a+u 2017:02 – Barozzi Veiga

From the publishers. This is a special issue dedicated to Barcelona-based architects Barozzi Veiga. The issue features twenty-one works including Graubünden Museum of Fine Arts in Chur, Switzerland, the Mies-award winning Philharmonic Hall in Szczecin, Poland, and on-going works Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts Lausanne and Music School in Brunico.

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The fact that Barozzi and Viega having different backgrounds—the former is from Italy and the latter from Spain—and that they both admit that they are outsiders in Barcelona, characterize their architectural activities and their expansion toward outside without being bounded to a specific location feels quite modern. No matter where they build, they refer to their previous works and find a continuous thread between the old and new. For an architect who must design in a different environment each time, it is crucial to have a spine in their creativity, but it is apparent from reading this issue that Barozzi Veiga is not the type of architect to pre-decide a prototype and force to place it in a place. Their close observation and understanding of the contexts testifies to their modesty.

This monograph catches the very moment of Barozzi Veiga’s expansion, both locally and globally. From here on, they will be asked to design much more complex architecture with various scales and contexts. Their thorough observation and ability to create delicate forms will be crucial in such situations.