Archinect - News

IAAC team expands on first 3D Printed Earth Forest Campus in Barcelona

2024-07-30T20:15:00-04:00

Archinect has received new project images of the latest 3D printed building prototype produced on-site in Barcelona’s Collserola Natural Park by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC).

The 100-square-meter (1,076-square-foot) Earth Forest Campus project (also called TEIXIT), which uses local soil and natural materials with a Crane WASP 3D printer, was created in collaboration with Hassell and provides a live laboratory for testing new architectural solutions and sustainable construction methods.

Image: © 3DPA

The team says the "organic spatial distribution" of its design is key to the experiment's success. It stands as proof of concept for the "beginning of a labyrinth that distances itself from repetitive standardized contemporary architectural solutions and demonstrates a high level of adaptation of buildings to their users’ needs."

Image: © 3DPA

The master plan includes a mixture of enclosed, covered, and open spaces supported by natural stone foundations. To...

David Chipperfield on Fundación RIA and regional planning efforts in northern Spain

2024-06-27T19:54:00-04:00

A strength of Galicia, Chipperfield believes, is the extent to which technocratic versions of modernity have passed it by. “When we were growing up, we sort of knew what progress was. It was silver and shiny. Now we’re not so sure."

In a new interview with Rowan Moore, last year’s Pritzker winner David Chipperfield details his work in Galicia, Spain. In this seaside locale, he says, he’s found a restored sense of "normality" after relocating his life and family there for the summertime beginning in 2020. From there, he established his Fundación RIA, a "little research group" that has been instrumental in helping guide a territorial plan with aims that can be applied to many core issues (a lack of transportation options, livelihood in city centers, and disused structures) plaguing other small cities in the EU and North America.

Real Madrid stadium renovation wrapped up

2024-06-03T14:23:00-04:00

Renovations on the home of Real Madrid, the legendary Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, have been completed by German architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners, the firm announced recently via its social media channels.

Construction photo by Miguel de Guzmán/Imagen Subliminal

The five-year, $1.91 billion project added a retractable new roof and underground greenhouse to the original design while increasing capacity by 3,000 seats (from approximately 80,000) and adding 240 new VIP suites to the upper levels. Pop star Taylor Swift unofficially inaugurated the new stadium with back-to-back concerts last week.

Construction photo by Miguel de Guzmán/Imagen Subliminal

"Our design gives form to the ideas of 'movement' and 'dynamism.' The stadium’s massing may appear at first glance to be autonomously determined — but in reality, it dances within tightly defined parameters. It wraps the stadium’s form, which has evolved over time through numer...

Lizard tails are effective at producing building collapse prevention strategies, Spanish scientists find

2024-05-20T19:30:00-04:00

A group of researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia say they have discovered a means for protecting buildings from structural collapse. In a new set of building science experiments conducted in June 2023, they carefully studied animal neurobiology.

El País tells us: “The team of scientists and engineers has devised a hierarchy-based collapse isolation system, the key to which lies in the implementation of structural fuses, which allow the building to be segmented in the event of a failure. According to Adam, this design philosophy is similar to fuse-based protection of electrical networks. His technique has been validated by a test on a real building — 15 by 12 meters in plan, with two 2.6-meter-high floors — using prefabricated reinforced concrete. It is the first solution of its kind to be tested and verified at full scale.”

The Endure project recently made the cover of the journal Nature. Engineering professor Antoni Cladera (who did not participate in the study) t...

Sagrada Família to be completed in 2026, officials say

2024-03-25T16:48:00-04:00

The completed construction of the Sagrada Família is now expected for 2026, multiple international outlets are reporting. The announcement made recently by the group responsible for managing its construction ends years of speculation as to the exact opening date for Antoni Gaudí’s monumental affirmation of religious life in his native Spain that began 142 years ago this month in Barcelona.

The new completion date coincides with the centennial anniversary of the architect's death at the age of 73 from injuries he sustained in a tram accident on his way home from the site.

Work will culminate first with the Chapel of the Assumption in 2025 and be followed by a crowning tower of Jesus Christ the next year. This comes after the temple's four canonical towers were debuted in December. A source also told The Guardian that its controversial grand staircase, an element some dispute was not Gaudí’s intention, could be added by 2034.

Related on Archinect: Gaudí's Sagrada Família acquires prop...

A fatal apartment building fire in Valencia, Spain, raises questions on the safety of building materials

2024-02-27T13:11:00-05:00

Valencia is reeling from a fatal fire at an apartment complex in the Spanish city. The incident began on the night of Thursday, February 22nd, and though the cause has not been definitively established, early reporting has suggested that the building’s cladding may have played a part in the disaster.

Ten people have been confirmed to have been killed in the fire, whose identities match the list of ten people deemed missing by authorities. In an isolated moment of relief, four people who had been included on the preceding list of 14 missing people have been located alive.

As per Spanish outlet El Pais, the vice-president of the Valencia College of Industrial and Technical Engineers, Esther Puchades, suggested that the building’s cladding included polyurethane and when “heated it is like plastic and it ignites.” In response, IPUR, Spain’s polyurethane manufacturers’ association, issued a statement saying there was no evidence that polyurethane was used in the subject building.

Related...

Zooco creates ‘Brutalism over the sea’ with Spanish restaurant inside renovated 1970s concrete structure

2024-01-11T13:55:00-05:00

Madrid-based studio Zooco has completed an extensive renovation and extension of a 1970s concrete structure in Santander, Spain. The Cantabrian Maritime Museum restaurant has been constructed inside an architectural complex that also includes an Oceanographic Center designed by Vicente Roig Forner and Ángel Hernández Morales, built between 1975 and 1978.

Image credit: David Zarzoso

The original concrete structure sees two square forms connected by a canopy. The interior spans three floors with a central courtyard covered by a vault of paraboloid membranes, while a 2003 renovation and extension saw the addition of a pyramid-form aluminum structure to the western facade and roof.

Image credit: David Zarzoso

For their 2023 overhaul of the scheme, Zooco inserted a new space on the second floor to house a restaurant and terrace. To facilitate the restaurant, a new volume was constructed to resolve issues with the roof and facade, while ...

Sagrada Familia reaches important construction milestone

2023-10-03T18:41:00-04:00

More than 140 years after a Spanish bishop laid the cornerstone of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia basilica, the famously incomplete church is inching toward the finish line, with five of its six central towers now finally fully built as of last week.

The four completed towers symbolize the Evangelist authors of the Bible’s canonical Gospels. The tallest tower, which represents Christ, will follow in 2026. Some doubts remain as to whether or not the construction timeline can stick to its scheduled completion by the end of that year, which will also see Barcelona’s turn as the UIA World Capital of Architecture.

A small contingent of residents who claim the destruction of Gaudí's papers by Anarchists during the Spanish Civil War constitutes grounds for an injunction remains an impediment. Controversial plans for a monumental grand staircase entrance to the Glory facade are also continuing over concerns of displacement that have marred their construction since the late 1970s.

Scaffolding at the site is expected to be removed soon.

Peek inside this U-shaped residence on a narrow plot in southern Spain

2023-07-06T14:34:00-04:00

Spanish firm DTR_studio architects has designed a residential project in the country's southern coastal town of Estepona that maximizes space within a tight urban surrounding.

Image: Juanan Barros

Called the Wiik House, the project was envisioned for a family based in Oslo, Norway, who wanted a second residence in Estepona’s downtown district. The firm utilized a U-shaped plot with an existing house in the center.

Image: Juanan Barros

This configuration allowed the firm to form two independent façades that face the same street. In addition, the layout enables the division of the housing program into two distinct units: the main house on the side and a guest apartment on the other.

Image: Juanan Barros

The street along the home has little significance, according to the firm, so the façades integrate into the environment without standing out and, instead, direct attention to the interior.

Image: Juanan Barros

The project is organized around the ...

IAAC team’s mass timber nature observatory floats above a Barcelona forest

2023-05-16T12:13:00-04:00

A team from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) has constructed a timber observatory in a Barcelona forest to support analyses of nature. The group of students and researchers from the institution’s Masters in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities program were inspired by the hanging walkways of American biologist Margaret D. Lowman.

Image credit: Adrià Goula

Located in the city’s Collserola Natural Park, and named the Forest Lab for Observational Research and Analysis (FLORA), the facility seeks to provide researchers a space to live and work in the forest canopy. Among the observatory’s facilities are a bird radio, bird houses, working and projection space, as well as bird watching spaces.

Image credit: Adrià Goula

The observatory’s design process began with students studying the biodiversity of the forest, including identifying various inhabitants from underground, aboveground, canopy, and sky levels. T...

MVRDV and GRAS complete phase one of Project Gomila, a mixed-use district in Mallorca

2022-12-22T14:16:00-05:00

The first phase of a collaborative residential design between MVRDV and GRAS Reynes Arquitectos called Project Gomila has opened in Mallorca, Spain.

Located in the city’s El Terreno district, the project will eventually bequeath 60 new dwellings in plots surrounding the Plaza Gamila that were purchased by the Fluxa Family, owners of the popular Mallorca-based shoe brand Camper, in order to initiate an urban renewal strategy in line with their business philosophy.

Image © Jannes Linders/Courtesy of MVRDV.

“In terms of urbanism, the concept revolves around the diversity of the buildings,” MVRDV's Winy Maas explains the design. “Where some of the designs are more suited to family homes, others are more suited for apartments for singles or couples; where some buildings are fully residential, others bring commercial functions into the mix. This diversity of people and spaces will help bring back El Terreno’s lost vibrancy.”

Image © Daria Scagliola/Courtesy of MVRDV.

Image ©

Phase One’s bu...

Construction begins on Foster + Partners' 'floating' extension to Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

2022-11-22T14:35:00-05:00

Construction has commenced on the Foster + Partners-designed Bilbao Fine Arts Museum in Spain. The firm won the commission to remodel and expand the existing museum in 2019, seeing off competition from five other international teams.

The project sees the expansion and remodeling of the existing 20th-century building, with major moves including the creation of a new public atrium space and art galleries in a “floating pavilion.” Outside, a new pathway will connect the original 1945 building, the 1970s extension, and a new visitors center.

Image credit: Foster + Partners

The design team’s approach revolved around the original 1945 building, which the team sought to make the “primary protagonist” of the complex through restoring its original entrance and internal sequence of spaces. 70 percent of the existing building will be upgraded, which, when combined with the new extension, will increase the museum’s usable area by 50 percent.

Image credit: Foster + Partners

The extension volum...

IAAC team 3D prints a zero-waste housing prototype using local earth

2022-09-12T18:13:00-04:00

Barcelona's Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) and Italian 3D printer manufacturer WASP have created a building they say is the first made entirely of local materials and 3D printing technology in Spain.

Called "TOVA," the project was developed by a team of students and researchers from the 3D Printing Architecture (3DPA) postgraduate program of IAAC. The endeavor was born out of the institution’s ongoing research to find new ways of facing the social and environmental challenges of the future through its various education and research programs. The structure was conceived as a prototype for sustainable housing that could be built anywhere in the world.

Photo by Gregori Civera

TOVA was constructed at the Valldaura Labs facilities on the outskirts of Barcelona and is part of a larger project in collaboration with WASP that envisions a complete house. Together the teams are exploring the future of housing solutions as the threat of a global housing emergency loom...

The Guggenheim Bilbao announces $129 million Basque country expansion

2022-08-02T15:34:00-04:00

The Guggenheim Bilbao’s long-gestating plans to expand to a Spanish natural reserve may finally come to fruition. Earlier this week, officials with the government of the Biscay province, whose capital is Bilbao, revealed that they were planning to put €40 million toward an expansion in Urdaibai, an estuary to the east of Bilbao that has hundreds of plant species and thousands of human residents.

The new expansion will be connected to Frank Gehry’s original museum complex via a tunnel, according to the local outlet El Correo. The Guggenheim has been promoting the idea on and off since 2008 while it forged ahead with its other either failed or repeatedly-delayed (and not to mention politically-tinged) satellite projects under the leadership of outgoing Director Richard Armstrong.

As ARTnews reported, the Bilbao expansion will be an adaptive reuse design split between two former industrial sites in Guernica and Murueta. The total €127 million ($129 million) construction is expected to add at least 900 jobs and 148,000 annual visitors to the local economy in a hopeful repeat of the original expansion's famous effect. In a press statement, Armstrong said it will potentially be the "first important museum of the 21st century" and would not be "an architectural icon but a landscape one."

Adaptive reuse project transforms former Spanish prison into ethereal community center

2022-07-11T16:18:00-04:00

Adaptive reuse continues to be a powerful tool used to save, preserve, and reform older buildings. In Tarragona, Spain, Josep Ferrando Architecture collaborated with Gallego Arquitectura to transform the former Reus prison into the El Roser Social Centre.

In November 2021, Archinect reported the debate circulating in the U.S. around prison reuse. "The movement to design spaces that are actively working to undo some of the social harms caused by mass incarceration is still fairly nascent [...]." This newly-completed project in Tarragona follows a similar sentiment.

The architects explain that the building's rehabilitation and intervention establish "a dialectic between the new more ethereal, light, tectonic elements, and the composition and stereotomic mineral materials of the heavier existing structure."

"The rehabilitation of the building listed as a Cultural Asset of Local Interest and included in the Inventory of Architectural Heritage of Catalonia." Image © Adrià Goula.

The f...

Foster + Partners completes ‘innovative’ retrofit of old Spanish gas plant

2022-06-30T11:43:00-04:00

Foster + Partners has completed work on Ombú, an adaptive reuse project in Madrid, Spain. The scheme, designed for Spanish infrastructure and energy company ACCIONA, sees the retrofit of a 1905 gas plant into an office building.

Over 10,000 square meters (108,000 square feet) of office space are accommodated inside the building, which the firm says “breathes new life into a historic industrial building in Madrid, creating a sustainable exemplar of building reuse and revitalizing the surrounding area.”

Photo: Nigel Young. Image via Foster + Partners

The plant was originally built in 1905 to supply energy to the surrounding area. Having fallen into disuse and with demolition looming, the building was acquired by ACCIONA in 2017 with the goal of repurposing it.

Fosters’ approach to the adaptive reuse project involved retaining the existing load-bearing structure supporting pitched steel trusses as well as the existing building envelope, which the team calculates has conserved ove...

First photos of Odile Decq's just-completed Barcelona debut

2022-06-08T13:39:00-04:00

Odile Decq has just announced the completion of her latest residential tower project called the Antares Barcelona.

Located along the Plaça de Llevant and characterized by a brilliant black, red, and white color scheme and layers of curved terraces, the tower rises 26 floors above Barcelona’s Museo Blau and Blue Flag Mediterranean beaches to hold 88 residential units in what is the French architect’s first-ever Barcelona design.

Image © Fernando Guerra

Each unit was personally designed by Decq and includes a suite of amenities. Per the architect, “This includes a 1,000-square-meter wellness area with a gym, steam rooms & sauna, green wall, indoor pool, yoga cocoon pods, a Sky Terrace with a rooftop infinity pool providing 360° unobstructed views of Barcelona, and a fully landscaped garden and outdoor pavilion.”

Image © Pere Peris

Image © Fernando Guerra

Decq said she set out to design a “truly innovative b...

Barcelona is developing a digital twin within a 19th-century chapel

2022-05-20T11:47:00-04:00

Barcelona has become the latest city to begin construction on a digital twin of itself. Currently in a test phase, the data-driven replica of the city is expected to be operational by 2027, at which point it will be used as an urban planning tool to shape the city’s future development.

The digital twin will be housed within the MareNostrum supercomputer, one of the world’s most powerful data processors, located within the city’s Torre Girona chapel. Originally constructed in the 19th century, the chapel was rebuilt in the 1940s following the Spanish Civil War, and now sits on the campus of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. The chapel has housed the supercomputer since 2005.

The MareNostrum supercomputer. Image courtesy of Barcelona Supercomputing Center

For city officials, the digital twin will offer urbanists, architects, and planners a means of testing urban theories and projects before implementation in order to understand their effects, without physically disrupting th...

IAAC students build advanced prototype greenhouse for food and energy production

2022-03-04T12:00:00-05:00

The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) has unveiled a prototype greenhouse which responds to urban food and energy needs. The Solar Greenhouse was designed and built by a team of students, professionals, and experts from the school’s Masters in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities program, and was constructed in a natural park on the outskirts of Barcelona.

Photo © Adria Goula

The greenhouse has been designed to be replicated in rural and urban areas, and potentially to populate the rooftops of urban buildings. Responding to the European Union’s zero-emission goals for 2050, the project seeks to return food and energy production to cities with a compact structure that uses solar energy, sustainable materials, and advanced urban farming technology.

Photo © Adria Goula

“The aim was to design and build a system that could be replicated in both rural and urban areas,” the team says. “Solar Greenhouse is the result of the investigation and search of new ways...

Ricardo Bofill passes away aged 82

2022-01-14T10:46:00-05:00

The renowned Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill has passed away at the age of 82, as announced by Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura. Among Bofill’s most acclaimed works were the La Muralla Roja (1973), La Fábrica (1975), and the National Theater of Catalonia (1997).

La Muralla Roja by Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura

Born in Barcelona in 1939, Bofill’s architectural training spanned from Barcelona to Geneva. In 1963, he founded Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura, encompassing the fields of architecture, urban planning, and art. The firm was led by Bofill along with his two sons, Ricardo Emilio and Pablo, and was based from the Bofill-designed La Fábrica, a repurposed cement factory.

La Fabrica, Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura Headquarters

RBTA’s early works in the 1960s embraced vernacular details from Catalan architecture, an attention to detail which remained even as the firm’s projects grew in scale in later years. In the 21st century, the scale, complexity and ...

Fran Silvestre Arquitectos presents an open, compact home that streamlines the construction and design process

2021-10-04T16:59:00-04:00

Valencia-based architecture firm Fran Silvestre Arquitectos has completed a compact, open, single-level home in Spain as part of a project that seeks to simplify and streamline the production of good design and construction.

Called NIU, the system integrates all of the necessary phases of constructing a home, from the architectural brief to the interior design, resulting in reduced timeframes, fixed prices, and minimum consumption. According to NIU, the homes are guaranteed to be delivered within three months of the date of purchase.

This featured project is the N70, a one-room, one-bath space, which is the smallest model of the NIU series. It is described by NIU as being “extensive, despite its compact size” and is envisioned as a space ideal for an individual or couple, or for use as a guest house.

Its connection with the landscape allows the home to blur the lines between interior and exterior. The home is divided into day and night-time spaces, which are situated around an op...

Spain grants final approval for Foster + Partners Museo del Prado expansion

2021-09-30T13:42:00-04:00

Following a six-year delay fueled by the Covid-19 crisis and by political and financial tensions reverberating throughout the country, Spain’s council of ministers has awarded Madrid’s Museo Nacional del Prado $42 million to complete a long-anticipated expansion. The country will dole out the funds over a three-year span, allowing the institution to renovate the neighboring Hall of Realms, which it purchased in 2012.

The Foster + Partners-led Museo del Prado expansion was originally announced in 2016 and planned to coincide with the museum’s 200th anniversary three years later. The project, which is being coordinated with the help of Madrid-based Rubio Arquitectura, will focus on the adjacent 17th-century Hall of Realms that was acquired by the museum in 2012, the same year Spain’s unemployment rate reached a plateau of nearly 25%.

The government-approved plan would come in three stages separate from the Ministry of Culture’s annual budget. The expansion will be complete by 2024, according to El Pais.

Barcelona has been announced as the UIA's 2026 World Capital of Architecture

2021-07-29T18:53:00-04:00

Barcelona has been named the 2026 World Capital of Architecture by the International Union of Architects (UIA), joining Rio de Janeiro and Copenhagen on a list of cities to receive the UNESCO-backed distinction.

The Catalan capital beat out Beijing for the next edition of the honor and will now host the UIA’s triennial conference and general assembly following the recent anointment of Copenhagen, which will hold the title in 2023.

Barcelona’s winning bid was titled “One today, one tomorrow” and will explore the city’s relationship to sustainability drives and the future of architecture “with the aim of transferring [to] the whole of the society the importance and value of architecture and urbanism,” according to a COAC statement.

The congress is slated to coincide with the long-awaited completion of the Sagrada Familia in time for the 100th anniversary of the tragic death of its architect An...

The EU's tallest residential building is finally complete after 15 years

2021-07-29T12:30:00-04:00

Following a 15-year construction period marred with setbacks, the approximately 650-foot, M-shaped Intempo skyscraper has been completed in the Spanish resort city of Benidorm.

The 47-story apartment building, consisting of 256 units, is now the tallest residential skyscraper in the European Union and the tallest of any type in Spain outside of Madrid. It is also one of the world’s tallest buildings in a city with fewer than 100,000 residents. Its twin towers also feature Spain’s fastest elevator, which rises at a rate of about 13.8 feet per second, able to reach the top floor in 52 seconds, according to The Guardian. The towers are connected by a prominent cone-shaped structure, which houses the penthouse units.

Image: Doblecaña/Wikipedia

It seems like a miracle that Intempo has been fully realized. Designed by architects Pérez-Guerras and Olcina & Radúan, the design of the building was officially presented in 2006 and work began in 2007. It was originally scheduled for completion i...

Gaudí's Casa Vicens is now available to book on Airbnb for $1

2021-06-25T08:30:00-04:00

Have a quick hand? Looking for a European architectural getaway this summer? You might be able to win a chance to stay at Barcelona’s famous Casa Vicens thanks to a newly-announced initiative from Airbnb.

Hyperallergic is reporting that the mansion, which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005, will be available for a one-in-a-lifetime overnight stay to lucky visitors once booking opens on July 12.

The 136-year-old Neo-Mudéjar building in the city’s Gràcia district was Gaudi’s first private residence and had been converted into a museum following its purchase by an Andorran bank in March of 2014.

A tile fresco during the house's restoration. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons user Ailina.

Guests can enjoy dinner and a private tour of the restored mansion before retiring to the Casa’s opulent first-floor residence and muqarnas-ceilinged smoking room, where a nightcap will be served courtesy of local Michelin star restaurant Hoffman.

The house is considered to be...

Spanish architecture studio DelaVegaCanolasso designs a 'Tini Office' perfect for remote work

2021-03-26T15:27:00-04:00

Remote offices took many forms last year, but the Spanish architecture studio, DelaVegaCanolasso, designed an office that focuses on mobility and flexibility. The "Tini Office" was developed for the 'TiniHome' series in Spain.

The prefabricated, 263.7 square foot (22-square-meter) module provides individuals with a fresh and isolated workspace that "brings them back to nature." Constructed out of recycled OSB wood with a corten steel facade, the minimalist office design can turn your backyard or vacant open space into a ready-to-use remote work area. Aiming to promote a customizable tiny office experience, the TiniHome series promotes sustainability, fast production, and ease. "You can choose that your 'Tinis' are totally self-sufficient, with solar panels + batteries, water tank, and septic tank," shares the Tiny Home series team.

A rugged rehab of an architect’s personal home in Valencia

2020-04-07T18:59:00-04:00

Located in the neighborhood of Ayora in Valencia, Spain, this home was rehabilitated for Jose Costa, the architect who also designed the project. As his own home, the endeavor gave Costa a canvas to explore different creative ideas within the space.

Costa removed all interior coverings, leaving partitions, ceilings, and floors bare, exposing the wooden structure hidden beneath. Built within an older existing structure, the previous window openings allow natural light to wash through the space while preserving the original elevation of the structure.

The double height living-dining room and kitchen space sit adjacent an upper-level loft. Just beneath the loft is the main room, bathroom, and winter room. The upper-level also contains a multipurpose studio space.

The original roof on the structure was raised to provide natural light and ventilation into the home, reaching both the mezzanine and living room. Brick, concrete, steel, and wood are the core materials presented throughout th...

Rice University's Jesús Vassallo's mass timber construction project wins Shepley Bulfinch Award

2019-07-29T13:45:00-04:00

The award grants funding to a faculty member — or team of faculty members — to conduct research that investigates materials or sustainability. Vassallo was selected for the award for his project “Tall Timber.”

Spanish architect, writer, and assistant professor at Rice University Jesús Vassallo was selected as the recipient of the Shepley Bulfinch Award. Founded in 1952, Shepley Bulfinch is an international architecture firm that focuses on sustainable design practices. Vassallo has committed much of his work towards design production and housing revolving around realism in architecture.

A licensed architect in Spain, Vassallo received his masters of architecture at Harvard GSD and his bachelors in architecture from Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid. His most recent project, titled "Tall Timber," focuses on mass timber construction systems for housing developments. Vassallo's research emphasizes the need for carbon reduction and awareness by focusing on mass timber construction as an alternative to steel or concrete systems.

“Anticipating the disruptive potential of...

Gaudi's Sagrada Familia acquires proper permits

2019-06-10T12:58:00-04:00

She told reporters that the council had finally managed to "resolve a historical anomaly in the city -- that an emblematic monument like the Sagrada Familia... didn't have a building permit, that it was being constructed illegally," Agence France-Presse reported.

Despite being under construction for 137 years, Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona, Spain has never had proper building permits. That is, until now.

CNN reports that Barcelona's chief urban planner announced last week that the city council had finally awarded the committee responsible for the cathedral's construction with a building license. In exchange for the license, the group agreed to pay 4.6 million euros to fund additional mitigation measures to address the impact the cathedral's 4.5 million annual visitors have on surrounding areas.

Detail shot of the Sagrada Famila's decorative spires, Image courtesy Wikimedia user Poniol60.

According to the committee, Gaudi applied for a building permit from the local authorities back in 1882, but apparently, he never heard back. That did not, however, stop the architect from starting construction that year, a monumental task that has been going strong for over a century and is due to be completed in 2026.

Detail view...

World's tallest Passive House completed by VArquitectos in Spain

2018-09-05T15:53:00-04:00

The recently completed Bolueta high rise by VArquitectos is now the tallest reaching Passive House building in the world. Located in Bilbao, Spain, the project includes an adjacent 9-story building with 63 apartments dedicated for social housing.

Bolueta by VArquitectos, located in Bilbao, Spain. Image: VArquitectos.

All apartments in the taller, 32-story building have been sold with residents now moving in. Achieving the energy efficient Passive House Standard means Bolueta will consume about 90% less heating energy than an existing building, and about 75% less energy than an average new construction.

Bolueta by VArquitectos, located in Bilbao, Spain. Image: VArquitectos.

Like all Passive House buildings, the design features a high amount of thermal insulation, triple-glazed windows, and an airtight building envelope to take the place of a classic heating system.

Archinect - News

IAAC team expands on first 3D Printed Earth Forest Campus in Barcelona

David Chipperfield on Fundación RIA and regional planning efforts in northern Spain

Real Madrid stadium renovation wrapped up

Lizard tails are effective at producing building collapse prevention strategies, Spanish scientists find

Sagrada Família to be completed in 2026, officials say

A fatal apartment building fire in Valencia, Spain, raises questions on the safety of building materials

Zooco creates ‘Brutalism over the sea’ with Spanish restaurant inside renovated 1970s concrete structure

Sagrada Familia reaches important construction milestone

Peek inside this U-shaped residence on a narrow plot in southern Spain

IAAC team’s mass timber nature observatory floats above a Barcelona forest

MVRDV and GRAS complete phase one of Project Gomila, a mixed-use district in Mallorca

Construction begins on Foster + Partners' 'floating' extension to Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

IAAC team 3D prints a zero-waste housing prototype using local earth

The Guggenheim Bilbao announces $129 million Basque country expansion

Adaptive reuse project transforms former Spanish prison into ethereal community center

Foster + Partners completes ‘innovative’ retrofit of old Spanish gas plant

First photos of Odile Decq's just-completed Barcelona debut

Barcelona is developing a digital twin within a 19th-century chapel

IAAC students build advanced prototype greenhouse for food and energy production

Ricardo Bofill passes away aged 82

Fran Silvestre Arquitectos presents an open, compact home that streamlines the construction and design process

Spain grants final approval for Foster + Partners Museo del Prado expansion

Barcelona has been announced as the UIA's 2026 World Capital of Architecture

The EU's tallest residential building is finally complete after 15 years

Gaudí's Casa Vicens is now available to book on Airbnb for $1

Spanish architecture studio DelaVegaCanolasso designs a 'Tini Office' perfect for remote work

A rugged rehab of an architect’s personal home in Valencia

Rice University's Jesús Vassallo's mass timber construction project wins Shepley Bulfinch Award

Gaudi's Sagrada Familia acquires proper permits

World's tallest Passive House completed by VArquitectos​ in Spain

World's tallest Passive House completed by VArquitectos in Spain