“Architecture is embedded storytelling,” wrote Marco Frascari. Emphasizing the reciprocity between architecture and narrative throughout his career, this Italian architect, theorist, and educator saw stories as the key to creating a “nontrivial”—and therefore transcendent—architecture. It is from his ideas, writings, teachings, and studies that the reflection inspiring this text arises.
Cooperative housing, or co-housing, is a residential model that promotes access to housing in cities. This model first developed in countries like Denmark and Uruguay, and it is becoming increasingly popular throughout Europe. Indeed, it arrived in Barcelona several years ago and has since steadily expanded throughout the region, spreading beyond the boundaries of the Catalan capital. Below, we explore the cooperative housing model in Barcelona and how it contributes to a more democratic architecture for its citizens.
The TAC! Urban Architecture Festival is an initiative led by the General Directorate for Urban Agenda and Architecture of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda (MITMA), in collaboration with the Arquia Foundation. It is aimed at young architects to design and build a temporary pavilion that will host exhibitions, meetings, and activities.
In 2019, the Governing Council of the URJC (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos) approved an infrastructure plan to remodel several of the university's campus buildings, including the classroom and departmental building on the Madrid-Vicálvaro Campus. This led to an agreement with the COAM (Official Association of Architects of Madrid) to organize an ideas competition to select the final design for the building, which was launched in February 2022.
The ARQUITECTURA Awards, organized by the Higher Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE) and officially sponsored by COMPAC, concluded their inaugural edition with a celebration at CaixaForum Madrid, where the nine winning projects were announced. The awards recognized and celebrated social, cultural, and sustainable values in architecture and urbanism, with a particular focus on the projects' impact on human health, well-being, and safety, as well as planetary sustainability.
The international architecture festival Open House Madrid returns with a surprise for 2022, offering free access to five “magical” locations to enjoy the city from above, from September 23 to 25.
During the International Union of Architects (UIA) 2020 International Forum, “Affordable Housing Activation: Removing Barriers,” the Higher Council of Spanish Architects’ Colleges (CSCAE) developed the first dynamic atlas on access to housing. The platform aggregates over 4,000 economic, urban, and development indicators into a single interface, making them easy to analyze and interpret. The data is sourced from major international organizations, including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Health Organization.
On Sunday, May 15, 2022, the closing ceremony of the second edition of BARQ – Barcelona International Architecture Film Festival was held at the Disseny Hub Barcelona. The event was also hosted as part of the recent MODEL - Barcelona Architectures Festival.
During the ceremony, the winning films in the two competition categories, feature films and short films, were announced. Learn more about each of them below.
On October 3, architects around the world will celebrate World Architecture Day. The Spanish Council of Architects (CSCAE) will host a commemorative event under the theme "Design for Health."
Concéntrico is the renowned Logroño International Architecture and Design Festival. An event about the city, open to residents and visitors alike, its main goal is to discover and rediscover key sites in the Historic Center, reflecting on the urban environment through temporary architectural and design installations. This year, the 8th edition will be held from September 1 to 6.
Matilde Ucelay Maórtua was born in 1912 in Madrid into a bourgeois, professional, and enlightened family, as the eldest of four sisters. Her father's family, Enrique Ucelay, of Basque origin, had held a prominent economic, political, and professional position in 19th-century Madrid, closely tied to political liberalism. Meanwhile, her mother, Pura Maórtua, also of Basque descent, came from a wealthy family as well. Though she lacked formal academic training, she possessed an insatiable desire to learn and was fortunate to travel extensively, visiting museums and architectural works.
Since 2009, World Photography Day has been celebrated every August 19, commemorating the presentation of the daguerreotype to the French Academy of Sciences. The daguerreotype was the first photographic process, a milestone invention for human history and, of course, for our own discipline. Discussing architecture through photography is, in the words of Beatriz Colomina, one of its primary means of dissemination.
The eighth edition of the Open House Madrid festival returns with a program that includes 93 buildings, 33 studios, 8 routes, 7 activities, and 10 itineraries. Titled "More Open Than Ever," it aims to reflect the welcoming character of the city and, at the same time, its openness to the world.
The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world's largest book trade fair in terms of publishing representation, taking place every year in mid-October. In this edition, Spain is the Guest of Honor, presenting a unique opportunity to showcase its culture and literature to the world.
On October 14, the first edition of the TAC! Urban Architecture Festival will begin. This year, the festival will be held in the city of Granada and will run until November 14. The opening of the event will be marked by the inauguration of the temporary pavilion “AIRE,” the winning project of the open call, located in Plaza del Humilladero and designed by P + S Estudio de Arquitectura.
To mark the launch of the Wood Chair program, organized by Onesta and the University of Navarra, the exhibition PERPETUUM MOBILE is coming to Madrid from October 6 to 25, 2022. The showcase is dedicated to private-use furniture designed by Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue for their home in Barcelona, updated and produced with the support of the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC).
The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma), in collaboration with the Higher Council of Spanish Architects' Associations (CSCAE) and supported by the Arquia Foundation, has launched a two-stage selection process to choose the curatorial team for the XVI Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (BEAU). The deadline for submitting proposals for the first stage is December 14, 2022.
Federico Correa Ruiz, co-designer of iconic architectural works in Catalonia, a legendary professor at ETSAB, and one of the most highly regarded figures in Barcelona's architectural community, passed away on October 19 at the age of 96, with this year marking the first anniversary of his passing.