"Spanish architects Carlos Pereda Iglesias and Óscar Pérez Silanes have completed the offices of a bank that was founded by architects for architects in Pamplona, Spain."
Oh my, and all in spaces that (mostly only) architects would love!
How gorgeous. That stair is drop dead perfect.
I imagine, though, that "bank" in Spain might not mean the same thing as "bank" in USA? Is this more like what we would call a credit union, like different trades have?
In any case, beautiful project. When I first moved to Philly I made sure to open my checking account in the bank in the PSFS Building, so I could enjoy the Howe and Lescaze grand banking hall every two weeks when i went to deposit my check. It was wonderfully unsullied back then, even the perfect amount run down. Now, of course, it's a hotel lobby.
It could be more of a co-op. I couldnt find any info on it - at least in English.
The nice thing about it is that dealing with such a bank as an architect would probably make life easier. As an extension, it could also set up a property trust that shareholders/co-op members could buy into thereby creating some work.
And lets face it, the Spaniards do beautiful work.
Boy, the way Glen Miller played.
Songs that made the Hit Parade. Guys like us, we had it made. Those were the days!
Didn't need no welfare state.
Everybody pulled his weight Gee, our old LaSalle ran great.
Those were the days!
And you knew where you were then!
Girls were girls and men were men. Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again.
People seemed to be content. Fifty dollars paid the rent.
Freaks were in a circus tent.
Those were the days!
Take a little Sunday spin, go to watch the Dodgers win.
Have yourself a dandy day that cost you under a fin.
Hair was short and skirts were long. Kate Smith really sold a song.
I don't know just what went wrong!
Those Were the Days!"
Awww Archie Bunker, don't waste your time thinkin about bad things . . .
this is what the bank's website says (roughly translated in about 30 seconds, so don't hold it against me if I got something wrong):
"The Architects Cooperative Bank, is created by and for the architects to meet their savings and credit needs. The bank was founded in March 1983 on the initiative on the initiative of architecture schools, the Brotherhood and the High Council based on interest expressed at the 1981 Granada Architectural Congress."
"The bank provides cooperative credit [to architects] and provides services to include [architects'] social conditions. The bank provides [architects] with lower than normal fees and interest rates."
It sounds like the Spanish equivalent of a professional cooperative credit union to me. http://www.arquia.es/
February 16th, 2010 at 11:15 am
i do have an account in that bank…
mosr offices are done by well-known spanish architects. the one in madrid has a warm design with timber (with amazing detailing!), the one in bilbao has a design based on translucent glass tubes…
i think they do quite a good job promoting architecture and, on top of everything, it is a very fine bank too.
A bank that promotes architecture? Wow... It's funny, I've often felt that architects needed some better kind of urban *storefront* presence as a kind of marketing for the profession... Make them visible in places where people who have money (like say CBD's) could walk by and drop in... Like maybe if every city had an AIA outlet storefront designed by a local architect... Brand the profession somehow... In a visible location in the city where the average person or shoppers for example could walk in and browse architectural services... But maybe the promotion could actually be tied to another kind of business... something that actually makes some real money but which is branded as architect on it...
I wonder how many architects there are in Spain... I know Italy is pretty much saturated with architecture graduates... Everybody who is doing some other job studied architecture at some point...
wow. I LOVE this idea!: architects as bankers. Bankers know about the value of money. Architects know about the value of design and the quality of life that follows from that. There should be architect-accredited savings and loans. If only architects had more business sense, we'd be bankers -and profitable ones too.
Feb 19, 10 1:41 am ·
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ArchiBanker
I was intrigued by this entry over at dezeen:
"Spanish architects Carlos Pereda Iglesias and Óscar Pérez Silanes have completed the offices of a bank that was founded by architects for architects in Pamplona, Spain."
http://www.dezeen.com/2010/02/16/oficina-caja-de-arquitectos-by-carlos-pereda-iglesias-and-oscar-perez-silanes/
A bank by architects, for architects, designed by architects. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Oh my, and all in spaces that (mostly only) architects would love!
How gorgeous. That stair is drop dead perfect.
I imagine, though, that "bank" in Spain might not mean the same thing as "bank" in USA? Is this more like what we would call a credit union, like different trades have?
In any case, beautiful project. When I first moved to Philly I made sure to open my checking account in the bank in the PSFS Building, so I could enjoy the Howe and Lescaze grand banking hall every two weeks when i went to deposit my check. It was wonderfully unsullied back then, even the perfect amount run down. Now, of course, it's a hotel lobby.
Yeah lb,
It could be more of a co-op. I couldnt find any info on it - at least in English.
The nice thing about it is that dealing with such a bank as an architect would probably make life easier. As an extension, it could also set up a property trust that shareholders/co-op members could buy into thereby creating some work.
And lets face it, the Spaniards do beautiful work.
Boy, the way Glen Miller played.
Songs that made the Hit Parade. Guys like us, we had it made. Those were the days!
Didn't need no welfare state.
Everybody pulled his weight Gee, our old LaSalle ran great.
Those were the days!
And you knew where you were then!
Girls were girls and men were men. Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again.
People seemed to be content. Fifty dollars paid the rent.
Freaks were in a circus tent.
Those were the days!
Take a little Sunday spin, go to watch the Dodgers win.
Have yourself a dandy day that cost you under a fin.
Hair was short and skirts were long. Kate Smith really sold a song.
I don't know just what went wrong!
Those Were the Days!"
Awww Archie Bunker, don't waste your time thinkin about bad things . . .
architects should be running banks since spending other people's money is really what we do best anyhow.
this is what the bank's website says (roughly translated in about 30 seconds, so don't hold it against me if I got something wrong):
"The Architects Cooperative Bank, is created by and for the architects to meet their savings and credit needs. The bank was founded in March 1983 on the initiative on the initiative of architecture schools, the Brotherhood and the High Council based on interest expressed at the 1981 Granada Architectural Congress."
"The bank provides cooperative credit [to architects] and provides services to include [architects'] social conditions. The bank provides [architects] with lower than normal fees and interest rates."
It sounds like the Spanish equivalent of a professional cooperative credit union to me. http://www.arquia.es/
sorry.. meant to write "to improve [architects'] social conditions"
still think that siza's borges & irmao bank is the strongest/most beautiful example of this typology.
kishkash - wait architect's cooperative credit unions are a typology now? Are there more than one? two maybe... interesting
no, but banks are.
sorry if my post sounded pretentious!!!!!
February 16th, 2010 at 11:15 am
i do have an account in that bank…
mosr offices are done by well-known spanish architects. the one in madrid has a warm design with timber (with amazing detailing!), the one in bilbao has a design based on translucent glass tubes…
i think they do quite a good job promoting architecture and, on top of everything, it is a very fine bank too.
A bank that promotes architecture? Wow... It's funny, I've often felt that architects needed some better kind of urban *storefront* presence as a kind of marketing for the profession... Make them visible in places where people who have money (like say CBD's) could walk by and drop in... Like maybe if every city had an AIA outlet storefront designed by a local architect... Brand the profession somehow... In a visible location in the city where the average person or shoppers for example could walk in and browse architectural services... But maybe the promotion could actually be tied to another kind of business... something that actually makes some real money but which is branded as architect on it...
I wonder how many architects there are in Spain... I know Italy is pretty much saturated with architecture graduates... Everybody who is doing some other job studied architecture at some point...
bilbao branch by eduardo arroyo
valladoldid branch by primitivo gonzalez
pamplona branch by carlos pereda iglesias and oscar perez silanes
wow. I LOVE this idea!: architects as bankers. Bankers know about the value of money. Architects know about the value of design and the quality of life that follows from that. There should be architect-accredited savings and loans. If only architects had more business sense, we'd be bankers -and profitable ones too.
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