Almost two years ago I visited Bucharest for the first time and the more I walked its decadent streets, the more I liked it. The honesty of this city is brutal as the contrast is perceptible in every single area. You will find old and new, poor and rich and captivating and ill-flavored coexisting so … Continue reading
Smooth, hard and durable wood adds a warm touch to these constructions around the globe. An interesting topic that I wanted to bring up to discussion was the materials we use to build our designs. You may have noticed how popular concrete has become in recent years. Despite being an environmentally friendly material, the industrial extraction of … Continue reading
London is one of the most vibrant cities in the world, if not the most. Every corner hides a story to be discovered. Every new building is a challenge for a city which has evolved organically. And there’s so much history embedded within its walls that the fun facts are uncountable. With so much going … Continue reading
If you are planning a trip to Northern Africa soon, you may consider Tunisia as a potential candidate. No matter if you are a fan of Star Wars or simply enjoy architecture, these locations are worth a visit. As an architect, I am fascinated by how these constructions previously existed and were accommodated in the … Continue reading
Among the many reasons you could choose to visit Vienna tomorrow, its architecture should be on top of the list. With a rich past and truly remarkable legacy, it comes as no surprise the variety of buildings one can find in the Austrian capital. Brand new buildings compete with decadent structures which get more beautiful … Continue reading
If your plan is to eventually travel the world, this article will inspire you on your 2017 trips. The good thing about being open to visit every country in the world is that you can choose the best moment to make your visit. Obviously, traveling can be very expensive. However, if you plan your destinations … 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
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
In vino veritas – in wine there is truth – says the Latin proverb. If you love wine and architecture, this post is for you. Wine is produced under very strict conditions, therefore, wineries are challenging pieces of architecture. Factors such as light and temperature are key to the fermentation, aging and bottle maturation processes. … Continue reading
Are you planning to visit Marrakech soon? If you love architecture, this article is for you. Marrakech is one of the most beautiful cities in the Arab world. Its architecture legacy goes beyong centuries of history and cultural evolution. However, finding the city’s top gems can be a bit tricky, since they won’t be exactly on … Continue reading
Updated 2019 Paris, the city that was born on the banks of the Seine, grew from being a small island – Île de la Cité – to the vast metropolis that nowadays extends beyond Ménilmontant, the vingtième arrondisement. The French capital has so much to offer. Centuries of history have left behind meaningful structures which also have … Continue reading
First of all, a big thank you to Randy Deutsch’s article for inspiring me to write this post. Most of the credit goes to him. Is there any future in Architecture? This soul-destroying question comes as no surprise. Whether you are an architect yourself or a relative of yours is, you’ll agree that the future of architecture may … 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
Experts predict that climate change will cause sea levels to rise 3 ft (0.9m) or more by 2100, putting hundreds of low-lying cities at risk of massive and permanent flooding. More and more frequently architecture is adapting to nature in order to overcome the upcoming climate conditions. Some weeks ago I published an article about … 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
Miami is the kind of city not many people visit for its architecture, unless you aren’t the average traveler. In that case you’ll be amazed by its colorful Art Deco buildings from the very first minute you step on Ocean Drive. This kind of architecture reminds us of better times in Cuba, when ladies wore … 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
A few days ago, while updating the The Free Architecture Guide of Rome, something drew my attention, there were barely no new buildings after the 1960s. So I went through every single building of the map to check my suspicion and that was it, no major constructions in nearly 40 years! I wondered if it had to … Continue reading
Let’s face the truth: Chicago is the best city in the world but not in winter. The temperature is about 4ºF (-16ºC) and believe me, you don’t want to be outside. However, during snowy days, chances of taking the best skyline pictures increase. So get ready, take your camera and discover some of Chicago’s best … 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
Mies van der Rohe Teaching at Crown Hall, Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago) Did you go to college? Then you surely have an opinion about how the building influenced your studies. According to “Webometrics Ranking of World Universities“, there are around 21,000 universities in the world. And many more are currently under construction. This may reflect something … Continue reading
Sometimes we try to find inspiration in big art/architecture magazines while there are many unknown artists publishing their amazing work online. It’s been nearly a year since I started blogging with WordPress and during this time I came accross many outstanding blogs. This is a selection of WordPress sites that I find amazing in all … 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
“In a good bookroom you feel in some mysterious way that you are absorbing the wisdom contained in all the books through your skin, without even opening them.” ― Mark Twain We have always imagined good libraries as very quiet places but the truth is that there is much more behind this kind of space … 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
The facade is the front-facing outer surface of a building and therefore the first abstract representation of its architecture. It is designed as a creative element that reinforces or disrupts its neighbourhood identity. Automatic interpretation of buildings and, particularly, their facades is inevitable and this is why this outer surface is of great importance to … Continue reading
We live in a globally connected world. We are able to communicate from one side of the planet to the other, with ease. We share information with no limits. Our travel connects cities and countries and even continents. But how does this connected society impact architecture? Well, It’s impossible not to think about bridges. Bridges … Continue reading
Religion has a very powerful influence in economics and politics, and therefore in architecture as well. But if we overlook that for a second and think about religion in a spiritual way, in a way of finding inner peace, being happy with oneself and with our society, then we start understanding the role of religious … Continue reading
Virginia Duran 