Barcelona 2008

The BitterSweet End to Sketching in Barcelona

2008-04-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks we were given a sketching assignment and we had to go out into the city and sketch certain areas. Here are the four assignments I chose to do!

This is MNAC and the focus was on the procession. Plaza de Espanya leads you up to a grand entrance with stairs and ramps to give the viewer with feelings of importance.

Fundacio Joan Miro is a contemporary building on top of MontJuic. The focus of this study lied in the circulation of the building and how the glassy, bright spaces, circulate you through the museum.

CCCB is a project that incorporates the new into the old. A contemporary glass box is inserted into an existing building and the glass box creates a circulation tower for the exhibits.

MACBA is a building conceived by Richard Meier and exhibits contemporary art. The building is an interconnection of geometries and those geometries determine the entry sequence.

I Never Get Tired of a Gaudi Building.....

2008-04-22T01:57:00.000-07:00

Just because I think that everyone should see Gaudi's works, here is another one of his famous buildings. It was a housing project that he did in Passeig de Gracia and it's name is Casa Batllo. The picture probably don't do the building justice, its complex on every surface, walls, ceiling, floors, ect..... If your ever in Barcelona, GO!!!! Don't think about it, just go!

The front facade of Casa Batllo

This is the ceiling inside the house and it mimics a whirlpool. It is located on the second floor in the main living room that actually was also designed to be used a a chapel space. The adjoining office space was to be used as the alter. The alter that was used there is actually going to be the alter used in the Sagrada Famillia when it is completed. If you haven't gathered it yet, Gaudi was very devoted to his faith.

This is a hallway that is actually the attic spaces

The central stairwell designed to let the maximum amount of natural light in because Gaudi loved natural light and you can find it in most of his rooms.

The roof top of the house looking towards the front. This ornamental piece was made in Ibiza and shipped over to Barcelona. On the way here, it cracked. Instead of sending it back, Gaudi wanted to keep it because he said the cracks add interest to the building.

Another roof shot

Sagrada Famillia!!!!

2008-04-22T01:19:00.000-07:00

We went on a hardhat tour of Sagrada Famillia last Monday and it was insane!!!! We got to go in construction elevators up to the top of the construction, which had an amazing view of the city. And to top it all off, we got a private tour from the current architect whose father worked with Gaudi himself. Guadi's design is crazy, how one man could think of up all of it is unreal. He designed and engineered his buildings. From the pictures you can see that the detail is extreme and you should be jealous because it was an experience of a lifetime!!!!!

This isn't my photo, but it's a great view of the passion facade

We were so happy to get hardhats!

By the school in the front of the building

The nave in the interior of the church. The whole structure uses parabolic forms for design and engineering reasons.

The construction elevators that took us up to the top

The architect explaining the church to us, we were standing where the center spire will be. There is going to be a total of 18 spires and only 8 are built now. The center one will represent Jesus and stand 190 meters tall!

Parabolic Forms

The culminating view

On our way back down, I got another shot of the nave. You can see the space is huge!!!!

One more shot of the spires from the top

More Sketches from 517!!!!

2008-04-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

This is the COAC building and this is where we got a lesson in speed-sketching. We were timed for each drawing and were told to create a narrative composition.

This is a 22@ building which is a company who takes buildings in the city and re-designs them to create a better city. This building was turned into a University. The old building it the one in the back left corner and the other buildings were added to create a complex.

This is a housing project by Market de Santa Caterina and these buildings were inserted to mend/repair the urban fabric around the city.

Conversations and Revalations

2008-04-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

I was talking with fellow classmate Lindsey Dehenzel over a homey dinner of breakfast foods and reminiscing about our time spent in Barcelona. While drinking mimosas, Lindsey made a good point "we knew when we came over to Barcelona we would be going home, but who knows if we will ever make it back?" We all say that we'll be back, but we don't know. Slow music is playing in the background and made the mood even deeper. We exited the apartment door into the air of plaza universitat singing the best country song "sweet southern comfort." The same comfort of the south is here in Barcelona and I am excited to go home, but will greatly miss Barcelona. I want to take a vacation to the US and then come back to Spain. It is awesome that coming back from this trip I can call Barcelona my home away from home.

Girona For The Day

2008-04-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

I got back from Girona an hour ago and I can honestly say that I think it is one of the most beautiful places in Spain from what I have seen. The city is north of Barcelona and is a small city divided by a river. The town for some reason is moderately wealthy and the buildings are well preserved. There is the old city wall that we followed for a little bit in the morning. After we did some sketching in this really interesting complex. After we had lunch then went to the Arabic Baths and the old Roman Church, which is one of the best examples of the Roman Style in Spain. The train ride back was rough and we ended getting off somewhere we hadn’t originally planned, but it all turned out to be good.

View from the bridge

Mila came to explore her heritage

Cloisters of the Roman Church

Another bridge view

The addition to the University

A cool sculpture we found of an architect overtop the plan of the church

Courtyard we sketched in

Arab Baths

I Just Got Back From Turkey And Now I Off To Morocco. Ask Me How I Live My Life, I'll Say Large

2008-04-03T04:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry its taken so long to blog! A lot has been happening these past two weeks. I hit 3 continents in a matter of 10 days! Two Thursdays ago I went left for Turkey and t was amazing. I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was nothing like I would ever think of. It is one of the most beautiful places to go from the parts of the world I’ve seen. The Mosques are jaw dropping and the culture is fascinating. I went to Asia while I was there because it’s the only city in the world that spans two continents. After getting back on Tuesday I stayed in Barcelona for 40 hours then left for Morocco in AFRICA!!!! Talk about an intense trip, but words can’t describe what it’s like to be there. Everyone was in awe and liked Fez a lot (Who wouldn’t). I’m back now and there’s no place like home in Barcelona where you can kind of understand people and you sort of know where your going which in Fez was impossible on both ends.

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Morocco was a great experience an one that I will keep with me forever. The city is vibrant and has a great amount of culture. The city is a labyrinth of streets and roads that are crazy. People that have lived there their whole life still get lost. The Islamic architecture is inspiring

and I am really glad I was able to visit.

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Flag of Morocco

This is a picture of Africa taken from the plane.

This is a sketch of the Medersa or school and I was analyzing the division between the sacred and profane. The sacred was divided by a stream that one passes over that is a symbolic cleansing.

This s another Medersa called the Medersa Sheratin and the thing that was interesting and I studied was the light wells. Since a lot of the spaces in the huge structure are dark, the main focus was the availability of light.

This is the shop where we purchased a lot of pottery after seeing the factory in a small ceramics village.

This is one of the monkey we fed.

Gobble, Gobble, TURKEY!!!!

2008-04-03T00:19:00.000-07:00

Turkey might be one of those places that no one expects to be enjoyable, I know I use to think it was almost third world, but if you go there you will be corrected because it is so lively and cultured and everyone is hospitable. As far as the architecture, Istanbul would give the Cathedrals of Europe a “run for their money.” You can’t fully appreciate the level of detail and meticulous craft of these places. Going to Istanbul made me think more about Islamic architecture and to really look at it and decode the separation between the sacred and profane. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and can’t wait to get back there one day. If you have a chance to go I would jump at the chance. One of the best if not number one trip of my study abroad time! Below are some sketches and fun things we did during our time there.

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As a side note one of the things that I thinking of in relation to architectural theorists because you can't help but think about the structure and ask questions is that Ruskin was all about building that stayed true to there form without and ornamentation that didn't help the structure function. While he might not agree with all the detailing, Mosques would fit in his description of "true to form" buildings. I wonder what he would say?

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The Blue Mosque was my favorite Mosque in Istanbul. The structure is huge and has this interaction with the Hagia Sophia which is across the garden. The shell of the building is mesmerizing with all of its domes.

The Yan Cami or "New Mosque" was right on the river and was the first mosque we entered while in Turkey. It was friday and we got asked to leave for prayer.

The Hagia Sophia is one of the oldest churches in the world and is really decaying. I can see why the dome has collapsed two time before. The massive size is really apparent from the interior. Still there is beautiful detain inside.

This is the Mosque by the Grand Bazzar and the last Mosque we entered before our departure. The structure was simpler that the one we saw previously, but one of my favorites. The detailing was ver intricate and the Mosque seemed to be more local than a tourist attraction.

Ahhhhh......The RUGS!!!! You can't go to turkey with out going to look at the rugs. And you can;t look at rugs and not want one. That exactly what happened to me and I came home with a souvineer for life. These were the two rugs that I was choosing between. I ended up getting the green one on the bottom and I'm really happy.

~ DISCLAIMER ~

WARNING: Turkish People are VERY GOOD Salesmen.

(if you don't want to spend money, go somewhere else)

2008-03-18T00:26:00.000-07:00

It’s a few days before we go on our Easter Break and there’s a lot to do for studio. This weekend I didn’t do much other than work on documenting our new project site. The site is the behind the most known market in Barcelona the Boqueria. Its now a parking lot, but is being renewed.

I go to Turkey in 3 days!!!! I’m really excited to go. The next week and a half is going to probably be the most intense traveling I’ve done to date. Turkey for 5 days then I’m back in Barcelona for 2 days and then Morocco for 5 days! It’s a lot, but worth it. Speaking of Morocco, Cristi showed us where we were staying there today; there are really no words that describe how nice this place is. It’s pretty much a palace, which is really called a Riad, and this place had only 12 rooms in the whole place and we are occupying 10 of them! I’m in a deluxe room and its super nice. Jacuzzi Tubs with rose petals and big beds!!! We are living like royalty there. One of the girl’s rooms is two stories. We have an Arab bath in the hotel too! Here is our hotel site. If you go to the Suites link, I am staying in the Al Mohandes room!

Riad Fes - location riad fes: Votre riad de luxe alandalous à fes, riad fez, Maroc

Here are some sketches of my attempts at both water color and pen.

Water Colours!

2008-03-12T02:31:00.000-07:00

We are starting water coloring in our Arch 517 sketching class and we had a tutorial yesterday on how to use the medium. Here are my attempts at tonal values and an orange. I liked working with the medium and hope to use it more often. I bought a water color field box and also buying a water color sketch book. I’m sure you’ll start seeing more of this!

Sketches from Spring Break in Greece!

2008-03-12T01:47:00.000-07:00

This sketch is of the New Museum for the Acropolis. This building is under construction in Athens, Greece next to the Acropolis. The structure is built on top of ancient acropolis grounds and the interior of the building pays respect to that. The floors are partially glass that illuminates the ruins under it. The sketch studies that connection from the old to new and how the new construction respects the old.

This is a sketch of the Church of the Holy Disciples located in the Ancient Greek Agora. In this drawing I wanted to look at the special axis of the church. Also, I started to explore the contracting and expansion in such a small space. The three entrances to the main hall all have different special effects that I found interesting.

This sketch was done in Santorini, Greece studying one of the many churches on the island. The thing that is most striking and noticeable about the church is the classic double crossed barrel vault and that’s what the sketch is exploring in axon, plan, and section

Roma for the Weekend

2008-02-14T02:58:00.000-08:00

Roma for the weekend was a lot of fun. Our hostel was not so nice. Let me paint you a visual picture, the outside temperature is about 30 degrees and the windows of our room were left open. Our room had no heat and all three nights I slept in a t-shirt, long sleeve button-up, a jacket, socks, and jeans. It was the worst sleeping experience of my life. Other than that the sites were great and had fun with everyone. Below are some sketches I did while I was there. Chow!

Ode to Southern Spain

2008-02-11T03:00:00.000-08:00

Madrid was the first stop on our trip,

Who knew it would be already kicked.

The weather sucked,

Picasso was closed,

Brazilian food and vino made us doze.

That doze helped us prepare for our next place,

Cordoba was its name and we got there at a good pace.

That train ride flew,

Right through the south,

But all I could think about is food to put into my mouth.

We cabbed it to the hotel,

Right by the Mosque, it went well.

We stopped at this little place to eat,

Red ants joined are table and trust me that wasn’t a treat.

At lunch the guys were looking for delicious pitas,

But could only find the Cordoba Mesquita.

Even though the kebab wasn’t found,

The inside of the Mosque was surly profound.

Perspectives, Axons, and elevations were drawn,

But all anyone could think of was the bathing that would soon be going on.

Warm, then hot, and finally cold,

The baths were nice and felt like we struck gold.

After relaxing in such an awesome place,

We said farewell to Cordoba and headed onto the next leg of the race.

CUA took Granada by storm,

In search of the Alhambra,

Our teachers summer home.

Sketching class was in a Café,

Every college student wanted to be us that Day.

Cervezas, a pencil, and some food,

That day of class put us in one great mood.

After, we decided that tea was a must,

So we sat down and drank on big ass cup.

Sunset over that Alhambra was the last class of the day,

We saw the sun go down until the very last ray.

Waking up we had another day of fun,

The tour of the Alhambra was how the day begun.

Flamenco that night was well lets say kind of crazy,

To tell you the truth it was a little bit hazy.

Apparently Lauren and I are not as good as we thought,

While dancing, she almost took my head off.

Long story short, I got a black eye,

But the trip had to go on without a cry.

Our final destination was a bus ride away,

The weather felt like a day in May.

Seville was picturesque and very quaint,

I’m sure at least one of us wanted to faint.

Faint at the site of Calatravas Bridge,

I was not all that excited it looked like a fridge.

All white and sterile, no real design,

We sat down to sketch, and all we wanted was some wine.

To cure that craving we all went out,

But split up into different routes.

We met up later and mingled with the crowd,

By the end of the night, some got a little loud.

After waking up the next morning,

We realized it was the last day of our trip.

We made the best of the day and cracked the whip.

Cracked the Whip to see everything Seville contains,

It was incredible and thank God it didn’t rain.

Rain like in Madrid where the weather sucked,

Instead we chilled that night on the rooftop.

Saying goodbye to Southern Spain was hard,

But lets be honest that’s because Barcelona is the star.

2008-02-01T06:11:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we had Jury and we all needed to relax so a couple of us went out for drinks at a small restaurant and let me tell you the margaritas were just what the doctor ordered. After chilling out, we all went for sushi! A lot of us were craving it because personally I eat it at least two times a week at home. We met up with more of us and we went to this classy sushi place and the food was unbelievable. Edamame and two rolls of sushi later I was in heaven. (Can’t forget the cava either!) After dinner we saw a gelato place and we couldn’t pass that up so we all indulged ourselves in that as well. Anyways it was a three-hour dinner and we spent a good chunk of change, but all well worth it.

2008-01-26T07:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the best day in Barcelona to date. After going out the previous night we treated ourselves ad slept in until the afternoon. After waking up and getting ready we started to walk to the cable car station that took you up to the top of the mountains where the Olympic area was. After getting in the cable car we got to the top o the mountain where there was an old castle and an awesome look out point. We walked around the castle and saw the entire city from probable the best view. The Mediterranean didn’t disappoint us either. After a couple house we started to walk down the mountain. We took a back trail through the woods and eventually ended up at Olympic stadium where the 92 Olympics were held. The stadium was huge and from there you could see the museum. I’m not really sure what the museum contains but it was incredible to see all the detailing and precision craft of the building. Then a quick walk down the monumental stairs led us to our real destination…THE BARCELONA PAVILLION!!!! After learning about it and seeing it in pictures it was surreal. I bought a few souvenirs and we proceeded back to the apartment. We went out later, but in the months to come it will probably be hard to top that day.

1st Late Night in Studio

2008-01-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

Now that my internet is working, not that my stupidity helped the situation I a pleased to write my first posting. Its about 3:30 am and there is some sketchy people outside of our studio space. Speaking of our studio space, the building is very industrial and cold....it's bad when you go outside and its warmer than inside (the space heater is my friend.) We have some pretty cool graffiti on the exterior of the studio ( and all around Barcelona) and the art work accumulates daily. Saturday night we got a nice large red tagging on our window. Other that being cold, thats all I have to say. I off to do homework for Spanish class which should be interesting because I know probable the equivalent of what an elementary school student does. Adios