Madrid, with its cobblestone streets, vibrant parks and classical buildings, is a most delightful city. However, its past reveals tumultuous fights and intense history that, luckily for us, has resulted in positive urban measures and constant architectural renewal. Its interesting past is reflected in the old façades, open public spaces and religious institutions, but also … Continue reading
Winter 1970, Madrid If you love concrete you’ll love this piece, built between 1960-1990. The Spanish cultural heritage building, “Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural” is the most unusual concrete building in Madrid. Building: Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural de España Architects: Fernando Higueras (1930-2008), Rafael Moneo (1937- ), Antonio Miró (1931-2011) Year built: 1960-1990 Location: Calle del … Continue reading
The average building height in downtown Madrid (5-6 stories) may not be as high as in Chicago (30-40 stories) but it is exactly for that reason than any building with more than 4 stories often hide a potentially interesting spot on its top floor. Madrid is full of, sometimes unknown, rooftops so hopefully you’ll discover … Continue reading
Click on images to make them larger. Year: 2013 Location: Madrid (Spain) Camera: Nikon D60 Time: 8.00 am-21.00 pm Motive: Skyline Photography If you want to learn more about Madrid’s Architecture have a look to my Free Architecture Guide of Madrid or click on the map below. If you like skyline photography, check 5 Skyline Photographs of … Continue reading
Madrid is the city where I was born and where I lived for a long time. Its stunning architecture includes Royal Palaces, contemporary architecture and some very impressive Brutalist buildings. Make sure you check the city from its amazing rooftops too. Along with Salamanca, Barcelona and Ibiza, these are the Spanish cities that I’ve mapped so far. … Continue reading
On Saturday 27th of August 2022, Charlie and I tied the knot after being engaged for more than 2 years. What we lived that day – and the week leading to it – were some of the most magical days of our lives. Charlie is English and I am Spanish, so the first question was … Continue reading
We’ve been isolated for over two months now. The lockdown in response to the current Coronavirus crisis in the UK – and in many other areas around the world – is taking its toll on us all, albeit in very different ways. While some are working more than ever, others are struggling to be out … Continue reading
London – always vibrant, beautiful and irresistible – has attracted the crowds since its beginning as a Roman city in AD 43. Almost 2,000 years later, its popularity is still on the rise. ▴ London’s busy riverfront Four years ago I made London my home. Like many immigrants, I came with a dream in a suitcase, … Continue reading
Anyone excited about Spring? Trees are slowly getting ready to bloom, Europe’s cultural agenda is aligning art and film festivals and we are happy to start planning some weekend adventures. In March, April, and especially May, some cities in Europe offer the best options: pleasant weather, manageable crowds, and reasonable rates. With softer temperatures, blooming … Continue reading
What’s the role of religion nowadays? In an increasingly stressful and individualistic world, worship places around the world are doing their best at providing peaceful spaces where a community of people can thrive together, as a group. One might think that such a building typology is declining. On the contrary, investment from several institutions (government, … Continue reading
What if you could only have one main goal on this upcoming year? A goal that could be able to change the way you look at things. Which would it be? Mine was to travel 12 countries in 12 months and I managed to visit 14 beautiful countries, but so much more happened along the way. You must … Continue reading
Websites with full video backgrounds are becoming increasingly popular. Truth is that videos have proved to be strong engaging tools since they are able to effectively transmit a concept. We are not used to videos (yet) and it is visually attractive and easy to understand. One of the key factors of an effective web video is … Continue reading
I remember that while visiting the Capitolio I met a local who sold crafts he made himself. He was born in New York of Puerto Rican parents. They were poor, very poor. When he grew up, he unsuccessfully tried to change the familiar situation but couldn’t get any jobs and started to starve. “No hay … Continue reading
Picture yourself doing some research about Madrid, because you’re about to spend a few days in the Spanish capital. You find this awesome list of cool spots to photograph and can’t wait to see them in person. But then, once you reach these places, there it is… DISAPPOINTMENT Beautiful pictures make people disappointed Has it ever … Continue reading
Happy 2016 everyone! If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen how hectic 2015 has been. It’s been a year of travels, dreams and challenges. As a personal exercise of review and self-meditation, I want to share with you my journey through this past 2015 and my hopes and goals for this exciting 2016 … Continue reading
When we have something precious to keep, we usually find a very precious container. We put it in a safe place and enjoy watching it from time to time. However, some of us end up appreciating the container more than what it contains, right? A museum is a space that conserves a collection of artifacts. Therefore, a museum is a container. Sometime ago, … Continue reading
Today I can proudly say I’m an architect. Very few people will understand what this means, what it implies. Yet, here we are, in the day that everything has finally ended. I am very grateful to my family and friends who supported me till the end, which I though was never going to arrive. I have … Continue reading
Once you visit Spain, you’ll only want to return. Again and again. Let me ask you: Are you aware of all the amazing architecture of this country? Maybe you’re missing some of these amazing buildings. Maybe you’re missing them all. Here is Part II of “50+ Architectural Reasons to Visit Every Province in Spain (1/2)” … Continue reading
If you have a pair of sunglasses and a sketch book, you’ll need nothing else in Spain. In addition to the sunshine and its (amazing) food, Spain is also widely known for its architecture. Influenced by the Romans, the Visigoths and the Muslims among others, Spain has a beautiful mixture of architectural styles that have remained or have … Continue reading
Among all types of infographics, maps are my favourite kind. It’s really fascinating how much information a well-designed map is able to communicate. And this makes subway maps both a challenge and a nightmare to designers. Long before cars became our primary means of transport, the use of interurban transit provided commuters a way of … Continue reading
Despite the use of color in architecture throughout history, modern constructions seem to be a bit skeptical of this design aspect. Contemporary architecture tends to avoid color in general and there are only a few buildings who manage to use tones in the right way. Architects don’t want their buildings to look like a kindergarten … Continue reading
Some time ago I published 5 Skyline Photographs of Chicago and 5 Skyline Photographs of Madrid, now is time for Zürich. If you are trying to get that unique angle of Zürich’s amazing architecture, maybe this compilation was give you some ideas. Guess where these pictures were taken! Click on images to make them larger. Year: 2014 … Continue reading
Some weeks ago I published Selected for a Startup School and now this program is about to finish. Time goes fast. This past month has been very intense, I’ve met a lot of new people, I’ve received severe critics, I’ve been told to have a very expensive hobby as a startup (several times) but I’ve laughed … Continue reading
Is there anything more fascinating than seeing the construction process of a building? If you love architecture, from the initial concept through its construction, you’ll find this collection really beautiful. Check this photographs of great buildings on their construction process. Click on images to make them larger. 1. Rolex Learning Center Architect: SANAA Year: 2010 … Continue reading
Holocaust Memorial, Berlin 2013 One of my biggest passions besides architecture is traveling, as you can see in this blog. One day I decided to start my first architecture map, New York. A while later I did one of the city in which I was currently living: Chicago. Soon after a map of the city … Continue reading
At the beginning of summer I published Top 11 Rooftops of Madrid and it seems rooftops are gaining popularity among Europe. Since there aren’t many skyscrapers yet, any building with more than 10 stories often hide a potentially interesting spot on its top floor. Last week I traveled to Berlin so I was curious and visited the best … Continue reading
If we think about architecture, we think about a composition of light and materials put together in space. Furniture is barely needed since the space itself is the main feature. Sometimes, however, architecture is disguised or there are too many partitions that make it difficult to fully understand the space. Architecture, or naked architecture, should … Continue reading
Picture of JFK Airport, 1964 No matter our destination, our chances of arriving by air are very high – our first impression of a city starts here. For this reason, airports are one of the architect’s greatest challenges. Despite not much change on floor plan dispositions, great variation in section has been made: bigger spans … Continue reading
Terminal 4 at Barajas Airport is one of the places I frequent a lot. Madrid is where I used to live, where my family is and every time I travel I stop in this city to say hi at least (even if it is just for one day). Gate U69 feels like home already (the … Continue reading
Virginia Duran 