Traditionalist and Experimental, and Transparency and Translucency

Barcelona has always kept up with the times, during the early 21’s century; the city was adapted to a modern age city by taking the irregular laid out roads, and forming them in to a grid plan. This allowed for a better system and for growth. This period also came with new designs in architecture with modernism. Today the city is taking what use to be the district where the factory’s used to be and developing it in to a new technology corridor, which will allow for growth. With that new age for the city also comes new architecture.

Today, two movements define this new architecture of the age, one lead by more traditionalists that use transparency (ex. Dominque Perrault), and the other more experimental, using translucency (ex. Cloud 9). Form defines Dominque Perrault tower (Me Barcelona Hotel) and midrise office (Office Hines D123). The architect’s concept is clearly to make a box and cut it in to two parts then move one half over. This building called more traditionalists in design is for a few reasons: the form is a box, the concept is clearly understood, and the use of martials (a glass curtain wall). The building is very uniform which makes it transparent in the sense that the idea is clearly show from when the building was a concept to being built, because the architect is clearly telling the view what the building is. The other movement uses translucency, they use the light and apply it to a purpose. Cloud 9’s Media-TIC building is funky, and out they’re in design.  To the viewer, the building looks to be a giant green UFO that landed there because it’s façade is custom, meaning that each piece was designed. This is needed because each of those parts are used to collect the light and reflect it, using giant air bladders, that act as insolation from the suns light. However, the architect was cleaver to conceal these air bladders by hiding their use through painting the whole building green and leaving the air bladders transparent. Cloud 9 uses transparently to hide the translucency, which makes the building not transparent to the viewer, but for uses it for the application.  

Detail of Air Blader of Cloud 9's Media-TIC

On left the Office Hines D123, and in the center the Me Barcelona Hotel, byDominque Perrault

  

San Antoni Library

While in the field it is important to document places and spaces, this doesn’t only lie on the camera but also on a more personal take on a places, which involves sketching. While taking a photo the image is captured but nothing is learned. This is because the idea is to look at later, for example while reading and dog-earing a page in a book. The advantage of a quick sketch is that the studying can be done at the site, and allows one to focused their attention to a specific area. One is able to learn more because while the photo may have an idea behind it only takes a second to do, while the sketch can developed. Many things can be studied because it causes a person to slow down.

            For sketch of the San Antoni Library, I was studying the materiality of the building, for example how the black metal, mix with its glass planes and is used to tie the modern to the old. This is because these two metals have great reflective properties, and the building starts to lose its own identity by reflecting the buildings around it.  In the sketch this might not be represented in the best of ways, but for the experiences of going thought it has taught me of new ways to design. If I just took a photo this idea might never have been seen.