We are now celebrating our tenth anniversary. A decade of shared work, learning, teaching, good architecture and important steps.
20 Years of Architecture Biennials /
The Santa Maria Church and Parish Center in Tarragona, awarded with the first prize in its category in the Alejandro de la Sota Biennial in 2017, was part of the exhibition "20 Years of Architecture Biennials" at the Institute of Architects in Tarragona, Spain. The project was a finalist in the 20 years award. The exhibition had previously traveled to other locations, like the Institute of Architects in La Rioja.
Global Blue Lounge. Madrid, Spain /
Gimeno Guitart finished the design of the first lounge for Global Blue in Spain. The space, located in the fashion area of the Salamanca neighborhood in Madrid, is characterized by warm materials and a soft lighting condition, producing a relaxing atmosphere for the company's customers.
Architectural Practice III / Práctica Arquitectónica III published /
The third issue of Architectural Practice / Práctica Arquitectónica book series is OUT! With an introduction by Juhani Pallasmaa, and texts by Alcolea Tárrago, Arroyo Pemjean, Fernanda Canales, Toni Gironès, Paredes Pedrosa, and Juan Rey, the third volume published by Nobuko can be purchased in the following sites:
2017 AZ Award of Merit / People's Choice – Santa Maria Church /
Award / X Architecture Biennial Alejandro de la Sota / COAC /
The Church and Parish Center in Tarragona, Spain, has just been awarded First Prize in the category of New Public Buildings in the X Architecture Biennial Alejandro de la Sota as part of the COAC Awards.
VOTE NOW! /
Gimeno Guitart Finalist in the AZ AWARDS in Canada /
Gimeno Guitart is one of 70 finalist in the AZ AWARDS in Canada with the Church and Parish Center in Tarragona from out of more than 800 entries from more than 40 countries.
ACSA Faculty Design Honorable Mention / Church in Tarragona, Spain /
The American Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture – ACSA – has awarded the Church and Parish Center in Tarragona, Spain, with one of only four Annual Honorable Mentions.
More information here.
New Article in Constelaciones. /
Constelaciones, the peer-reviewed publication of the Department of Architecture at the University San Pablo - CEU (Spain) has published the article "The Filter as an Emotional Limit: The Japanese Model as a Space of Relations" by Miguel Guitart, Ph.D.
The Cube of Memory. Echo Art Fair. Buffalo, New York. /
Gimeno Guitart presented The Cube of Memory as part of the Light Construction Architecture section at the 2016 Echo Art Fair in Buffalo, New York. This was the first time the fair included an architecture section, which was curated by Jordan Geiger, Professor at the Architecture Department at UB. The other installations were designed by Ang Li, Julia Jamrozik and Coryn Kempster, and Charles Davis. The Cube of Memory consisted of a wood and paper construction whose concept revolved around issues of time, light, presence, and absence.
Laboratory of Paper: Exhibition at the School of Architecture and Planning, UB /
The exhibition Mapping Emotional Perceptions: From Josef Albers to Mathias Goeritz: Laboratory of Paper, coordinated by Miguel Guitart at the School of Architecture and Planning at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, took place in Crosby Hall in Buffalo in May. The show displayed a selection of pieces made by students that explored some of the principles taught by Josef Albers in his Basic Design classes at Black Mountain College and Yale University. The course was conceived conjointly with Prof. Mara Sánchez Llorens.
Photos: Mahan Mehrvarz for B/a+p.
Echo Art Fair Installation. Buffalo, NY /
Gimeno Guitart will be presenting the installation The Cube of Memory at the next Echo Art Fair in Buffalo, NY, entitled Light Industry (May 13-16, 2016 at OSC Manufacturing & Equipment Services Inc., 1001 East Delavan Avenue, Buffalo, New York). The venue will be one of the original Albert Kahn's industrial buildings of Buffalo.
Final Opening. Santa Maria Assunta Parish Center. Tarragona, Spain /
The new Santa Maria Assunta Parish Center is now finished and open to the public. After a long process of almost a decade, the project finally came to an end last saturday March 19th, 2016.
Photograph: Aguilera Guerrero_Agua Arquitectos
Chicago Architecture Biennial Kiosk Competition 2015 /
With Jin Young Song / www.dioinno.com
Gimeno Guitart presented a proposal for a new pavilion for the past edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial along with Korean architecture office Dioinno Architecture PLLC. The design explores the idea of an artificial tree that promotes new forms of social interaction in a space of diagonal and vertical use providing distinct views and relationships. The aim is to propose new ways to experience a pavilion that offers multiple options both in its function and its social repercusion. Like a social playground, the pavilion changes over time offering different arrangements whose architecture is finished by the users. The developing performance within the architecture configures the use of this unmistakably characteristic mechano. The formless construction gives way to different arrangements that conform the space of the social and the place for the gathering. The fortunate results are only a consequence of the open approach through a simple constructive system. Like a tree that grows and lets children climb up to fulfill their dreams, our pavilion offers a new experience of the social space.
Hard Skin / Soft Skin. Santa Maria Parish Center /
Photo: Khan-Garófalo
Architectural Practice II / Book Series /
The second number of Práctica Arquitectónica II / Architectural Practice II book series is out! With essays by Josemaría Churtichaga (Madrid-Miami), Eduardo Delgado Orusco (Madrid), Arturo Franco (Madrid), Karamuk * Kuo (Zurich), Luis Martínez Santa-María (Madrid), Sol89 (Seville) and Tabuenca & Leache (Pamplona), and an introduction by Elías Torres Tur (Barcelona). The new book presents its 240 pages in a Spanish and English dual edition.
The book is available at:
Amazon
La Central
Casa del Libro
From the introduction:
"Sometimes we might wonder whether this or that essay, whether this or that introduction, are not drifting away from the specific heading of the Architectural Practice series. The answer would be ‘no.’ All of them have their place in the thread of experiences, visions, and generous contributions to this common reflection that continues to increase its critical mass. Thus, the series will expand with upcoming issues, simmering slowly, little by little, carefully working on every detail. We will search for even more talent, uniting it under a single purpose: the loving commitment to a life built around architecture."
El segundo número de la serie Práctica Arquitectónica II / Architectural Practice II acaba de ser publicado con textos de Josemaría Churtichaga (Madrid-Miami), Eduardo Delgado Orusco (Madrid), Arturo Franco (Madrid), Karamuk * Kuo (Zúrich), Luis Martínez Santa-María (Madrid), Sol89 (Sevilla) y Tabuenca & Leache (Pamplona), y con una introducción de Elías Torres Tur (Barcelona). El nuevo libro se presenta como una edición doble inglés y español de 240 páginas.
El libro está disponible en:
Amazon
La Central
Casa del Libro
De la introducción:
«A veces cabría preguntarse si este o aquel texto, si esta o aquella introducción no andan desencaminados en el rumbo específico planteado en la serie Práctica Arquitectónica. No, sería la respuesta. Pues todos tienen su lugar en la hilatura de aportaciones, en la secuencia de experiencias, de visiones, de generosas contribuciones a esta reflexión común que va creciendo en masa crítica ofreciendo los más diversos puntos de vista y aproximaciones a la creación arquitectónica. La serie debe continuar con nuevos números, cocinados lentamente, trabajados con detalle y buscando reunir el talento de tantos con un único eje vertebrador: el compromiso y el amor de una vida construida con pasión en torno a la Arquitectura».
Santa Maria construction progress I /
Santa Maria church and parish center construction works progresses at a good pace. The naked structure of the double-layered concrete walls is now complete. The fishbone textured skin is now clearly visible in all the perimeter of the volume of the church, almost jetting out of the site, embraced by the two long arms of the parish center and the rectory. The impressive void originated inside gives an idea of the spatial proportion of the sacred space. The nave will have the steel roof structure in place in only a few days, thus enclosing the volume and finally showing the atmospheric light from both skylights. Few are the elements that compose the project: matter, geometry, light and scale. A very simple scheme where the spiritual is to be unveiled.
(All images: Pedro Pegenaute www.pedropegenaute.es)
Articles and Books /
Miguel Guitart has published a number of articles in peer-review journals as well as two books in the last few months:
The research text "The Failed Utopia of a Modern Vernacular: Hassan Fathy in New Gourna" was published in the Journal of Architectural Education JAE 68:2, entitled Building Modern Africa, with David Rifkin (Florida International University) and Itohan Osayimwese (Brown University) as Theme Editors.
The article "Reshaping Robert Adams' Landscape" was published in ZARCH Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Architecture and Urbanism Vol.2 (Rethinking, Remaking). The peer-reviewed journal is the official publication of the Department of Architecture at the University of Zaragoza. Guitart's article explores Adams' vision on the transforming landscape of the American West in the 1960's due to the disurbanization of American cities during the Cold War years.
Guitart published another article on the third issue of Rita_, the peer-review journal of Red Fundamentos, which represents the largest association of Schools of Architecture in Spain and Latin America. With the title of "Searching for Light in the Earth: Under the Vaults of the Royal Bath at the Palacio de Comares", Guitart continues his doctoral exploration of the space qualified by filtered light, in this case, inside the characteristic space at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.
Guitart has also published the article "Densidad material en los filtros cerámicos: de Melnikov a Breuer" ("Material Density in Ceramic Filters: from Melnikov to Breuer") in Ensayos sobre Arquitectura y Cerámica vol. 6 (Essays on Architecture and Ceramics vol. 6) II congreso mayo 2013 (ISBN: 978-84-9406-455-5), published by Catedra Cerámica Madrid-ASCER.
Guitart has co-edited the book Emak Bakia! Design Processes Around Man Ray's Emak Bakia House. The book is the result of a Research Studio around the documentary film Emak Bakia! (Basque for Leave me alone!) in Biarritz, France, that took place in the academic course 2013-2014 at the School of Engineer and Architecture at the University of Zaragoza. The book, co-edited by Iñaki Bergera, Eduardo Delgado Orusco, Miguel Guitart, Jesús Leache and Ana Morón, has contributions by famous Spanish writer Bernardo Atxaga and filmmaker Oskar Alegria, and has been published by TC Cuadernos.
Finally, Guitart has published the book La piel profunda / The Depth of the Skin with Spanish editor Asimetricas. The book, with a double edition in Spanish and English, is an introduction to Guitart's doctoral research on light and filters, whose full publication is under preparation.
Progress in Tarragona /
The double texture of the cast concrete structural envelope is well under way. Such double pattern will deal with two different scales: a more intimate one near the base of the church, and a more distant one, related to the city beyond.