I recently published online a project I worked on a few years ago... It was a proposal for a seafront master plan for the city of Barcelona which, despite being located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, it has never really exploited its strategic position and its relationship with the seafront is an issue that remains unresolved.
Feel free to have a look and let me know what you think... All comments will be appreciated, including comments posted by the usual suspects of the Archinect forum (you know who you are!)
This might actually work. Barcelona is really looking into ways of dealing with mass tourism. Building this would seriously lower its appeal to people, well done!
you ruined the name of the neighbourhood by adding an extra t... There are thousands (probably even a couple of million according to the latest polls) of Catalans who are desperately trying to escape from Spain, but I doubt that they will want to join Italy instead... would be
a bit like jumping out of the pan and into the f@%*ing fire, don't you think?
Dec 4, 17 4:10 pm ·
·
JLC-1
no, not close, italy is still much better than spain to be miserable.
Dec 5, 17 10:23 am ·
·
poop876
Apologies for a spelling mistake! Now you should apologize for a shitty design!
Is this a serious inquiry? Looks very underthought. That can't be an actual building proposal...and it's just shoved randomly right up against the beach?
Too many words. Too many existing photos. Not enough proposal imagery.
I knew you wouldn't let me down. I am however slightly disappointed by the standard of the criticism and I suspect that the rise of Donald Trump may have something to do with it. Please try to enrich your comments with sentences that go beyond "this is good/this is bad" in the future. I genuinely believe that it could improve the level of the debate in these forum threads.
I know it's only the internet, and I know most of the people here are probably only having a laugh and skiving from their duties at the office... but still, why not make that extra effort that will set us apart from children in the playground and other beings who have never set foot in an architecture school or read a book on the subject?
Thanks again,
P
Dec 4, 17 9:02 am ·
·
Non Sequitur
I don't have a president so... trump affects me not. If you want better than "this is bad".... try to spend at least more than 10mins on the graphics. All the projects you put up here look the same and have zero consideration for material, scale, proportion...etc... basically all first year stuff. Get an intelligent design package together with compelling diagrams and then maybe you'll peak our interests.
Dec 4, 17 9:40 am ·
·
x-jla
You provide a thoughtless project and demand thoughtful critique.
There have been number of designs in regards to Barceloneta and your proposal is nowhere near to what students have presented before with much more research, studies, diagrams and successful proposals. Being an architect as you are presenting yourself the design should be much more compelling and interesting for us to give you feedback.
Look at work by Xavier Vendrell who is a local architect in Barcelona and that has done quite few successful projects locally.
The EXISTING irregular area of broad concrete expanse (as shown on Google earth) between the buildings and the beach is poor with little shade and interest to the beachgoer or shoppers. That looks like a bank plaza or something else leftover from the 60s. Can't imagine how brutal and hot those pavers get in the summer with little to no shade. Your thinning out of the buildings in the neighborhood proper and adding more concrete is not a wise choice. If a building is beyond make a small park with fountains, trees, and greenery - someplace people will want to go. One function of the close together buildings is to provide shade. Another function of their alignment is to channel onshore and offshore breezes the length of the entire street - something the builders of Charleston, SC, developed as well.
I disagree with your evaluation of the plaza, it does have some trees (not grown up yet) and it is a vital civic space. It is adjacent to city hall and has been the setting for markets, protest concerts. It is probably a decent civic space for all of the various functions it has to accommodate. Once the trees grow in it should be nice.
What are you trying to get out of this, a job, clients? I'm very confused and honestly can't see anyone making a living or finding employment with the projects you are publishing. How loaded you must be.
Dec 4, 17 1:38 pm ·
·
Peripteral Magic
You certainly seem confused. I'd love to help you, mate... but, as I believe I already told you once before, life is too short for me to pay any attention to you. Do not despair though, plenty of other kids in the playground will be willing to play with you.
Dec 4, 17 1:58 pm ·
·
randomised
Ah, okay...trustfund baby it is then. You come here begging for attention with an inferior and subpar "proposal" that shows you don't understand anything about urban design, architecture, graphic design or representation and I am the one who want attention? Haha haha, good luck with your epic fails. Maybe consider a refund from your college or university...
I genuinely want to thank you all for having taken on board my comment. I appreciate the effort some of you have made to improve your writing. I would like to push you that little bit further and ask you to avoid clichés or other formulas which allow you to write/speak without actually saying anything. I am referring of course to the use of words such as "materials", "scale", "proportion", "compelling" which become absolutely meaningless in the absence of context. I think we should make a collective effort to reduce the use of such terms if we don't intend to say anything. I am sure most of you will agree that architects have earned a reputation for talking a lot of bollocks... Not quite sure when that came about, maybe when starchitects started appearing on TV... In any case, I believe that in order to combat this perception we should only speak when we have something meaningful to say and when we do speak we should try to steer clear from these mannerisms. How else do we expect the rest of society to take us seriously?
Please don't let my latest comment dampen the mood. I am really grateful for your contributions. Thanks a lot!
Dec 4, 17 1:50 pm ·
·
Non Sequitur
materials, scale, proportions are never meaningless. The design you proposed lacks originality and offer little considerations for the future inhabitants.
The building of a wall of buildings to close off one axial view of the sea is not good. The existing neighborhood is charming and dense already, how is tearing it down going to make life better. The Plaza (paved area between buildings and the beach) is used and active with vendors farmers markets and other activities. The intervention proposed does not fix or make better the existing conditions.
Maybe consider a site further down the coast near the entrance to the harbor for this kind of project.
Over and OUT
Peter N
Dec 4, 17 1:53 pm ·
·
Peripteral Magic
Thanks for your comments, Peter N. Let me just point out a few things... You might think La Barceloneta is charming, but it has chronic problems which don't seem to have a solution unless one takes drastic measures. The number of aborted projects since Le Corbusier's Macià Plan in the 20's which have targeted this part of the city is a testament to the sheer difficulty of the task. Everyone however (local politicians, residents, Barcelona's architectural intelligentsia) seems to agree on one simple fact: something must be done, ignoring the problem is not an option. As I said before, it might seem like a lovely neighbourhood to the tourist that spends a few hours in the beach and then goes for a paella in the nearest restaurant, but it is insalubrious, it lacks open spaces, traffic is a major problem, accessibility within blocks is nonexistent and the beach is just something that happens to be there. The proposal tries to address these issues whilst acknowledging that there are some positive aspects to this fishing quarter that should be preserved
.
Is this a beach front area full of poor people that the politicians are eager to decamp (Again) for more economically favorable demographics. Is that the chronic problem people are a little too poor. Most of the neighborhood is less than 10 min walk from the subway stop grocery store museums and city hall and the huge beach. It is pedestrian oriented. I don't see what is broken or problematic about it other than it is distinct and different from the broad avenues and grids of the main city and it has no alleys to put dumpsters. Just because it is not convenient for cars does not mean that is is suffering from a lack of transit and mobility. It looks like a nice place to be and it has a thriving night club scene in the summer. If you want a quiet suburban lifestyle then go to the suburbs, leave city life for those who can appreciate it.
Dec 4, 17 3:03 pm ·
·
Peripteral Magic
You're obviously not familiar with what the poor residents have been going through in the last decade. I tried to outline what the problems are but, given that you are reluctant to take my word for it, you can have a look at the following article, published in the local newspaper EL PERIÓDICO DE CATALUNYA.
In the article above, local residents complain about the lack of investment and how "mass tourism" is only the tip of the iceberg. According to them, the neighbourhood desperately needs a revamp at all levels. Their demands are nothing too extravagant... This may be news to you, but it has been going on for ages.
Dec 4, 17 3:43 pm ·
·
Peripteral Magic
By the way, please don't suggest that the neighbourhood is currently pedestrian oriented. You have either never visited the area or you're talking through your arse. (If the former is the case, then a quick tour using Google Earth's street view mode will prove you wrong).
The article you linked is more about the behavior of the tourist who inundate this enclave in the summer. It is a function of the design of the place but I don't think re imagining the neighborhood is going to fix the problems unless you destroy the beach and eliminate the primary draw for people to visit this area. I disagree with your description of the streets as a labyrinth as the majority of the streets form a simple grid. just because buildings do not have elevators does not mean they are obsolete as housing. This area has become a gritty nightclub beach front area an for a liberal city like Barcelona. This kind of neighborhood will exist where young people congregate and the thrills of sex and a night out on the town can be found in one small area. It is probably annoying to residents but it seems that regulations need to be enforced. I agree that parking is a problem, but this neighborhood predates the car and despite this parking shortage it is still attractive to people and it is walk-able if you chose not to limit yourself to the narrow sidewalks. The narrow streets are exactly the kind of traffic calming the New Urbanist in the US are pushing for. If they can get a handle on the night life and the partying that goes on this is probably going to be an OK place to live without any major design interventions.
I can't offer much perspective until I understand more about the project. First and foremost in my line of questioning is:
Are you a city planner, or is this trying to be an architectural response? I ask because you make comments like "don't use cliche words such as proportions, scale, and materials..." but if you did study architecture at school and was at least in the slightest bit changed by your experience, you would have a lot to say about such subject matter. At the same time, your pages seem to focus way more on the existing fabric, overall neighborhood massing, and master planning, all of which seems to suggest you're at an urban planning school.
If this is an urban planning project, you're missing 3 things:
1. data points showing the suggested new demographics and densities provided from your scheme,
2. Some sort of transit system proposal (how do people get around your neighborhood)
3. Finally, a bunch of renderings showing bland/washed out buildings that focus on what in the architectural profession, we call "entourage". That is, the buildings don't matter, but showing that row of crape myrtles 8' from the street curb, showing the benches, fences, and other boundary conditions between the street (your purview) and private property, and showing tons of people occupying the picture like they're having a good time in your new utopia, that's what matters. All this entourage needs to be added to make it look inviting and habitable. Don't worry about whether it is actually habitable, as that's the architect's job later down the road.
I can't find full application entries in my 1/2 second google search, but they're out there. Notice on the link how shots showing people working in urban farms as well as aerials showing "green" liberally added to the urban fabric, seem to be the norm. That's what you're going for.
For more specific direction as to what I'm referring to, take page 6-7, select all the black zoned area, and make that a light green. Then add dark green blobs and circles to denote trees.
(By now, some of you may be gathering my thoughts on the urban planning "profession"... but that's another topic)
In response to your question, I was trained as an architect in Spain, where there is no distinction between city planners and architects, unlike the UK for example... Architectural studies in Spain cover a large range of subjects, including four courses in city planning. The result of such an approach is that fully qualified architects can equally become city planners, "domestic" architects or structural designers, among a myriad of potential careers (whether the economic context offers such opportunities is another matter...).
I get your point regarding the stark nature of my renderings. And I also have to admit that my publication does not define the small scale design of street furniture and other features which are essential when it comes to showing the details of a master plan. The purpose of my proposal was to provide a broad strategy that would address the major problems in the existing fishing quarter.
Finally, I am perfectly happy to have a discussion on the scale, proportions and materials of a given project. In fact my publication gives a detailed explanation of how these parameters have been approached in the proposal. My sole intention was to stress that these terms are often bandied about by people who don't really have much to say due to their lack of theoretical knowledge. In such cases, they become simple catchwords which are deployed to mask one's ignorance or laziness.
Thanks for the links.
Dec 4, 17 3:24 pm ·
·
Non Sequitur
"no difference between city planners and architects" this is obvious in your proposal which is a very bad thing. City planners don't design livable spaces, they spew out legislature and zoning laws. Architects add value to public spaces. The is, honestly, zero value in the spaces and building massing shown in your proposal.
Dec 4, 17 3:50 pm ·
·
Peripteral Magic
I'm beginning to think that it's actually Mr Trump himself who hides behind that pseudonym NON SEQUITUR... it would make perfect sense, when you think about it, given how often he seems to go off on a tangent... Expressions you use such as "it is a very bad thing" or "this is honestly zero value" point me in that direction. If my suspicions are correct, I would like to take this opportunity to beg you not to enter a senseless war with North Korea, I'm sure this whole mess can be fixed through diplomacy. He's just a nutter who likes a bit of banter as much as you do... It would make me much happier if (instead of pursuing these megalomaniac destructive goals) you could hang around here with us, your friends, day in and day out, where despite your childish comments you are, at the end of the day, a harmless and good natured old chap
.
Dec 4, 17 5:17 pm ·
·
Non Sequitur
Nope, not trump. Pay attention to the advice in this thread. It’ll help you immensely.
Gotta love the way the OP opens with a condescending "Dear boys and girls" and then proceeds to excoriate anyone who doesn't care for his proposal.
Word of advice mate, remove your head from your ass before posting here.
Dec 4, 17 7:01 pm ·
·
Peripteral Magic
Don't think those are boobs... Probably neurons judging by his comments. And I have to say he/she is doing pretty well considering... For God's sake, the thing can even read!!! Pity it can't quite understand what it
reads... But practice makes perfect, as they say... Keep it up!
OP, I've been to the area. IMHO this proposal is not well thought out. Visit Alicante...the density, scale, materials, and relation to the beach is very nice. Your proposal reminds me more of Benidorm. You should travel the coast and study the relationships between urban area and beach that work and don't work. Fuck parametric tools for a sec. Use observation and case study Instead. Maybe go back and forth between the two, but this lacks that element that "works". Not sure what it is, and would need to study the subject more to pin point it, but I know it when I see it.
Dec 5, 17 11:13 am ·
·
Peripteral Magic
Thanks for your input. I have travelled the coast. In fact, I've been to Alicante at least twice, and I've been to Benidorm more times than I can remember... But what exactly is your point? What lessons ought to be learned from Alicante? And one last question... you seem to have something against Benidorm... Am I correct? If so, what's wrong with Benidorm?
Dec 5, 17 6:41 pm ·
·
x-jla
It's a scale issue I think. Benidorm has some spots here and there that are ok, but overall it's full of plop down hi-rise with little relation to the beach and street.
Dec 6, 17 4:00 am ·
·
Peripteral Magic
Benidorm is usually mentioned as an architectural aberration, a Frankenstein... but I've always seen it as Spain's version of manhattanism... not all the coastal towns in Spain need to be Cadaqués
Dec 7, 17 5:59 pm ·
·
x-jla
Benidorm is more like Spains version of San Diego imo. San Diego works better however
Dec 8, 17 11:17 am ·
·
x-jla
*because of its decent boardwalk and halfway decent downtown.
The last thing this neighborhood needs is generic modernist high-rise buildings. The buildings in disrepair should be restored and new ones built with long-standing Spanish elements in mind. It would benefit the OP to go to Savannah, GA, and Charleston, SC, and pay attention to the architecture and gardens (public and private) and parks and how they all come together.
Dec 5, 17 11:36 am ·
·
Peripteral Magic
You are probably right, DC... I notice people struggle to see past the details, they struggle to see the big picture.... They demand to have their slick renderings and their diagrams, they refuse to engage with a particular proposal if they don't get their fair share of visual detail and diagrams first. I think this attitude says a lot about the current state of architecture... I am assuming most of the participants here are actual designers or architects who have received formal training... Yet they behave like laymen who are extremely narrow minded. In any case, I accept your criticism, it's definitely my mistake... Cheers!
Dec 5, 17 6:37 pm ·
·
Peripteral Magic
Sorry, Mr. Volunteer... did you say "long-standing Spanish elements in mind"? I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I would like to clarify that this is not Disneyland we're trying to build here... It's not the Sistine Chapel either.... There is an existing neighbourhood which has many positive aspects, all of which have been outlined in my publication, but it is in desperate need of a complete overhaul... The proposal tries to strike a balance between what Le Corbusier would have done (tabula rasa approach, get rid of the whole bloody thing and start anew) and what the don't-touch-a-thing-the-place-is-a-shrine unreasonable fascist hippies would rather do: nothing. I will definitely look into the sites in GA and SC you mentioned. Thanks!
I think it has a lot of good substance and general ideas. Don't let the negativity in this post drag you down, people like you who want to improve the q.o.l. of societies are what designers should be-- so even tho your proposal isn't perfect yet, at least you are better fit to contribute to society than the nay-sayers in this thread.
Dec 6, 17 3:43 am ·
·
randomised
You give that hack waaaay too much credit. It's a horrible, horrible, destructive, pointless and ridiculous proposal and not doing anything would be a far better contribution to society.
Dec 6, 17 2:19 pm ·
·
Peripteral Magic
Thanks for your kind words of support, 4760. I would have to be crazy to let the negative comments bring me down... I believe that threads like these play an important social role: they're an escape valve for people who might feel bitter because they have yet to build anything, or people who didn't really choose a profession they felt passionate about... or maybe people who feel swindled because they thought that being an architect was all about making a lot of money, having lots of sex with hot chicks, and not working much. In that sense, these public spaces (this forum is a public space... right?) offer a place for these unfortunate individuals to vent their anger, here they can redeem themselves and become the person who they failed to become in real life (that annoying lecturer who poked fun at their project at school, for instance...). I don't know, maybe I'm wrong.
.. I'm just speculating wildly here... In any case, thanks for your input.
Dec 6, 17 3:23 pm ·
·
randomised
Stick some more feathers up your own ass, that will help making you a better architect, good for you!
Dec 7, 17 3:37 am ·
·
Peripteral Magic
Don't you have a job to go to? How can you afford to spend so much time in here seeking my attention? You must be terribly lonely, I feel for you. However, as I already told you before... I MUST ignore you. I would suggest you get some professional advice from some kind of psychologist. I can't help you, sorry.
Well, this is not Disneyland either, it is Barceloneta. Why not start here? I did not say "don't touch a thing"; I implied that new construction and materials should be in sympathy with existing Spanish elements in the community - something that several of the modernist buildings that are in or on the fringe of Barceloneta most certainly are not for the most part.
Yes, Volunteer... That is La Barceloneta... But you have been slightly devious in your choice, that is possibly the only street in the entire neighbourhood that is habitable, the only tree-lined street, the only street that has an acceptable ratio of built height:street clear width... For every image like that one, there are at least 20 like the ones below...
I'm sure you will agree that these streets are far from ideal... Clear width between building facades is 6.5 metres, which clearly isn't enough when you have 5 or 6 storeys high... Having said all that, my proposal DOES take account of the existing, it PRESERVES a most of the neighbourhood and the new proposed arrangement tries to establish a DIALOGUE with the preserved fabric. I accept that this might have been done in a formal language that was more sympathetic to the variegated, and colourful preexisting architecture, so I will agree with you on that.
Thanks for the feedback.
Dec 6, 17 3:06 pm ·
·
Non Sequitur
You can't be serious. Now we know you're pulling our leg here. preserves? Nope, Dialogue?, double nope.
Dec 6, 17 3:23 pm ·
·
Peripteral Magic
I welcome your comment, Don Sequitur. However, I'm afraid I can't spend any more time entertaining you. If you really are that desperate to seek my attention, the only thing I can suggest that you change your user name and try to disguise your personality somehow. Maybe try acting like you would if we were in the real world, face to face. Oh, I nearly forgot... maybe you should spend less time in here... go to the library and read some books, go for a walk and get some fresh air. There is a vast and fascinating world waiting for you out there... Go for it, kid!
Those streets for some are just fine, they are clean the buildings are not too tall to block the sun in the mornings as evident in the top photo, the buildings have windows on both sides as the blocks are only slightly wider than the streets. The grid is oriented to provide shading on the late afternoon and sun in the winter morning hours. The fact the streets don't have trees is made up with the numerous parks spaces and the beach front. The fact that it looks crowded and it is old and has some social problems does not justify such a brutish design response. The Mediterranean sun can for many be too hot and uncomfortable to walk or lounge about in, these streets are shaded but not devoid of light or character. Why destroy this cozy tightly packed charming neighborhood. There are many streets like this in Rome with no trees at all that are just wonderful to live in as these buildings are finely tuned passive heating and cooling systems.
Dec 7, 17 10:33 am ·
·
Peripteral Magic
Fair enough, so you are probably against any kind of major intervention in the neighbourhood. I get your point, I wouldn't compare it to Rome, but I agree that it is a charming part of the city, bustling with life. Thanks for your contribution.
If you remove a building to make room for vehicles and pedestrians you can't just pave over the footprint of the removed building. It is unclear what you propose to put in the space.
Something like this?
Then you have to provide better and more desirable housing for the people who were displaced. Putting them in high-rises is not the answer. Also putting high-rises next to the beach only blocks the beach views and sea breezes from the neighborhood residents.
"Don't you have a job to go to? How can you afford to spend so much time in here seeking my attention? You must be terribly lonely, I feel for you. However, as I already told you before... I MUST ignore you. I would suggest you get some professional advice from some kind of psychologist. I can't help you, sorry."
Don't you worry about my jobs, nice you ask, I just had to say no to a potential employer yesterday who was very eager to have me, very. Just started another job this week and finished at another office the week before, I have to turn down jobs on a regular basis. But I have all the time in the world to guide and advice you since I'm working only 4 days a week in the office and am very efficient. My advice to you would be to start at the basics, get some For Dummies books on architecture, urbanism, basically on anything spatial or graphical, head to the library, look up architecture in the kids section and see if that triggers anything. There must be some great reads in this thread where you can start with:
Listen buddy, you need to deflate that ego and start channelling your effort into actually creating a proposal worth a damn instead of fanning those flames.
This isn't your first foray into the forum and I doubt it'll be your last. Yet each and every proposal you brought on to the table show no distinct improvement over the last. Other than the snark, what else would you expect otherwise?
Only browsed through the comments above briefly but your mentioning "don't use cliche words such as proportions, scale, and materials..." really sheds light into your knowledge, or rather the lack of in the discipline. They're only meaningless because your proposal dictated them to be so.
Representation aside, but from the looks of the project on an urban scale, you'll need to work on a deeper understanding spatial dynamics between man and the built form. You can start by asking yourself some of these questions: What are some consequences of your project; how will it impact users all around the neighbourhood; what do you hope to achieve with your proposal? I'll also start by looking up some of Jan Gehl's philosophy.
I take it you're the revered poet around these parts... The spectral entity who materialises to utter a few enigmatic words and then evaporates into thin air. I'm afraid I didn't catch the meaning of your metaphor... I'm quite thick as you will surely have noticed by now. Please forgive my ignorance.
Thanks for your comment. I promise I won’t stick around for long. I get the feeling I may have offended a few people around here and if that’s the case then I would like to offer my sincere apologies. However, I would like to clarify my comments given that some of you seem to have misunderstood their meaning. I accept full responsibility for that… In this fast-paced world, people tend to “browse” through comments instead of actually “reading” them and I should have been aware of that.
I never said that concepts such as scale, materials or proportions are meaningless. I would need to be daft as a brush in order to put out such a statement in the public domain. In fact, if you took the time to read my publication you would probably realise that I have made an attempt to justify how these issues are dealt with in this particular project. I disagree with you if you are suggesting that the scale of the proposed buildings exceeds what is required in such an environment. In fact, if you have a closer look at the proposal you might discover that the proposed blocks merge with the surrounding fabric in terms of scale (5 storey blocks) and transition to high-rise tower blocks as they approach the seafront. So I believe one could argue that the proposal operates at two simultaneous scales: that of the neighbourhood in the spots where both fabrics, existing and new, interact and the city scale at the beachfront, where these residential blocks become landmarks pinpointing the position of the beach from afar. I could similarly write about how the proportions of open space and the materials (which admittedly are only vaguely suggested in my proposal) have been dealt with, but I would hate to bore you, conscious of the fact that comments are only “browsed” and that in this virtual environment they are supposed to be almost telegraphic. If you are really interested, I encourage you to read the publication.
I think this online forum could potentially be a good place for people who have a background in design to discuss their ideas and have a debate. That is one of the reasons for me to post my work. But, as a great architect once said, “not only the designers who submit a proposal shall be judged in a design competition, but also the judges who select the winner”, if you are going to make a comment on a particular project then you have to be prepared to face criticism for your choice of words, especially if you fail to put together a coherent argument. At least that’s how it works in the real world, where I come from. An example of such an attitude would be: “This project is just total rubbish… in terms of scale, materials, proportions… get back to the drawing board!”. I’m genuinely sorry if I misled some of you to believe that this was some kind of charity organisation where your amateurish comments would go unchallenged and you could feed your ego.
I will promise to do my homework and become familiar with the work of Jan Gehl. Thanks for the recommendation.
Dec 7, 17 3:43 pm ·
·
Non Sequitur
You're delusional. So much fluff for so little substance.
Why make a thread asking for feedback if you intend to deflect any feedback you receive? What's your goal here?
You'd be good to adopt a little humility if you ever want to improve.
Dec 7, 17 4:23 pm ·
·
Non Sequitur
This reminds me of way back in the day when I was teaching 1st year design studio. I (and I assume this is rather common) always had a few students who had never received less than A+ their entire lives... turn defensive and close minded at the slightest criticism. Sorry snowflake, you're not as good as you think... in fact, you're below average.
Dec 7, 17 4:33 pm ·
·
Peripteral Magic
Jesuschrist, you're a desperate case... Just listen to yourself reminiscing about the golden days when you were teaching... I find you embarrassing... You've already lost your credibility with me, Donald... stop trying... Maybe you could hook up with that other nutter randomised, I'm sure it could flourish into a very convenient symbiotic relationship: you tell him about how good a teacher you were and how much the pupils admired you, and he can tell you about how sought-after his services as an architect have become.
You don't need me as a middleman...
...and now, please, get back to your ivory tower and stop pestering me!
Dec 7, 17 5:30 pm ·
·
randomised
It seems like you're the kind of 'bad publicity is still publicity' kind of guy...I'd be embarrassed if I were you, I'd take my work offline asap and hire some inexperienced interns to come up with a proper design, be humble and listen, but maybe that's just me. The time you spend defending your "designs" could be better spent designing or learning how to actually design in the first place. And now I have to go back to work, for a bit.
Dec 8, 17 2:17 am ·
·
Non Sequitur
I like that I’m now referred to Jesus. Odd though since I actually exist, but that’s just a minor detail.
"It [ a large plaza] is conceived as a hard standing area, very elements of street furniture and no trees at all that could obstruct the one point perspective view of the beach."
Who amongst us would not want to go to a large area of bare concrete pavers baking in the sun and stare at the sea's horizon for a few hours?
Dec 8, 17 7:48 am ·
·
Non Sequitur
Depends, is there a pub and patio, and also, what’s on tap?
Dec 8, 17 7:52 am ·
·
Volunteer
According to the proposal no pubs, patios, trees, fountains, shade trees, or even street vendors selling beer is implied. Just stand there in the Catalonian noonday summer sun and stare at the horizon.
Dec 8, 17 8:01 am ·
·
Non Sequitur
I guess that's fitting, the Spaniards aren't known for good beer.
Dec 8, 17 8:27 am ·
·
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.
Seafront Master Plan Review Request
Dear boys and girls,
I recently published online a project I worked on a few years ago... It was a proposal for a seafront master plan for the city of Barcelona which, despite being located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, it has never really exploited its strategic position and its relationship with the seafront is an issue that remains unresolved.
https://issuu.com/peadar_mcgra...
Feel free to have a look and let me know what you think... All comments will be appreciated, including comments posted by the usual suspects of the Archinect forum (you know who you are!)
Cheers
This might actually work. Barcelona is really looking into ways of dealing with mass tourism. Building this would seriously lower its appeal to people, well done!
You fucking ruined Barcelonetta
you ruined the name of the neighbourhood by adding an extra t... There are thousands (probably even a couple of million according to the latest polls) of Catalans who are desperately trying to escape from Spain, but I doubt that they will want to join Italy instead... would be a bit like jumping out of the pan and into the f@%*ing fire, don't you think?
no, not close, italy is still much better than spain to be miserable.
Apologies for a spelling mistake! Now you should apologize for a shitty design!
Too many words. Too many existing photos. Not enough proposal imagery.
The design and its urban integration is just as bad as the graphics.
Thanks for the invaluable feedback, guys...
I knew you wouldn't let me down. I am however slightly disappointed by the standard of the criticism and I suspect that the rise of Donald Trump may have something to do with it. Please try to enrich your comments with sentences that go beyond "this is good/this is bad" in the future. I genuinely believe that it could improve the level of the debate in these forum threads.
I know it's only the internet, and I know most of the people here are probably only having a laugh and skiving from their duties at the office... but still, why not make that extra effort that will set us apart from children in the playground and other beings who have never set foot in an architecture school or read a book on the subject?
Thanks again,
P
I don't have a president so... trump affects me not. If you want better than "this is bad".... try to spend at least more than 10mins on the graphics. All the projects you put up here look the same and have zero consideration for material, scale, proportion...etc... basically all first year stuff. Get an intelligent design package together with compelling diagrams and then maybe you'll peak our interests.
You provide a thoughtless project and demand thoughtful critique.
+++ jla-x
OP,
There have been number of designs in regards to Barceloneta and your proposal is nowhere near to what students have presented before with much more research, studies, diagrams and successful proposals. Being an architect as you are presenting yourself the design should be much more compelling and interesting for us to give you feedback.
Look at work by Xavier Vendrell who is a local architect in Barcelona and that has done quite few successful projects locally.
The EXISTING irregular area of broad concrete expanse (as shown on Google earth) between the buildings and the beach is poor with little shade and interest to the beachgoer or shoppers. That looks like a bank plaza or something else leftover from the 60s. Can't imagine how brutal and hot those pavers get in the summer with little to no shade. Your thinning out of the buildings in the neighborhood proper and adding more concrete is not a wise choice. If a building is beyond make a small park with fountains, trees, and greenery - someplace people will want to go. One function of the close together buildings is to provide shade. Another function of their alignment is to channel onshore and offshore breezes the length of the entire street - something the builders of Charleston, SC, developed as well.
I disagree with your evaluation of the plaza, it does have some trees (not grown up yet) and it is a vital civic space. It is adjacent to city hall and has been the setting for markets, protest concerts. It is probably a decent civic space for all of the various functions it has to accommodate. Once the trees grow in it should be nice.
What are you trying to get out of this, a job, clients? I'm very confused and honestly can't see anyone making a living or finding employment with the projects you are publishing. How loaded you must be.
You certainly seem confused. I'd love to help you, mate... but, as I believe I already told you once before, life is too short for me to pay any attention to you. Do not despair though, plenty of other kids in the playground will be willing to play with you.
Ah, okay...trustfund baby it is then. You come here begging for attention with an inferior and subpar "proposal" that shows you don't understand anything about urban design, architecture, graphic design or representation and I am the one who want attention? Haha haha, good luck with your epic fails. Maybe consider a refund from your college or university...
I genuinely want to thank you all for having taken on board my comment. I appreciate the effort some of you have made to improve your writing. I would like to push you that little bit further and ask you to avoid clichés or other formulas which allow you to write/speak without actually saying anything. I am referring of course to the use of words such as "materials", "scale", "proportion", "compelling" which become absolutely meaningless in the absence of context. I think we should make a collective effort to reduce the use of such terms if we don't intend to say anything. I am sure most of you will agree that architects have earned a reputation for talking a lot of bollocks... Not quite sure when that came about, maybe when starchitects started appearing on TV... In any case, I believe that in order to combat this perception we should only speak when we have something meaningful to say and when we do speak we should try to steer clear from these mannerisms. How else do we expect the rest of society to take us seriously?
Please don't let my latest comment dampen the mood. I am really grateful for your contributions. Thanks a lot!
materials, scale, proportions are never meaningless. The design you proposed lacks originality and offer little considerations for the future inhabitants.
I believe the materials are pixels and bullshit.
The building of a wall of buildings to close off one axial view of the sea is not good. The existing neighborhood is charming and dense already, how is tearing it down going to make life better. The Plaza (paved area between buildings and the beach) is used and active with vendors farmers markets and other activities. The intervention proposed does not fix or make better the existing conditions.
Maybe consider a site further down the coast near the entrance to the harbor for this kind of project.
Over and OUT
Peter N
Thanks for your comments, Peter N. Let me just point out a few things... You might think La Barceloneta is charming, but it has chronic problems which don't seem to have a solution unless one takes drastic measures. The number of aborted projects since Le Corbusier's Macià Plan in the 20's which have targeted this part of the city is a testament to the sheer difficulty of the task. Everyone however (local politicians, residents, Barcelona's architectural intelligentsia) seems to agree on one simple fact: something must be done, ignoring the problem is not an option. As I said before, it might seem like a lovely neighbourhood to the tourist that spends a few hours in the beach and then goes for a paella in the nearest restaurant, but it is insalubrious, it lacks open spaces, traffic is a major problem, accessibility within blocks is nonexistent and the beach is just something that happens to be there. The proposal tries to address these issues whilst acknowledging that there are some positive aspects to this fishing quarter that should be preserved .
The Chronic problems are?
Is this a beach front area full of poor people that the politicians are eager to decamp (Again) for more economically favorable demographics. Is that the chronic problem people are a little too poor. Most of the neighborhood is less than 10 min walk from the subway stop grocery store museums and city hall and the huge beach. It is pedestrian oriented. I don't see what is broken or problematic about it other than it is distinct and different from the broad avenues and grids of the main city and it has no alleys to put dumpsters. Just because it is not convenient for cars does not mean that is is suffering from a lack of transit and mobility. It looks like a nice place to be and it has a thriving night club scene in the summer. If you want a quiet suburban lifestyle then go to the suburbs, leave city life for those who can appreciate it.
You're obviously not familiar with what the poor residents have been going through in the last decade. I tried to outline what the problems are but, given that you are reluctant to take my word for it, you can have a look at the following article, published in the local newspaper EL PERIÓDICO DE CATALUNYA.
http://www.elperiodico.com/es/barcelona/20170716/el-verano-calienta-la-barceloneta-donde-vecinos-y-comerciantes-piden-mas-recursos-contra-incivismo-y-presion-turistica-6168206
In the article above, local residents complain about the lack of investment and how "mass tourism" is only the tip of the iceberg. According to them, the neighbourhood desperately needs a revamp at all levels. Their demands are nothing too extravagant... This may be news to you, but it has been going on for ages.
By the way, please don't suggest that the neighbourhood is currently pedestrian oriented. You have either never visited the area or you're talking through your arse. (If the former is the case, then a quick tour using Google Earth's street view mode will prove you wrong).
The article you linked is more about the behavior of the tourist who inundate this enclave in the summer. It is a function of the design of the place but I don't think re imagining the neighborhood is going to fix the problems unless you destroy the beach and eliminate the primary draw for people to visit this area. I disagree with your description of the streets as a labyrinth as the majority of the streets form a simple grid. just because buildings do not have elevators does not mean they are obsolete as housing. This area has become a gritty nightclub beach front area an for a liberal city like Barcelona. This kind of neighborhood will exist where young people congregate and the thrills of sex and a night out on the town can be found in one small area. It is probably annoying to residents but it seems that regulations need to be enforced. I agree that parking is a problem, but this neighborhood predates the car and despite this parking shortage it is still attractive to people and it is walk-able if you chose not to limit yourself to the narrow sidewalks. The narrow streets are exactly the kind of traffic calming the New Urbanist in the US are pushing for. If they can get a handle on the night life and the partying that goes on this is probably going to be an OK place to live without any major design interventions.
I can't offer much perspective until I understand more about the project. First and foremost in my line of questioning is:
Are you a city planner, or is this trying to be an architectural response? I ask because you make comments like "don't use cliche words such as proportions, scale, and materials..." but if you did study architecture at school and was at least in the slightest bit changed by your experience, you would have a lot to say about such subject matter. At the same time, your pages seem to focus way more on the existing fabric, overall neighborhood massing, and master planning, all of which seems to suggest you're at an urban planning school.
If this is an urban planning project, you're missing 3 things:
1. data points showing the suggested new demographics and densities provided from your scheme,
2. Some sort of transit system proposal (how do people get around your neighborhood)
3. Finally, a bunch of renderings showing bland/washed out buildings that focus on what in the architectural profession, we call "entourage". That is, the buildings don't matter, but showing that row of crape myrtles 8' from the street curb, showing the benches, fences, and other boundary conditions between the street (your purview) and private property, and showing tons of people occupying the picture like they're having a good time in your new utopia, that's what matters. All this entourage needs to be added to make it look inviting and habitable. Don't worry about whether it is actually habitable, as that's the architect's job later down the road.
For more reference, check out the ULI competition:
https://americas.uli.org/categ...
I can't find full application entries in my 1/2 second google search, but they're out there. Notice on the link how shots showing people working in urban farms as well as aerials showing "green" liberally added to the urban fabric, seem to be the norm. That's what you're going for.
For more specific direction as to what I'm referring to, take page 6-7, select all the black zoned area, and make that a light green. Then add dark green blobs and circles to denote trees.
(By now, some of you may be gathering my thoughts on the urban planning "profession"... but that's another topic)
Thanks for the feedback, joseffischer...
In response to your question, I was trained as an architect in Spain, where there is no distinction between city planners and architects, unlike the UK for example... Architectural studies in Spain cover a large range of subjects, including four courses in city planning. The result of such an approach is that fully qualified architects can equally become city planners, "domestic" architects or structural designers, among a myriad of potential careers (whether the economic context offers such opportunities is another matter...).
I get your point regarding the stark nature of my renderings. And I also have to admit that my publication does not define the small scale design of street furniture and other features which are essential when it comes to showing the details of a master plan. The purpose of my proposal was to provide a broad strategy that would address the major problems in the existing fishing quarter.
Finally, I am perfectly happy to have a discussion on the scale, proportions and materials of a given project. In fact my publication gives a detailed explanation of how these parameters have been approached in the proposal. My sole intention was to stress that these terms are often bandied about by people who don't really have much to say due to their lack of theoretical knowledge. In such cases, they become simple catchwords which are deployed to mask one's ignorance or laziness.
Thanks for the links.
"no difference between city planners and architects" this is obvious in your proposal which is a very bad thing. City planners don't design livable spaces, they spew out legislature and zoning laws. Architects add value to public spaces. The is, honestly, zero value in the spaces and building massing shown in your proposal.
I'm beginning to think that it's actually Mr Trump himself who hides behind that pseudonym NON SEQUITUR... it would make perfect sense, when you think about it, given how often he seems to go off on a tangent... Expressions you use such as "it is a very bad thing" or "this is honestly zero value" point me in that direction. If my suspicions are correct, I would like to take this opportunity to beg you not to enter a senseless war with North Korea, I'm sure this whole mess can be fixed through diplomacy. He's just a nutter who likes a bit of banter as much as you do... It would make me much happier if (instead of pursuing these megalomaniac destructive goals) you could hang around here with us, your friends, day in and day out, where despite your childish comments you are, at the end of the day, a harmless and good natured old chap .
Nope, not trump. Pay attention to the advice in this thread. It’ll help you immensely.
Gotta love the way the OP opens with a condescending "Dear boys and girls" and then proceeds to excoriate anyone who doesn't care for his proposal.
Word of advice mate, remove your head from your ass before posting here.
Don't think those are boobs... Probably neurons judging by his comments. And I have to say he/she is doing pretty well considering... For God's sake, the thing can even read!!! Pity it can't quite understand what it reads... But practice makes perfect, as they say... Keep it up!
Definitely boobs.
Never noticed, can't unsee, thanks!
Is this that crazy dude from Australia?
And he's so cheerful about it! I'm thinking narcissistic personality disorder.
I'm wondering if he's ever produced anything other than virtual leaflets.
Barcelona deserves a better more nuanced design solution than what is being presented by the OP.
OP, I've been to the area. IMHO this proposal is not well thought out. Visit Alicante...the density, scale, materials, and relation to the beach is very nice. Your proposal reminds me more of Benidorm. You should travel the coast and study the relationships between urban area and beach that work and don't work. Fuck parametric tools for a sec. Use observation and case study Instead. Maybe go back and forth between the two, but this lacks that element that "works". Not sure what it is, and would need to study the subject more to pin point it, but I know it when I see it.
Thanks for your input. I have travelled the coast. In fact, I've been to Alicante at least twice, and I've been to Benidorm more times than I can remember... But what exactly is your point? What lessons ought to be learned from Alicante? And one last question... you seem to have something against Benidorm... Am I correct? If so, what's wrong with Benidorm?
It's a scale issue I think. Benidorm has some spots here and there that are ok, but overall it's full of plop down hi-rise with little relation to the beach and street.
Benidorm is usually mentioned as an architectural aberration, a Frankenstein... but I've always seen it as Spain's version of manhattanism... not all the coastal towns in Spain need to be Cadaqués
Benidorm is more like Spains version of San Diego imo. San Diego works better however
*because of its decent boardwalk and halfway decent downtown.
Manhattanism is way different in every respect.
The last thing this neighborhood needs is generic modernist high-rise buildings. The buildings in disrepair should be restored and new ones built with long-standing Spanish elements in mind. It would benefit the OP to go to Savannah, GA, and Charleston, SC, and pay attention to the architecture and gardens (public and private) and parks and how they all come together.
You are probably right, DC... I notice people struggle to see past the details, they struggle to see the big picture.... They demand to have their slick renderings and their diagrams, they refuse to engage with a particular proposal if they don't get their fair share of visual detail and diagrams first. I think this attitude says a lot about the current state of architecture... I am assuming most of the participants here are actual designers or architects who have received formal training... Yet they behave like laymen who are extremely narrow minded. In any case, I accept your criticism, it's definitely my mistake... Cheers!
Sorry, Mr. Volunteer... did you say "long-standing Spanish elements in mind"? I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I would like to clarify that this is not Disneyland we're trying to build here... It's not the Sistine Chapel either.... There is an existing neighbourhood which has many positive aspects, all of which have been outlined in my publication, but it is in desperate need of a complete overhaul... The proposal tries to strike a balance between what Le Corbusier would have done (tabula rasa approach, get rid of the whole bloody thing and start anew) and what the don't-touch-a-thing-the-place-is-a-shrine unreasonable fascist hippies would rather do: nothing. I will definitely look into the sites in GA and SC you mentioned. Thanks!
You give that hack waaaay too much credit. It's a horrible, horrible, destructive, pointless and ridiculous proposal and not doing anything would be a far better contribution to society.
Thanks for your kind words of support, 4760. I would have to be crazy to let the negative comments bring me down... I believe that threads like these play an important social role: they're an escape valve for people who might feel bitter because they have yet to build anything, or people who didn't really choose a profession they felt passionate about... or maybe people who feel swindled because they thought that being an architect was all about making a lot of money, having lots of sex with hot chicks, and not working much. In that sense, these public spaces (this forum is a public space... right?) offer a place for these unfortunate individuals to vent their anger, here they can redeem themselves and become the person who they failed to become in real life (that annoying lecturer who poked fun at their project at school, for instance...). I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. .. I'm just speculating wildly here... In any case, thanks for your input.
Stick some more feathers up your own ass, that will help making you a better architect, good for you!
Don't you have a job to go to? How can you afford to spend so much time in here seeking my attention? You must be terribly lonely, I feel for you. However, as I already told you before... I MUST ignore you. I would suggest you get some professional advice from some kind of psychologist. I can't help you, sorry.
Well, this is not Disneyland either, it is Barceloneta. Why not start here? I did not say "don't touch a thing"; I implied that new construction and materials should be in sympathy with existing Spanish elements in the community - something that several of the modernist buildings that are in or on the fringe of Barceloneta most certainly are not for the most part.
Yes, Volunteer... That is La Barceloneta... But you have been slightly devious in your choice, that is possibly the only street in the entire neighbourhood that is habitable, the only tree-lined street, the only street that has an acceptable ratio of built height:street clear width... For every image like that one, there are at least 20 like the ones below...
I'm sure you will agree that these streets are far from ideal... Clear width between building facades is 6.5 metres, which clearly isn't enough when you have 5 or 6 storeys high... Having said all that, my proposal DOES take account of the existing, it PRESERVES a most of the neighbourhood and the new proposed arrangement tries to establish a DIALOGUE with the preserved fabric. I accept that this might have been done in a formal language that was more sympathetic to the variegated, and colourful preexisting architecture, so I will agree with you on that.
Thanks for the feedback.
You can't be serious. Now we know you're pulling our leg here. preserves? Nope, Dialogue?, double nope.
I welcome your comment, Don Sequitur. However, I'm afraid I can't spend any more time entertaining you. If you really are that desperate to seek my attention, the only thing I can suggest that you change your user name and try to disguise your personality somehow. Maybe try acting like you would if we were in the real world, face to face. Oh, I nearly forgot... maybe you should spend less time in here... go to the library and read some books, go for a walk and get some fresh air. There is a vast and fascinating world waiting for you out there... Go for it, kid!
Kid? please... I much more prefer Don.
Those streets for some are just fine, they are clean the buildings are not too tall to block the sun in the mornings as evident in the top photo, the buildings have windows on both sides as the blocks are only slightly wider than the streets. The grid is oriented to provide shading on the late afternoon and sun in the winter morning hours. The fact the streets don't have trees is made up with the numerous parks spaces and the beach front. The fact that it looks crowded and it is old and has some social problems does not justify such a brutish design response. The Mediterranean sun can for many be too hot and uncomfortable to walk or lounge about in, these streets are shaded but not devoid of light or character. Why destroy this cozy tightly packed charming neighborhood. There are many streets like this in Rome with no trees at all that are just wonderful to live in as these buildings are finely tuned passive heating and cooling systems.
Fair enough, so you are probably against any kind of major intervention in the neighbourhood. I get your point, I wouldn't compare it to Rome, but I agree that it is a charming part of the city, bustling with life. Thanks for your contribution.
If you remove a building to make room for vehicles and pedestrians you can't just pave over the footprint of the removed building. It is unclear what you propose to put in the space.
Something like this?
Then you have to provide better and more desirable housing for the people who were displaced. Putting them in high-rises is not the answer. Also putting high-rises next to the beach only blocks the beach views and sea breezes from the neighborhood residents.
"Don't you have a job to go to? How can you afford to spend so much time in here seeking my attention? You must be terribly lonely, I feel for you. However, as I already told you before... I MUST ignore you. I would suggest you get some professional advice from some kind of psychologist. I can't help you, sorry."
Don't you worry about my jobs, nice you ask, I just had to say no to a potential employer yesterday who was very eager to have me, very. Just started another job this week and finished at another office the week before, I have to turn down jobs on a regular basis. But I have all the time in the world to guide and advice you since I'm working only 4 days a week in the office and am very efficient. My advice to you would be to start at the basics, get some For Dummies books on architecture, urbanism, basically on anything spatial or graphical, head to the library, look up architecture in the kids section and see if that triggers anything. There must be some great reads in this thread where you can start with:
https://archinect.com/forum/th...
Good luck and enjoy, it's a wonderful field to work in once you know what the hell you're doing.
Brilliant... but the OP is too thick to realize he does not know anything.
Dumpster fire.
This thread is, not just the project.
Listen buddy, you need to deflate that ego and start channelling your effort into actually creating a proposal worth a damn instead of fanning those flames.
This isn't your first foray into the forum and I doubt it'll be your last. Yet each and every proposal you brought on to the table show no distinct improvement over the last. Other than the snark, what else would you expect otherwise?
Only browsed through the comments above briefly but your mentioning "don't use cliche words such as proportions, scale, and materials..." really sheds light into your knowledge, or rather the lack of in the discipline. They're only meaningless because your proposal dictated them to be so.
Representation aside, but from the looks of the project on an urban scale, you'll need to work on a deeper understanding spatial dynamics between man and the built form. You can start by asking yourself some of these questions: What are some consequences of your project; how will it impact users all around the neighbourhood; what do you hope to achieve with your proposal? I'll also start by looking up some of Jan Gehl's philosophy.
Don't say we didn't help you.
He's beyond help. His cup is full to overflowing.
I take it you're the revered poet around these parts... The spectral entity who materialises to utter a few enigmatic words and then evaporates into thin air. I'm afraid I didn't catch the meaning of your metaphor... I'm quite thick as you will surely have noticed by now. Please forgive my ignorance.
Dear architechie,
Thanks for your comment. I promise I won’t stick around for long. I get the feeling I may have offended a few people around here and if that’s the case then I would like to offer my sincere apologies. However, I would like to clarify my comments given that some of you seem to have misunderstood their meaning. I accept full responsibility for that… In this fast-paced world, people tend to “browse” through comments instead of actually “reading” them and I should have been aware of that.
I never said that concepts such as scale, materials or proportions are meaningless. I would need to be daft as a brush in order to put out such a statement in the public domain. In fact, if you took the time to read my publication you would probably realise that I have made an attempt to justify how these issues are dealt with in this particular project. I disagree with you if you are suggesting that the scale of the proposed buildings exceeds what is required in such an environment. In fact, if you have a closer look at the proposal you might discover that the proposed blocks merge with the surrounding fabric in terms of scale (5 storey blocks) and transition to high-rise tower blocks as they approach the seafront. So I believe one could argue that the proposal operates at two simultaneous scales: that of the neighbourhood in the spots where both fabrics, existing and new, interact and the city scale at the beachfront, where these residential blocks become landmarks pinpointing the position of the beach from afar. I could similarly write about how the proportions of open space and the materials (which admittedly are only vaguely suggested in my proposal) have been dealt with, but I would hate to bore you, conscious of the fact that comments are only “browsed” and that in this virtual environment they are supposed to be almost telegraphic. If you are really interested, I encourage you to read the publication.
I think this online forum could potentially be a good place for people who have a background in design to discuss their ideas and have a debate. That is one of the reasons for me to post my work. But, as a great architect once said, “not only the designers who submit a proposal shall be judged in a design competition, but also the judges who select the winner”, if you are going to make a comment on a particular project then you have to be prepared to face criticism for your choice of words, especially if you fail to put together a coherent argument. At least that’s how it works in the real world, where I come from. An example of such an attitude would be: “This project is just total rubbish… in terms of scale, materials, proportions… get back to the drawing board!”. I’m genuinely sorry if I misled some of you to believe that this was some kind of charity organisation where your amateurish comments would go unchallenged and you could feed your ego.
I will promise to do my homework and become familiar with the work of Jan Gehl. Thanks for the recommendation.
You're delusional. So much fluff for so little substance.
Why make a thread asking for feedback if you intend to deflect any feedback you receive? What's your goal here?
You'd be good to adopt a little humility if you ever want to improve.
This reminds me of way back in the day when I was teaching 1st year design studio. I (and I assume this is rather common) always had a few students who had never received less than A+ their entire lives... turn defensive and close minded at the slightest criticism. Sorry snowflake, you're not as good as you think... in fact, you're below average.
Jesuschrist, you're a desperate case... Just listen to yourself reminiscing about the golden days when you were teaching... I find you embarrassing... You've already lost your credibility with me, Donald... stop trying... Maybe you could hook up with that other nutter randomised, I'm sure it could flourish into a very convenient symbiotic relationship: you tell him about how good a teacher you were and how much the pupils admired you, and he can tell you about how sought-after his services as an architect have become. You don't need me as a middleman... ...and now, please, get back to your ivory tower and stop pestering me!
It seems like you're the kind of 'bad publicity is still publicity' kind of guy...I'd be embarrassed if I were you, I'd take my work offline asap and hire some inexperienced interns to come up with a proper design, be humble and listen, but maybe that's just me. The time you spend defending your "designs" could be better spent designing or learning how to actually design in the first place. And now I have to go back to work, for a bit.
I like that I’m now referred to Jesus. Odd though since I actually exist, but that’s just a minor detail.
"It [ a large plaza] is conceived as a hard standing area, very elements of street furniture and no trees at all that could obstruct the one point perspective view of the beach."
Who amongst us would not want to go to a large area of bare concrete pavers baking in the sun and stare at the sea's horizon for a few hours?
Depends, is there a pub and patio, and also, what’s on tap?
According to the proposal no pubs, patios, trees, fountains, shade trees, or even street vendors selling beer is implied. Just stand there in the Catalonian noonday summer sun and stare at the horizon.
I guess that's fitting, the Spaniards aren't known for good beer.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.