06-19-2013
Madrid to Barcelona
A few weeks ago, I traveled to Madrid to watch one of my favorite soccer teams, Galatasaray play against Real Madrid. Unlike New York, soccer can actually shape your life and schedule if you are a true fan across the pond, and as usual, our fans had occupied the central square, Plaza Mayor, on the day of the game and were emphatically demonstrating their support.
Plaza Mayor, April 3, 2013 (left), April 4, 2013 (right)
The next morning however, when I returned to the square, it was once again peaceful and even though we had lost the game, I felt content as I basked in the beauty of the city. This central square, near another famous plaza known as the Puerta del Sol, has had many different names over the years, before finally being dubbed as the Plaza Mayor at the end of Spanish Civil War. Since then, it has come to exemplify the work of architect Juan de Villanueva as a paradigm of Spanish Neoclassicism, staging everything from bullfights to public executions throughout its epic history.
Since I was fairly close to Barcelona and in the mood for great architecture, I decided on a whim to go and see the numerous renowned buildings I had not seen in my previous trip to the Catalan city. Skipping the Rambla, I began with the Torre Agbar in the morning, the new headquarters for the Aguas de Barcelona, the municipal water company.
Torre Agbar
The reinforced-concrete structure, crowned by a glass and steel dome, has a multi-colored façade of aluminum panels and glass louvers. It is 34 stories tall and 142 meters (466 feet) in height, comprised of two non-concentric oval cylinders. There are no internal columns in the structure, but rather, the building's services and emergency stairwells are located in the central concrete core. Designed by Frenchman Jean Nouvel, the architect has stated that the tower is "a distant echo of old Catalan obsessions, carried on the winds that blow in from Montserrat". Often referred to as a geyser, Torre Agbar was inspired by the architectural legacy of Antoni Gaudí.
After seeing a building inspired by Gaudí's work, I decided that I was ready to see the real thing: the Sagrada Familia. The church had originally been designed by Francisco de Paula del Villar, with construction beginning in 1882, but just one year later the modernist architect Antoni Gaudí took over as lead architect at the young age of 31. Instead of carrying out the original design, Gaudí changed the plans drastically, devoting most of his life to the construction of the structure. When he died in 1926., only one façade, one tower, the apse and the crypt had been completed. Still, architects today maintain a clear idea of exactly what Gaudí had in mind and continue to work according to his original design. When it is finished, the church will boast a total of 18 towers, and be able to accommodate some 13,000 people.
Sagrada Familia 2013 (left), Sagrada Familia 2025-2030 (right)
My final stop in Barcelona was to see another of Gaudí's designs, La Pedrera (Casa Mila) built from 1906-1912. Replete with an undulating stone facade and wrought iron decoration of the balconies and windows, it was a controversial design for the times.
Furthermore, the building did not follow many of the city's regulations at the time, exceeding the maximum height allowed and refusing to align with the facades of Barcelona's perfectly octagonal city. Homeowners nearby were outraged with the design, arguing that the Gaudí creation would lower the price of land in the area.
Casa Mila plan (left), Casa Mila façade (right)
Even today, Casa Mila is considered an innovative work of architecture, implying that perhaps Gaudí's vision and skill set were timeless. In 1984, the site was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO, and is now a museum and open to the public for viewing and tours.
I returned to New York three days after I had initially arrived in Madrid, still ruminating on all of the things I had seen on a journey beginning with a soccer game.
Plaza Mayor, April 3, 2013 (left), April 4, 2013 (right)The next morning however, when I returned to the square, it was once again peaceful and even though we had lost the game, I felt content as I basked in the beauty of the city. This central square, near another famous plaza known as the Puerta del Sol, has had many different names over the years, before finally being dubbed as the Plaza Mayor at the end of Spanish Civil War. Since then, it has come to exemplify the work of architect Juan de Villanueva as a paradigm of Spanish Neoclassicism, staging everything from bullfights to public executions throughout its epic history.
Since I was fairly close to Barcelona and in the mood for great architecture, I decided on a whim to go and see the numerous renowned buildings I had not seen in my previous trip to the Catalan city. Skipping the Rambla, I began with the Torre Agbar in the morning, the new headquarters for the Aguas de Barcelona, the municipal water company.
Torre AgbarThe reinforced-concrete structure, crowned by a glass and steel dome, has a multi-colored façade of aluminum panels and glass louvers. It is 34 stories tall and 142 meters (466 feet) in height, comprised of two non-concentric oval cylinders. There are no internal columns in the structure, but rather, the building's services and emergency stairwells are located in the central concrete core. Designed by Frenchman Jean Nouvel, the architect has stated that the tower is "a distant echo of old Catalan obsessions, carried on the winds that blow in from Montserrat". Often referred to as a geyser, Torre Agbar was inspired by the architectural legacy of Antoni Gaudí.
After seeing a building inspired by Gaudí's work, I decided that I was ready to see the real thing: the Sagrada Familia. The church had originally been designed by Francisco de Paula del Villar, with construction beginning in 1882, but just one year later the modernist architect Antoni Gaudí took over as lead architect at the young age of 31. Instead of carrying out the original design, Gaudí changed the plans drastically, devoting most of his life to the construction of the structure. When he died in 1926., only one façade, one tower, the apse and the crypt had been completed. Still, architects today maintain a clear idea of exactly what Gaudí had in mind and continue to work according to his original design. When it is finished, the church will boast a total of 18 towers, and be able to accommodate some 13,000 people.
Sagrada Familia 2013 (left), Sagrada Familia 2025-2030 (right)My final stop in Barcelona was to see another of Gaudí's designs, La Pedrera (Casa Mila) built from 1906-1912. Replete with an undulating stone facade and wrought iron decoration of the balconies and windows, it was a controversial design for the times.
Furthermore, the building did not follow many of the city's regulations at the time, exceeding the maximum height allowed and refusing to align with the facades of Barcelona's perfectly octagonal city. Homeowners nearby were outraged with the design, arguing that the Gaudí creation would lower the price of land in the area.
Casa Mila plan (left), Casa Mila façade (right)Even today, Casa Mila is considered an innovative work of architecture, implying that perhaps Gaudí's vision and skill set were timeless. In 1984, the site was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO, and is now a museum and open to the public for viewing and tours.
I returned to New York three days after I had initially arrived in Madrid, still ruminating on all of the things I had seen on a journey beginning with a soccer game.