power post.

So the final sketchbook review is tomorrow. With that in mind I was able to finally get out of my very very busy life in barcelona... to scan some sketches?

Some sketches that I thought fit my scale theme:

Parc Guell

Bilbao Calatrava Bridge

Barcelona Pavilion

Rioja Calatrava Winery

Montjuic Botanical Gardens

Caterina Mercat

Evolution in scale.

Just as scale changes from one space to another, I would say: so have I. Whether you’re standing next to a Barcelonan dog or standing next to Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia… you will always have that feeling of scalar change. In saying so, this past weekend I’ve come to the realization that this semester abroad is coming to a fast close; I’ve seen many things and with those many things I’ve learned a great deal. Having lived here for almost 4 months now, I can say that when I leave Barcelona I will have no regrets. Until then, I have made a “Things left to do in BCN” list. Of that list, I accomplished 2 this past weekend: The Botanical Gardens + Ras architecture bookstore.

Despite April’s random sunshine and shower storm days, we ventured out to the Botanical Gardens, located just behind the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic. Walking through the gardens, the landscape architecture was notably tranquil and “angular.” It combined the elements of the landscape with the individual through angular and planar space. As you walk up the gardens, you feel a balance of scale between yourself and the exhibit (plants). Similarly, the space in its entirety is situated in a vast portion of Montjuic, overlooking its denser neighbor of the inner city. Very anti-climatic, the actual exhibition building at the top of the gardens was reverse of the actual garden. Larger in appearance on the exterior façade, the interior was a simple-narrow rectangular plan. On our way back down, we came across an unexpected water show. Lucky for us, we were able to see one of the greatest / dramatic “fountain shows” we’ve ever seen just at the footsteps of the Catalan Art Museum. Noteworthy of its monumentality, the fountain amazingly shot out 50 feet of water upward into the air. At the climax of each song, the height of water would most certainly place itself in my “scale” category. Water as element and height as catalyst, the fountain show had presented itself as a monumental scale element in the idea of “display culture.” It was also interesting to note the location of the fountain in comparison to the rest of the city. Just off of the metro stop of Espana, the area is very open and is focused on community and public spaces. Open in landscape and large in building scale, the space brings a unique characteristic to the area.

Architecture land in Valencia.

Where did we go for 3 days of Easter Break? No other than more architecture in Valencia of course. Absorbing in Santiago Calatrava overdose, the ciudad de artes + ciencas (city of arts and sciences) proved again the strong influences of architecture on society and its strength as scale within the urban fabric. A city, almost literally, Calatrava built his architecture wonderland on a large portion of Valencia, located very openly to the void of the city. In this way, his buildings such as the Opera House, the bridge, and the science museum is brought out in a very monumental scale becoming one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.

Aside from Calatrava’s usual “dynamic” trademark, I felt that the scale of his buildings was brought out most importantly by his use of public and water spaces. Clear and blue, water surrounds the opera house and the arts and sciences center, creating somewhat an edge for this “inner city of the city.” Adding on, spatially they provide for the illusion of “atmosphere’s” scale. Futuristic in every sense, his buildings portrayed a very unique environment, almost unreal.

Putting architecture land aside, the old city as well as the extension sectors of Valencia were nicely proportionate. Unlike Barcelona, the streets were smaller in width… bringing on nice proportions of sidewalk vs. street. Planted with plenty of palm trees and other vegetation, “green” and water becomes a theme for the city. In this way, I found the city to be very friendly and family – oriented with its residential like characteristic. I also found that Valencia is dominated by its external stretch of parks (larger scale) and its internal stretch of shopping spaces (smaller scale). All in all, Valencia was nicely done

The Sahara where donkeys roamed

Ok so we weren’t exactly in the Sahara but our driver was going to drive there the day we left. And there were plenty of donkeys to be seen in Morocco. With that said, our trip to Africa was definitely an experience.

We spent 5 nights in the city of Fez in Morocco. We stayed in a palace. We also lived like kings. Literally, the service and accommodations at Hotel Al Dar Andalus was truly amazing. Small scaled on the exterior, the interior space was that of a Dar style (enclosed courtyard). As contrasted to the rest of the urban fabric around it, the hotel was spacious in terms of both public and private spaces. Following the idea of the “Dar style,” it was relaxing to stay at such a space where the interior is introduced with the exterior. Even more, we were helped with any needs we desired by our two friendly bell hops. However, despite the luxury of the “inside,” the outside appeared very free and ‘out of this world.’ The Medina. We were fortunate enough to have our tour guide Mo-mo bring us around the very old and dense city of Medina. What’s very interesting about this city, regardless of its messy-ness, is the scale of the city in comparison with the individual. Following the idea of the Islamic faith, architecture in Fez is built around that idea of ‘finding one-self.” Where one wall ends, it connects to another. In this sense, each wall is supporting that neighboring space. Similarly, the complex circulation throughout the city can almost be justified as intentional. “Finding one-self” becomes a theme, where the individual must first get lost in order to find “place.” In a sense by getting lost within the narrow streets of the Medina, scale becomes a major element. With nothing but the sky on top and white plaster walls on your sides... you just have straight ahead to look forward to.

Tasting Bilbao + Rioja

Despite the little time we spent in Bilbao I really enjoyed it. Bilbao is a nice little city with a friendly atmosphere. Located just below the mountains and next to a river, the spaces within the city is open and nicely spread out. Even in the old city, the amount of separation from building to building is comfortable. Unlike the old city of Barcelona, Bilbao’s had a newer look to it. With the river as the urban edge, the scale is organized in respect to it. From the older city in the northeast the scale increasingly gets larger towards the west where the majority of the museums are located. The river was also probably a leading factor of the scale of the streets and buildings around it. At night, we observed that a lot of locals enjoy long walks or even jogs along the river. In a sense the river serves as a type of connecting point between the different scales of the cities.

On our way to the Guggenheim Museum, we experienced one of Santiago Calatrava’s bridges. His footbridge yet again exemplifies a work of elegant movement (in my opinion). In this particular one, the cables in tension twists along with the bridge across the water, giving the pedestrian a sense of movement and an awareness of self. In a way, this also portrays scale in respect to the human body.

Finally after a power sketch of the footbridge, we continued to the Guggenheim. Like many other iconic buildings, the Guggenheim Museum by Frank Gehry establishes itself in its scale. In this particular one, the skin of the building is that very element that enhances scale even further. Continuous in color and materiality, the building in contrast to the individual is a giant. With nothing but its individual volumes and claddings to use as reference, the perception of scale is great. Building upon what Cecelia had discussed during the quick sketching assignment of the Guggenheim, its primary function within the city was to give a sense of human perception of “landscape layering.” In doing so, it is established as a sculptural node and a visual alignment within the urban fabric. Similarly the building itself provides examples of this concept, with its systematic way of organization from curvilinear to curvilinear throughout each volume.

And of course with architecture comes wine – tasting. Over the course of our trip in Rioja, we were able to wine-taste from Zaha Hadid’s Winery Space, to Gehry’s iconic Hotel, and to Calatrava’s dynamic winery. All together, it was an experience for both understanding wine and the architecture that attempts to express that taste.

And then we traveled the world…

Spring break ’09

From sunrise to sunset, breakfast to dinner, maps to maps, the guys and I spent an entire week of seeing three major countries. Spending roughly 3 days per city, we went from Paris to London to Rome. All in all with our experiences between speaking and seeing, I would say each city had a very unique characteristic with its own defined set of order, working for its own benefit in their own way, all with pros and cons. (But to just throw it out there, if I had to choose the best city out of the 3: London)

So much to see and so little time? Despite the little time we did have, I was happy with how much we were able to see in so little time, however sad to say… I had to sacrifice my usual sit-down sketching sessions. Though I do have one or two rough ones, I will soon post them up in latter blogs ASIST (as soon as I scan them).

PARIS. Starting off the break, we arrived in Paris at 7 am, with only a map to the hotel and a guidebook with key phrases. We did not know how to speak French. Little did we know, we picked up the language pretty quickly with our handy-dandy phrase book and within hours was able to say a few phrases. By that time, I could already see the difference of Paris from Barcelona. More welcoming, brighter, and spacious in scale, Paris didn’t seem as confined as aggressive Barcelona.

After spending the first day walking from the red-light district (location of the Moulin Rouge + our hotel) to the Eiffel tower and to the Louvre, we were able to meet up with three of our friends from the CUArch Rome program under the Eiffel tower (cool I know). Deciding to walk up the steps of the tower, we were able to see the very complex structure of the tower from the semi-interior. Massive in scale from the exterior, its four legs gives an outward branching expression which with observation, is probably why it has that presence of magnitude. Both a monument and landmark in a very open space in Paris, the Eiffel tower gives you a sense of reference and orientation within the city.

We were also lucky enough to venture out into the outskirts of Paris and visit Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier. Deceiving from the internet pictures, Villa Savoye is NOT on a large plot of open land in the middle of no where, rather it is plopped in a regular lot surrounded by trees with a neighboring school and other residential homes nearby. As old as the building is, it is definitely a must see. There we were able to witness first hand Corbusier’s ideas of inside – outside and directive framing of vistas. Even more, we were able to walk around the building that started the free plan style.

Pompidou Center. I would have to say the interior exhibition spaces are more beautiful than the skin of the building, but I wouldn’t say more interesting. Despite its really intricate and rough qualities, the design of the façade is pretty interesting. Bringing on a new aspect of inside outside, Renzo Piano had made pipes, cables, and structure visible on the exterior which I guess in a way invites the individual. The very intricate layers of structure on the façade along with its tubular vertical circulation also brings on a scale reference to the occupant.

The Louvre. Yet another icon of Paris, the Louvre is very massive. Its very Romanesque quality brings on the Parisian culture… very grand and enormous. Did you know that it would take roughly 9 months to successfully look at each individual art work at the Louvre? Yeah, our main goal was to see the Mona Lisa.

LONDON. I loved every single bit of London. Not one graffiti, not one sketchy person. Of course I might be totally biased towards criminals who mug for a living, but London is pretty safe from what I can see… safer than Washington D.C, safer than Paris, DEFINITELY safer than Barcelona. Taking aside the whole notion of “Big Brother” watching or the police in every corner, I believe that the city’s urban development had led them to the way they are today. The great fire which had demolished 80% of London’s buildings had forced them to start anew. And by anew, removing their past and on with the future. In contrast to Barcelona, London doesn’t have any residential apartments closely located next to each other. In Barcelona, in particular the old city, people live in the slums left over from the past. Uncomfortable and small in space where one building is a foot away from the next, it is no wonder Barcelonans are aggressive people. Spacial wise, as seen in London scale is an important factor. It provides for a well – kept community. Going to other things, one of the coolest museums we've seen so far was the Tate Modern Museum by Herzog + de Meuron.

ROME. When in Rome… you get to see all the major sites in one sitting? The city of Roma all in all built the future around its ruins. In one day we were able to see the Coliseum, and the rest of the Roman Forum. The following day we had the chance of seeing the Spanish Steps at sunset, giving us prime view of Rome. Lastly, we were able to go to the Vatican however Pope Benny didn’t make an appearance.

While in Rome we stayed at the luxurious apartment suites of our CUArch friends Sheila, Mary, and Anna. From their terrace, you can see the rooftops of Rome and a nearby Cathedral. Rather old but clean, the neighborhood around Campo de Fiori is closely situation next to each other. Though similar to that of Barcelona’s old city, Rome has a better community-like atmosphere with people out and about at any given day. Such examples of this idea of “congregational scale,” is at either Trevi Fountain or the Spanish Steps. Monumental by architecture, the space is enhanced by activity of the people.

And so yet again, another conclusion to a successful adventure abroad.