Project 1 - Analysis of 3 Plazas in BCN

Project one was to pick three out of seven given Barcelona plazas and make an artistic representation of the feeling in each plaza. A deeper understanding of what works and what doesn't in each space was the goal. Each project had to have a theme...Victoria and I picked "duality" as our focus. In each plaza, Placa de Sant Juamie, Rambla de Reival, and Placa Reial, we saw a sharp duality going on in different areas of each plaza. Each had a certain area where one feels comfortable, and an area or areas where one doesn't feel comfortable, even scared. These artistic boards are not the kind of projects i am used to doing, but i think they turned out pretty well and also give a lot of insight into each site.

This first board is an analysis of the duality present at Placa de Sant Juamie. This plaza was not designed by anyone, it just sort of came together. It houses the city hall on one side and the Catalonian capital on the other. These 14th century buildings rule the center of the plaza and i noticed that the center was the most empty part of the plaza. It may have been the guards, peering out behind their uniforms that keeps this area clear, or maybe its just because there is nothing public about these building to attract people. The two sides of the plaza are crowded with smaller buildings that house bakeries, clothing stores, and coffee shops. This more public and human scale part of the plaza was filled with tourists and locals alike, standing in small and large groups. Obviously this was the more comfortable part of the plaza. That central void is shown in the project below with citizens and commerce shown in blue and government shown in red. The image is only of half of the plaza to show the duality more clearly.The second plaza we studied was Rambla de Reival. This plaza is located in the old city in a formerly bad neighborhood. It was an urban improvement project of the 1990s that leveled an entire 4 blocks in a row in order to create a 'rambla' or a thoroughfare for pedestrians. This plaza proved to be a success in starting a regeneration of the area, and also attracts many people to use it as a nice link between two areas of the old city. The project below shows that usage as a thoroughfare for people with the image of the highway. The palm trees and the beach represents the dual use of the park as a place for area residents to sit and relax. Palm trees were used because they are found there and also because they are planted into the ground like the residents who are planted in their community.

The last analysis was of Placa Reial, a plaza right off La Rambla that was designed in the 1850s. It is very different from the other plazas because it is very classically styled and planned out and also because architecture has the biggest effect on it's duality. In the center of the plaza where the fountain is, one feels safe because tourists hand out in this area, and also because it is very open and public. However, in the dark arcades that surround the plaza, one feels very uncomfortable. The arcades feel very hidden from the outside and creepy people sit in the shadows and others try to sell you drugs. This arcade looks very nice, but it doesn't prove to be working well with the context socially. The board shows that duality with the use of dark vs. light. Now that project 1 is out of the way, it's off to the south of Spain for a sketching Field trip!

Gracia: Modern & Modernista

In our feildtrip class, 'Reading Barcelona', we visited the district of Barcelona known as Gracia. Gracia started out as its own town on the edge of the military zone that surrounded cramped Barcelona when it was confined to the ancient city walls. Those walls were mandated by the Spanish authorities in Madrid because they were afraid of BCN becoming too big and important. Confining BCN to that small space lead to the growth of Gracia and other fringe towns in the 18th century. In the late 19th century, the walls surrounding BCN came down and the city was allowed to expand. In this period Eixample was established. This plan was a series of large boulevards and apartment blocks that make this part of the city look smiler to Paris. This expansion led to the annexation to Gracia, connecting it to the old city by way of Passage de Gracia. This important boulevard is home to many stately apartment building, many built in the 'modernista' style. Two of Gaudi's most important works and located on this boulevard along with BCN's most upscale shopping. The first building we saw was Casa Vincens. An early work by Gaudi, it's tiled facade reflects some Muslim influence:



Next, we visited 5 plazas in the area, each surrounded by interesting architecture. Here are some pictures of my favorite modernista structures:

Apartments w/ interesting designs carved into the stucco

Gracia's old city hall, designed by an apprentice of Gaudi's


The detailed lobby tile work of one of the modernista apartments

Also on our walk, we visited a very modern library. I had seen this featured in a architecture magazine in the past and never thought i would ever see it in person. I have mixed feelings about it. It hugs the site really well, filling in the void left by its predecessor. However, it looks way off balance, almost as if it has started to crumble under its own weight. I know it was designed to look this way, but it is a bit disconcerting. You decide what you think:

The strange corner, a stark contrast from surrounding structures

A view of the wavy facade looking up from the street

An interesting staircaseFull view of the side

Can't wait to explore more of the non tourist sites in this class...

Casa Batllo

Last Friday our class took a tour of Casa Batllo, one of Gaudi's most beautiful works. Located on Passage de Gracia, it looks as modern as it did in 1906 when it was completed. The projects is a little strange as it was built as a mansion with flats located on the upper floors. The mansion is now a museum, but the flats are still occupied. I can't imagine being lucky enough to live here...but all the tourists in your hall all day would get a little old. These pictures can explain the project better than I can:

Batllo's facade next to Casa Amatller's more Gothic face

The ceiling of Batllo's main drawing room
Interesting curved doorways from the main drawing room to neighboring rooms
The beautiful windows in the drawing room
The attic's halls are much like being inside an animal's skeleton
The door from the roof to the interesting "dragon's belly" room

Pictures from the first two weeks

I've already taken about 2 CDs worth of pictures while I've been here...This is a small selection of my favorite pics.


The group at the top of Montjuic

Fun at the 1992 Olympic VillageMy Dining room

The colorful roof on one of BCNs marketplaces
Sagrad Familia under construction (still, after all these years)
The awesome gate to a Gaudi designed estate near the college where we take Spanish class
Awesome buildings near the bay

Beautiful Park Citadel Casa Batllo's striking facade

Casa Mila Agbar Tower looms behind decaying housing in Glories
Agbar tower stretching into infinity
Candles inside of the Barcelona Cathedral

Park Guell's gate houses Gaudi's house in Park Guell
Park Guell's unique landscaping
One of my favorite buildings along Pasage de Gracia
The spiral staircase up to our studio loft
A square in Old Town

A glimpse of the BCN cathedral tower
The Spire
One of Barcelona's many monumental apartment doors...the street outside is lined with motorbikes (very popular in BCN)
Sagrad Familia as viewed from the lookout in Park Guell