Mountain huts, when situated far from any infrastructure such as a road or a ski lift, cannot afford to be … More
Tag: Spain
The Mediterranean Corridor
Spain’s much-lauded high-speed rail network is based on a hub-and-spoke model with Madrid, the Spanish capital, at its very centre. … More
Climate Change? Here it is:
The floods that hit Valencia on 29 October were unprecedented. In the space of only eight hours, a year’s worth … More
The Barcelona Pavilion-Crematorium
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can give to greatness.” -Oscar Wilde. From the outside, the Crematorium … More
It’s the Economy (that’s) Stupid
Spain’s economy is thriving this year, with the highest growth rate in the EU and one of the top rankings … More
La comida es un medio para hablar de espacios e infraestructuras
[Originalmente publicado en Bauwelt 11.2023] Bajo el título FOODSCAPES, el pabellón español presenta un examen del contexto agroarquitectónico y analiza … 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
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
Dialectical Destinations: Two Solo Houses
[A version of this text was originally published in Baumeister December 2017] Contemporary architecture has become such an intrinsic component … More
Contemporary Ruins II
Further to my last post, here is another Spanish contemporary ruin by a Pritzker laureate: Toyo Ito’s spa near Torrevieja. … More
Contemporary Ruins
As is well-known, Spain’s recent building boom-turned-bust has left behind a legacy of halted construction projects that are now in … More
Everyday Camouflage in the Countryside
The building above looks like a military installation of some sort, right? After all, it’s got a camouflage pattern on … More
Avoid the Void
[Originally published in Mark Magazine #60] In recent decades, architecture commemorating violent death has typically relied on a dark, austere and … More
Design and Decadence in Sabiñanigo
The land-scars of Spain’s construction boom-gone-bust have been documented photographically to great extent. More typically than not, these images portray a landscape of newly built … More
Tradition
It’s early January, and in Spain the Christmas shopping season is still in full swing. Aarrgghh! It’s all because of … More
Thinking Big: The City of Culture of Galicia as Regional Development Strategy
[Text originally commissioned in 2011 by a Swiss art institution for an exhibition that never materialized and for which I … More
Guerilla Architect
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
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
Criticalista 