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Published on Leave a comment on Architecture in Spain: Casa Son Vida, Palma de Mallorca

Located near Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Casa Son Vida brakes the boundaries in matters of luxury and futuristic home approaches. The project comes from tec Architecture in collaboration with Amsterdam-based Marcel Wanders Studio, responsible for designing the interiors. This villa is said to be the first of the 6 planned luxury residences in this exclusive area.

Here is some further information from the architects: “Casa Son Vida 1 aims to redefine the notion of the luxury villa by moving most of the paradigms of luxury towards a more contemporary and forward-looking expression of architecture and technology. The project pushes the envelope in every direction and every sense; it is highly sustainable, basically off-the-grid, gives an unheard of sense of space and place, explores new construction technologies, and enters into a critical dialogue with the decorated box buildings in its vicinity. Casa Son Vida 1 is unavoidably exuberant and unabashedly outrageous.”

Casa Son Vida - Architecture in Spain: Casa Son Vida, Palma de Mallorca
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Published on Leave a comment on Theatre in Almonte, Huelva, by Donaire Arquitectos

The building is located in Almonte (Huelva), on the site of an old winery. It has the challenge of integrate the existing old buildings, declared as cultural interest, and being part of a cultural complex of a total of three buildings and a common space. This space turns into the main place of the town and an important meeting area.

An opportunity to work on light, material and space. The path chosen to work on these concepts, is the contrast. Contrast between outside and inside, between old and new, including a monumental scale and human scale. And the journey as the thread that sews and explains the intervention. A large area covered with large proportions and controlled height works as a high threshold. A monumental scale lobby welcomes the visitor showing the scale of a public building.

Theatre in Almonte - Theatre in Almonte, Huelva, by Donaire Arquitectos

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Published on 1 Comment on Casa Batlló, Gaudí’s Architectural Treasure in Barcelona, Spain

Casa Batlló, built between 1904 and 1906 in the heart of Barcelona (Spain), is the most emblematic work of the brilliant Catalan architect.

Gaudí gave Casa Batlló a facade that is original, fantastical and full of imagination. He replaced the original facade with a new composition of stone and glass. He ordered the external walls to be redesigned to give them a wavy shape, which was then plastered with lime mortar and covered with a mosaic of fragments of coloured glass and ceramic discs.

Casa Batlló is a key feature in the architecture of modernist Barcelona. Nowadays, the spectacular facade is an iconic landmark in the city. The "Manzana de la Discordia", or Block of Discord, is a series of buildings in Passeig de Gràcia. It is home to a collection of works by the most renowned architects, amongst which is Casa Batlló. The house, now a museum, is open to the public, both for cultural visits and for celebrating events in its splendid modernist function rooms.

casa Batlló.jpg5 - Casa Batlló, Gaudí's Architectural Treasure in Barcelona, Spain

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Published on Leave a comment on Contemporary Architecture in Spain: Bilbao Arena

The lovely Bilbao Arena lies on ancient iron mines, close to the old part of the town in Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain). It offers a sports center, a restaurant, a court that can be used by locals and players too and more. The Bilbao Arena is split into two: at the very top of the structure it encloses so it shuns away the noise coming from Bilbao Basket while the bottom of the building is occupied by the sports center.

The design of the entire project is interesting since the Bilbao Arena is meant to look as a tree. Its façade has a metal structure with painted steel sheets that hide the metal components that are found in the arena. The façade is permeable and the corridors don`t require air conditioning or ventilation and the design of the building allows a clear exit if a fire bursts out.

The limestone in the area inspired the designers to paint the sports center in a similar colour and the shape of the sports center looks just like a rock. The three spaces of this center communicate between them in cascade and they also offer access to the swimming pool, gym and parking zone.

Bilbao Arena 2 - Contemporary Architecture in Spain: Bilbao Arena
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Published on Leave a comment on Architecture: El Mirador de Sanchinarro, Madrid

This 22 level building, called Mirador, is located in Sanchinarro, a residential suburb on the north east edge of Madrid surrounded by highways and with views towards the Guadarrama Mountains. The most impressive element of the building is the incredible gap of it shape, which acts as a frame for the distant landscape. The large communal plaza and lookout at 40 m above the ground is meant to be used by the neighborhood as a meeting area and playground. The Mirador contains a wide variety of compact housing types, in total 156 units. The architects created a distinctive silhouette by grouping nine blocks. The articulation of these blocks is apparent in the exterior palette, equal parts stone, concrete and tile. The strips of red indicate the corridors. The way the nine blocks are stacked and glued together, they make up a new towering impressive 'superblock' (MVRDV). Blanca Lleó asociados from Madrid were responsible for directing the works.

El mirador de Sanchinarro - Architecture: El Mirador de Sanchinarro, Madrid
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Published on Leave a comment on La Llotja theatre and conference centre Lleida, Spain

The mountain with its historic cathedral Seu Vella and the Segre River marks the high point and low point of Lleida (Lerida), the second city of Catolonia, following Barcelona. La Llotja theatre and conference center sits on the banks of the Segre, somewhat outside the centre of the city. Mecanoo’s design interprets the landscape of Lleida as the exciting scenery before which the building has been placed, somewhat further from the river. The mise-en-scène is elaborated on three levels of scale. Regarded from the large scale of the region, the building forms a link between the river and the mountain. Viewed from the urban scale, La Llotja and the river form a balanced composition. At street level the cantilevers of La Llotja de Lleida provide protection from sun and rain.

124 - La Llotja theatre and conference centre Lleida, Spain

510 - La Llotja theatre and conference centre Lleida, Spain
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Published on 1 Comment on Architecture: Tenerife Auditorium, Canary Islands

The Tenerife Auditorium, in Canary Islands, is the creation of architect Santiago Calatrava. This impressive piece of architecture has a huge sculptural impact and it is well known as a unique landmark.

It offers its visitors the opportunity to admire the architecture as well as being able to enjoy the other natural attractions, such as the sea and mountain ranges that form part of the ancient Anaga Mountains.

The auditorium has tiered platforms that overspill onto the stunning curved area of the Symphonic Hall. This is surrounded by an impressive wing, suspended at 50 metres giving the sensation of movement and flexibility as though it were animated.

In addition to being an architectural masterpiece the Tenerife Auditorium also offers a wide variety of programmes that can be viewed on their official website.

The variety of contemporary programmes, such as Tenerife Dance Music, Atlantic Jazz and World Music complement the more classical style of the Tenerife Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera and the Festival of Canarian Music.

The Tenerife Auditorium is finished in stunning white, which gives huge visual impact. The interior is equally impressive with its unusual open spaces and modern curved architecture that attract the eye in particular due to its wealth of silhouettes and complex structures.

1 - Architecture: Tenerife Auditorium, Canary Islands
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Published on Leave a comment on Architecture: W Barcelona Hotel

An icon of avant-garde architecture, the new W Barcelona Hotel rises high above the Mediterranean, in one of Spain’s most appealing cities: Barcelona (Cataluña).

The massive building was envisioned by modern architect Ricardo Bofill and decorated by Charles Farruggio. A unique display of color and comfort, the 473 guest rooms invite tourists worldwide to have a taste of opulent contemporary Spanish living.

103 - Architecture: W Barcelona Hotel
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Published on Leave a comment on Puerta América Hotel, Madrid

"Nineteen of the world's best architects create the hotel of the future in Madrid" according to the hotel's own website. As president of the Silken Hotel Group (a business venture by the companies Escampa and the Hotel Group Urvasco S.A) explained: “the Hotel Puerta America is a dream come true. A project where acclaimed architects and designers have conveyed their dreams to us. It is a homage to the world of architecture, design and to the freedom”. Each of the hotel's 12 floors bears the imprint of a different design talent. Each floor measures 1300 m2 and the only constraint was that each had to contain 28 rooms and two junior suites. The external structure was developed by SGA Studio and is a fairly standard rectangular tower block. John Pawson did the common areas, while Jean Nouvel designed the cladding on the facade and the 12th floor with 12 luxurious suites (as an exception on the 28-room-rule).

Hotel11 - Puerta América Hotel, Madrid
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Published on Leave a comment on Modern Mountain House in Ávila, Spain

Located in Avila, Spain, this modern contemporary mountain house design definitely successful optimizing house landscape, supported by specious garden, mountain views, mountain fresh air, and colds mountain atmosphere bring the sustainability living concept to the property.

The house surrounded by green grasses savanna, pine and oak trees and wildlife represented by stags, tree groves, wild boar and roe deer, chestnut, and the construction establish a recognized link with the traditional architecture and customs symbolic. In the interior site, was equipped with contemporary furniture, the sense of the architecture is to formalize room space and room layout as well as representing a clear tribute to rural villages.

mountain house avila spain1 - Modern Mountain House in Ávila, Spain
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