroic Architect-Politician Exists
A previously little known architect is the topic of conversation in Spain right now. The discussion has nothing to do … More
Viviendas para vivir
[originalmente publicado en BCN MÉS #79] En las últimas décadas, hemos logrado conectar la ciudad con el mar, hemos creado espacios … More
Electoral Architecture
Elections for the mayorship of Barcelona are coming up later this year, and we’re already being delivered promises in the … More
How Much Does Your Conscience Weigh, Mr. Foster?
Dear Norman, I just read the following in the Architect’s Journal: “Amid an escalating crisis over the missing journalist Jamal … More
A Guide to the Many Flags Visible in Barcelona These Days
[Originally published in Art4d Magazine] Barcelona is currently festooned with flags hanging from apartment balconies. It’s been this way especially … More
Archispeak in Political Propaganda
The Catalan independence movement has for years been churning out a great deal of propaganda in order to win over … More
Interview with Daniel Mòdol, Architect and Politician
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #68] In Barcelona, architect and independent politician Daniel Mòdol was recently appointed city councillor for … More
Award Politics
Architecture’s top award is the Pritzker Prize, as we all know. Often referred to in the media as the “Nobel … More
The Venetian Front
[Review of the 15th International Architecture Exhibition originally published in Mark Magazine #63. Photos by Sergio Pirrone.] Reporting From the … More
Architecture Only an Artist can Get Away With
New York’s Guggenheim Museum has just announced plans to install a new artwork by Maurizio Cattelan consisting of a toilet made … More
Love-You Architecture
“The envy and hostility of Wall Street leads many to a common goal: to amass enough money so as to … More
Cycling Barcelona versus Copenhagen: an Experiential Comparison
The other day I read an interesting critique of Barcelona’s cycling infrastructure titled “The Arrogance of Space”, by the Copenhagenize … More
New ‘Public’ Space in Barcelona
“The goal is to turn this old, unloved port into the best super marina in the world, to integrate yachting … More
The Tall Building Politically Reconsidered
The tall building has been an expression of machista one-upmanship since its earliest beginnings. San Gimignano’s stone towers are a built testament … More
Radical Architecture at its Most Subversive
This house near Barcelona ranks among the most radical and subversive works of architecture of 2014, and yet it’s not by … More
Drawing Conclusions
Rebel Rebel
Al Jazeera is currently airing a series of architectural documentaries in six parts titled “Rebel Architects“, the first of which is … More
Reality Check: Spain
[Text originally published in Mark Magazine #50] Revisiting architecture is always a good thing to do, especially when the work … More
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 … More
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 … More
Tourism versus Terrorism
Is tourism a form of terrorism? Some Barcelonins seem to think so. All over the city — especially near tourists sites … More
Perspective is Everything
Same place seen from different viewpoints (Pas de la Casa, Andorra). Neon duty-free stores selling discounted liquor and cigarettes to … More
Calatrava May Bleed You Dry, But Who is Ultimately Responsible?
Several Spanish media (such as El Diario and El País) are reporting that Santiago Calatrava is suing Esquerra Unida País Valencià … More
Power, Corruption and Architecture
Transparency International released its annual report some weeks ago, and this year’s corruption perception index, which ranks 177 countries from least to most … More
Remembering Marshall Berman
I think it was in 1985. I would have been in my second year of study at University of Waterloo’s … More
Pseudo-Choice
Potato chips, or crisps, come in a fantastic panoply of artificial flavors. BBQ, Ketchup, or “regular” are standards the world … More
Strange Bedfellows
The image at left shows the construction of the “Instant City” during the congress of the International Council of Societies … More
Ill-Fitting: The Balenciaga Museum
Fashion, Architecture, Politics: Image is Everything The inauguration of a cultural institution is normally a cause for widespread celebration; even … More
Not So Different
“Spain is Different” was a tourism campaign slogan coined in the mid-1960s by dictator Francisco Franco’s Ministry of Information and Tourism (!), … More
Collective Intelligence or Collective Stupidity?
The above image is circulating on the internet representing all sorts of cities on all sorts of continents, showing us … More
Power to the People
[originally published in Mark Magazine #29] The office of Andrés Jaque Arquitectos Still on the shy side of 40, Andrés … More
Interview with Peter Eisenman
[This is an excerpt of an interview I conducted with Peter Eisenman in Santiago de Compostela in May 2010. The … More
City as Landscape
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #27] Library Is the pleasure of architecture intellectual or sensual? Of the mind or … More
Triumph of the Shell
[originally published in Mark Magazine #26] In cinema, there is a common type of architectural scene: a building … More
Ugh Canada
An architect is, by definition, a designer of buildings, right? Well, the government of Canada, a nation whose credo is … More
Less and More
[Originally published in HUNCH 6 / 7 109 Provisional Attempts to Address Six Simple and Hard Questions, in which 109 … More
Criticalista 