27.2.17


E-022
Casa MR6, Alella . Soldevila & Llorens . 1984

22.2.17


F-006
Opytnoe Pole, Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, Kazakhstan . © Ursula Schulz-Dornburg . 2012

'Schulz-Dornburg’s monochromatic images of (largely vacant) architecture have dominated her practice since the end of the 1960s, when house-related imagery became central to her work. Though based in Germany, she takes photographs around the world while travelling—past destinations that have found their way into her work include the secret village of Kurchatov, Kazakhstan; ruins of the Hejaz Railway in Saudi Arabia; bus shelters in Armenia; Azerbaijan; and more.'

http://canadianart.ca/news/2016-aimia-prize-winner/

18.2.17


E-021
Municipal Gallery, Marktoberdorf . Bearth & Deplazes . © Ralph Feiner . 2001

'This striking brick complex is situated in the town centre and comprises two adjacent cubes of different heights, with a walled entrance courtyard. The exhibition volumes are enclosed in 50 cm solid brick walls, consisting of high-strength engineering bricks of Bavarian format (32 x 14.5 x 6.5 cm). The irregular texture of the bricks and the coarse-grained mortar result in a lively surface appearance. The exhibition cubes are divided into three levels, with engineering brick pavings and artificial lighting in the basement. In the storeys above this, the spaces are flooded with daylight, which enters through tall side windows and roof lights.'

http://www.detail-online.com/inspiration/municipal-gallery-in-marktoberdorf-106682.html

13.2.17


A-005
A conflict that has long been resolved . Sigmar Polke . 2007

8.2.17


E-020
Pueblo de Colonización de Vegaviana, Cáceres . José Luis Fernández del Amo . 1956

'En el noroeste de Extremadura, a 5 km de la localidad de Moraleja, el Instituto Nacional de Colonización toma la decisión de crear un poblado para 2.000 personas. Los quercus preexistentes dejaron paso a terrenos de regadío, controlados por el nuevo embalse del Borbollón. Y es en la ribera del Arroyo Tinaja donde Fernández del Amo levanta el más laureado de los Pueblos Nuevos. Un terreno llano con declive suave hacia el regato, óptimo para los drenajes naturales. La singularidad del proyecto radica en la sabia decisión de perpetuar la convivencia entre la vegetación autóctona extremeña y el diseño de las viviendas blancas, arquitectura serena. Se implantan un total de 340 moradas para colonos, con corrales y dependencias auxiliares agrarias, que son complementadas con una cincuentena de viviendas para campesinos. Fernández del Amo concibe seis tipos de viviendas, con una y dos alturas, y 3, 4 y 5 dormitorios. En el corazón del lugar, se localizan los servicios complementarios de la comunidad, constituidos por una iglesia con casa rectoral, el Ayuntamiento con casa para el alguacil, edificio social polivalente, casa de hermandad, escuela y viviendas para los maestros, seis viviendas para comerciantes, dispensario médico y su hogar correspondiente, y todas las infraestructuras públicas. La disposición de las casas se torna hacia el interior, originando unas manzanas naturales creadas para convivir, y su perímetro es aderezado con una malla de sendas y recorridos que nos llevan a las parcelas de labor.'

http://www.docomomoiberico.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1047:pueblo-de-colonizacion-vegaviana&Itemid=11&vista=1&lang=es

3.2.17


P-005
Hakka Tulou, Fujian, China . © unknown

'Mostly built between the 12th and the 20th centuries, the Tulou are large fortified buildings representing a specific and traditional housing type of the Fujian province of Southern China. Their recurring layout is made up of a thick enclosure wall, rectangular or circular, which hosts the living and storage areas and a central courtyard with a small building in the middle used for ceremonies. With a height between three and five stories, a Toulou can house up to 80 families and contains in itself all the feature of an entire village.

The type was born mostly for defensive reasons since armed bandits plagued southern China from the 12th to the 19th centuries and it proved to be really effective against armed attacks. The Tulou have commonly been built by the Hakka populations, immigrants from northern China who settled in the southern provinces. The peripheral walls of the fortified structure, with a thickness of up to 1.8 m, are usually built of rammed earth, mixed with stone, bamboo with a lumber framework and other materials available on site, providing the building of a good insulation as well as a natural ventilation. The last floor is covered by a cantilevered slate rooftops and there is usually only one gate serving as an entry to the building.'

http://socks-studio.com/2014/02/01/walls-as-rooms-4-the-hakka-tulou-community-housing-for-equals/