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Published on Leave a comment on Architecture in Spain: Ultra Modern House in Ibiza

Built on two identical existing structures, these three-storey glass cube Siesta Houses, were redesigned by the Ibiza (Islas Baleares) based Zuccherodesign Architects who took inspiration from the breathtaking sunset of Santa Eulalia bay. In a small densely inhabited island such as Ibiza, it is a challenge to find a hilltop location near the sea that is free from daily tourist activities.

The tranquil feeling of seclusion was the first design objective when positioning the Siesta Houses. The second objective was to bring the feeling of the sea inside the house metaphorically painting the walls with delicate colors to reflect the sunlight. Constructed with open concept interiors (kitchen, dining-room and living-room plus master-suite, all in the main floor) and joining rectilinear forms that seemed to float on a cliff, these spaces feature spectacular views from every vantage point in their interior. A floor-to-ceiling glass wall expands the conceptual impact of the living-room while offering direct access to the open-air terrace which features a hanging-pool. The house entrance is accomplished from a small private street approached from behind and connected by a bridge, allowing total privacy to the inhabitants. In the evening, the home’s slat-style facade allows the interior light to permeate and merge with the exterior lighting system, bathing the house in a dramatic and glowing aura of its own.

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Published on Leave a comment on Architecture: The centre of contemporary art Matadero in Madrid

The centre of contemporary art Matadero in Madrid, Spain, hosted an amazing musical event Red Bull Music Academy during the September and November 2011. It sheltered concerts, audiovisual projections and various other creative workshops. The spaces for this event were prepared by the young architects of Langarita-Navarro Arquitectos. A large object with steel framework, concrete facade and a working infrastructure ready for unexpected scenarios was dedicated for this purpose.

The architects created a design with suitable acoustic and technical conditions, which amplifies the artistic experience of the participants. Taking the restricted budget and time constrains into account, the architects strived for a simplistic solution, with further spatial reorganisation possibilities. The design consists of several pavillions, with walls made of bags of soil, which also serve as acoustic isolation and provide spaces for offices, rehearsal rooms, recording studio, conference rooms, radio station and a lounge with refreshment.

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Published on 1 Comment on Modern Architecture in Spain: Villa in Ibiza by Minimum Arquitectura

Perched above the Mediterranean at the highest elevation between the town of Santa Eulalia and the rest of the island of Ibiza, this expansive villa offers luxurious comforts, essential privacy, and unparalleled views of the sea. Architects at Minimum Arquitectura get credits for sculpting this paradise befitting a celebrity.

The white also acts as a reflective surface for the many sources of light that have been included in the modern design. Not only does sunlight flood in from the floor-to-ceiling windows that face the sea, but a unique skylight crowns the living area’s concrete accent wall, letting sun in from above as well. At night, soft lighting from many hanging fixtures bring necessary visibility without harshness.

No seaside villa would be complete with many places to entertain and enjoy the unique atmosphere of the island. The dining area gives way to an infinity-edge pool that makes it feel as though you could swim right into the sea. An outdoor lounge area for pre- and après-swim socializing is the final indulgent touch.

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Published on Leave a comment on Architecture in Spain: New building in Gran Vía, Madrid

Madrid’s Gran Vía has once again been made whole. The capital’s main thoroughfare was left with a huge vacant lot in 2011, when the headquarters of the Banco Atlántico, at number 48 by Callao plaza, was demolished. For the first time since 1932, work began on a new building on the iconic street.

new building in Gran Vía - Architecture in Spain: New building in Gran Vía, Madrid

Fashion store C&A has occupied the first three floors of the 13-story, 45-meter-high building since May, and in October, the remainder of the building — comprising 97 luxury apartments — officially opens.
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Published on Leave a comment on Architecture: Creative Contemporary Home in Galicia, Spain

Creating a modern residence that offers gorgeous views and maintains the delicate balance of the surrounding natural setting is indeed a hard task. Architect Quico Jorreto has successfully managed to accomplish this by conjuring up and bringing to life this amazing house overlooking Miño River in Galicia, Spain. Surrounded by a beautiful green landscape, the home utilizes the available landscape to perfection as it offers those inside with unabated views of the river terrain while providing a comfortable retreat.

The innovative structure basically consists of three distinctively separate sections which combine seamlessly with one another. A carport that doubles up as an external patio area is the first to greet you, with a large glass enclosure that is right next to it providing for a relaxing lounge area. The glass box has been designed to provide unobstructed views of the flowing river as you also enjoy a 360 degree view of the world outside.

Miño river house in Galicia - Architecture: Creative Contemporary Home in Galicia, Spain

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Published on 1 Comment on Art-chitectural House in Madrid by A-cero

This combination of art and architecture is located in Las Rozas, one of the wealthiest parts of Madrid (Spain). The dwelling’s plot has a surface of 1 368 m2 with a light slope. It is an ideal place for building without major limitations. The architects created three floors: basement, ground floor and first floor. The house can be entered on the ground floor through two huge living rooms and a dining room.

This main part is on the right side. On the left you can find a bathroom, a cleaning room, a courtyard, a kitchen and a pantry. An interior staircase and an elevator are located in a way so that they can communicate not only with the basement and the first floor but also with the right and the left part of the ground floor. On the first floor are situated children bedrooms with dressing-rooms and bathrooms and the main bedroom with a dressing-room and a bathroom. A terrace cannot be forgotten. The basement includes an inner swimming pool, a Jacuzzi, a sauna, a gym, a small cinema room and a cellar. Both the interior and the exterior are very modern and elegant with the emphasis on material quality.

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Published on Leave a comment on Church in La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands

Designing and constructing a church has never been an easy task for architects. It is a challenge to create a space not meant for accomodation or further customization, but a space that has its own soul, gives an aura of serenity and conveys intimate spiritual experience. This particular church, completed in 2008 in a town La Laguna on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain), is a challenge well done by Fernando Menis of the Menis Arquitectos.

The building consists of four volumes, visually separated by rifts in the walls that align into cross on the front nave. Apart from the obvious symbolic function they allow the daylight into the interior which strengthens the calm meditative atmosphere. The whole structure takes up more than 1000 m² and cost 600,000 euro.

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Published on 1 Comment on Architecture in Spain: Puerta de Europa, Madrid, by Johnson and Burgee

The twin office towers known as Puerta de Europa I and II located in Madrid, Spain defy the typical conventions of skyscraper construction. Designed by American architects Philip Johnson & John Burgee and commissioned by the Kuwait Investment Office (KIO), these structural expressionistic towers straddle one of Madrid’s most important boulevards – the Paseo de la Castellana.

The location of a subway interchange made the placement of the two towers near the street impossible. Their bold design is in part a response to the need for the footprints of the towers to be set back from the interchange while at the same time bringing the towers together as a single compositional whole. The towers lean towards each other and over the plazas, ensuring their visibility from up and down the Paseo and creating a portal which, being at the Northern end of the business district of Madrid, has been called a metaphorical gateway to Europe. The façade of each tower is a composition of a major grid -clad in stainless steel conforming to their structure-, a minor grid of red mullions, and a third grid comprising the light grey mullions of the curtain wall.

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Published on Leave a comment on Sustainable Building in Pamplona, Navarra, by Vaillo-Irigaray

Gamesa is a multinational company engaged in the manufacture and maintenance of wind turbines for green energy production. The building is situated in a micro-suburban landscape into a business park. This technology park, located in Pamplona (Navarra), is characterized by an implantation of buildings in isolation, in a green environment. Surrounded by road links, the project responds as a great infraestructural milestone, as a large transparent tank. An autonomous geometry floating on a green hillside.

Carrying out an exercise of coherence and economy of means, the intention is to meet the requirements of the property with minimal resources:

-The visibility and positioning of the building.
- Interior nighttime lighting for safety.
- Transparency of the facade and interior-exterior bidirectional visibility.
- And, very important, reducing energy consumption of all facilities.

Sustainable Building in Pamplona Navarra - Sustainable Building in Pamplona, Navarra, by Vaillo-Irigaray
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Published on Leave a comment on Benidorm’s prized high-rise tower becomes a symbol of incompetence

In May 2012, when Benidorm government officials climbed up the InTempo - the European Union's tallest residential building still under construction - for a photo op, they had an idea. The twin towers joined at the top by a cone were to become a symbol of the post-crisis takeoff of the Spanish city of skyscrapers par excellence.

intempo4 300x255 - Benidorm's prized high-rise tower becomes a symbol of incompetenceBut in late December, with 94 percent of the building completed and 35 percent of units sold, Spain's bad bank, Sareb, announced that it was taking on the loan that a savings bank had extended to the developer eight years ago.

By that time, a construction firm, Olga Urbana, pompously advertised what was going to be "an unquestionable banner of the future." The landmark building would rise meters up into the clouds. The now-defunct Caixa Galicia extended a 92-million euro loan in 2005 - a mortgage that ended up at Nova Caixa Galicia following the merger of Galician savings banks. Now Sareb has assumed the loan for 46 million euros, representing a debt release of 50 percent.

The inauguration was initially scheduled for mid-2009, then pushed back to the summer of 2011. For months, it was evident that no progress was being made at all on the site. But the project's real situation did not emerge until last week, and it is a complex one: although the loan belongs to Sareb, the contract shows that building itself is the property of Olga Urbana, and only a realtor called Maxxima may sell it.
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