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Published on Leave a comment on iGuzzini Illuminazione Ibérica Headquarters in Barcelona, Spain

iGuzzini Barcelona Corporate Building by Josep Miàs has has got the following prizes: Winner at the A+ Architizer Awards,Winner at the Building of the Year Award by Archdaily, Shortlisted at the WAF World Architecture Awards and Finalist at Work of the Year by Plataforma Arquitectura.

iGuzzini Sky is located at one of the major highway interchanges of the Barcelona area (Catalonia, Spain), in an extremely very fragile landscape. In order to avoid modifying the existing topography, a large part of the building’s programme is underground while the rest, the office building, stands above the ground, suspended in the air. iGuzzini Sky is, at heart, an R&D centre for the development of technical knowledge and expertise in lighting systems, the facilities for which are located both inside and outside the building. Most of the programme is housed in the huge underground container—built with concrete walls and screens, and barely disturbing the natural lay of the site—volume it shares with spaces for stock and distribution, product management, a showroom and a garage. Of these only the stockroom requires natural light, and thus is equipped with some skylights in a roof that also serves as a showroom for outdoor lighting systems.

7b32ef11 - iGuzzini Illuminazione Ibérica Headquarters in Barcelona, Spain
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Published on Leave a comment on Architecture in Spain: Gas Natural Headquarters, Barcelona

The aim was to create an urban landmark in the skyline of Barcelona (Spain) whilst setting a connection with the low-rise houses of the neighbourhood and to generate quality public spaces.

The constructible volume allows it to connect with the many contemporary buildings which have started to appear on the skyline of the city. Miralles Tagliabue( EMBT) also try to make the design compatible with the surrounding urban houses and park in the small scale district of la Barceloneta. It has the verticality of an office tower, whilst at the same time offering an entrance that shows the representative character of the building from a view of the interior.

The application of the various facades follows a similar criteria. A series of large windows create interest close up, while the interesting arrangement of the building protects it from the sun and noise and shows a series of abstract volumes.

Gas Natural Headquarters Barcelona - Architecture in Spain: Gas Natural Headquarters, Barcelona

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Published on Leave a comment on Architecture in Spain: Casa Vicens by Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona

Casa Vicens was Antoni Gaudí's first major commission in the city of Barcelona  (Cataluña) Combining Gothic and Mudéjar (or, Moorish) styles, Casa Vicens set the tone for Gaudí's later work. Many of Gaudi's trademarks are already present in Casa Vicens: bright colors, extensive tile work and elaborately decorated chimneys.

Casa Vicens also reflects Gaudí's love of nature. Plants that had to be destroyed to build Casa Vicens are incorporated into the building.

Casa Vicens was built as a private home for industrialist Manuel Vicens. The house was enlarged in 1925 by Joan Serra de Martínez. Casa Vicens was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

Currently, Casa Vicens is for sale with an asking price of 30 million euros.

Casa Vicens - Architecture in Spain: Casa Vicens by Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona

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Published on Leave a comment on A green wall by Capella Garcia Architecture in Barcelona

Since at least Babylonian times, hanging gardens of significant scale have been thought of as wondrous things. But beyond the spectacle of the garden itself, is the structure within which the garden is created. Capella Garcia Architecture have designed this hanging garden or, as they tend to be known these days, a green wall, to be around for some time. The garden especially when the planting is fully mature will be wondrous if not on the scale of the ancient mystical gardens. But I imagine that many, even without the plants, would be happy to sit and stare at the structure for a while.

Green wall products on the market tend to be cheap plastic affairs that can accommodate plants of a certain limited size. They tend to been used as a canvas in which different coloured, or structured plants are used as pixels to draw a large, if abstract design.

This project in Barcelona  (Spain) has a substantial galvanized steel frame creating eight levels which are accessed via a stair. It is altogether more substantial than the usual living wall described above, and with imaginative management could become a type of social garden where local residents could come together to tend it, exchanging flowers, produce, gossip and goodwill.

Architecture in Barcelona 01 - A green wall by Capella Garcia Architecture in Barcelona

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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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