So, my project for the second semester is asking for a new library in Reus, a quaint satellite town an hour or so south of Barcelona where, as it turns out, Gaudi was born. My initial reaction was then how to approach such a project. In an age where the humble book is a slow and cumbersome way of gathering information, are libraries actually needed anymore?

In some respect the traditional idea of a library may be thought of as becoming extinct, however a fresh new batch of libraries seem to be springing up all over the place. More so then ever, towns or cities seem to crave the presence of a place that acts as a cultural point of reference and in that way maybe the idea of a library has changed? They are no longer thought of as a place of quiet concentration where books are the overriding theme but are now places where people go not to just to read. They go to meet others, listen to music, read the papers and have a coffee. So has the conventional idea of the library changed? Do they now act more as points of social interaction rather then a place to research? Your thoughts please!!

Well 2006 is upon us and I think I might take advantage of this time off to write a very long overdue entry to my blog. As I haven't written for a while I'll start with a quick reminder for those who are not aware of what I'm up to. I'm currently undertaking a year abroad, my final year, studying at ETSAB in Barcelona. I started the semester a little concerned about the way in which they teach here but as the semester draws to a close I must admit although the styles of teaching here are somewhat traditional, I feel I have benefited enormously from what is essentially a style of education that is taken more from the point of view of the architect as engineer rather than architect as ”˜thinker'.

After two years working in London, I started my Diploma at LondonMet craving for a student project where I could design a ”˜building' that not only dealt with the theoretical challenges of urban/landscape design but also allowed us to hone our understanding of the ways in which materials go together. For me I have always been sceptical about approaches taken by certain schools that teach ”˜architecture' purely for the purpose of intellectual exercise and graphical wizardry rather than educating the common language of wood, concrete and glass. Is it a cultural problem? In Britain today it is almost unheard of for an architect under the age of thirty-five to be working on his or her own. Is that because it takes that long to gather enough consultants and clients to sustain a small practice, or is it because during our five years of university we are not taught how to actually build! Consequently no newly graduated student would have the necessary skills to begin his or her own practice let alone have the contacts to do so. And so we rely purely on our time in practice to gain experience that would prepare us to go it alone.

It seems in Spain they are more interested in training architects that understand how the profession works both from a design point of view as well as a business one. As a result there are far younger architects working independently here, well at least in Barcelona. For some I'm sure they will find it very difficult as working in Spain is tough at the best of times, financially speaking. However on the whole, the young architect here has more of the mentality of ”˜why not?' rather than ”˜I need more experience first'. The latter being quintessentially British!

So it is this that I would like to open up to you guys! I know it's a common question but it's something that divides students and tutors alike. Why do we bother with University? Shouldn't we just get out there and do it!?

Ok, well let me first thank my friend Chris Daniel at the Bartlett. He's seems to be very excited that I'm doing this archinect thing, mostly as it seems so he can see my photography! Well I hope not to disappoint! Let me also say that for someone who takes pictures of absolutely everything, including patches of grass and other tundra, Mr Daniel does actually produce some very interesting photos himself. So it would be nice to see more of his work splattered across our screens....venga Christopher!!

So, I think for this entry I will write a little about my first few experiences here at ETSAB. I think I'll save the particulars of my project until the next addition when I have some more work. That way I won't have to write so much.....he says!

I have chosen two modules, one is a construction module for which I have to detail a project that I designed whilst studying in Newcastle. I touched on this briefly in my last entry.

For my design module, I originally wanted to go into the unit run by the long serving architectural matador Carlos Ferrater. A wonderful architect who claims to have perfected the art of creating white concrete and after taking a quick peak at his Palau de Congressos next door to our school, he seems to be close! Anyway, I went to his introductory lecture, or at least spent most of it with a face full of door jam! There were so many people there that they couldn't all fit in the room. As a result I chose a smaller unit where I knew I would be safe in the knowledge that twice weekly crits wouldn't be spent with face in joinery! Consequently I am now with fifteen other students, as opposed to roughly seventy in Ferrater's. Also, the majority of those fifteen are fellow ERASMUS students, amongst whom we have German, Danish, Swedish, Slovenian, Finnish, Portuguese, Irish, Dutch and of course one Englishman, me! I am the only limey here, in a school of 3000 students! The studio is led by Jaume Bach. An architect who seems to have a fair amount of critical acclaim here in espagna and deservedly so!

http://arquitectes.coac.net/bacharquitectes/

I'll let you decide on what you think of his work. He is also, more importantly, a great guy who is fairly sympathetic to those students whose Spanish hasn't quite reached ”˜el croquis' level just yet.


As this ”˜blog' is a personal diary of my experiences in architectural education then as I am abroad, it seems fitting to include some things that I miss and don't miss about our lovely island! Some may be related to architecture and some not. So this week:

I Miss:

1. 10a scalpel blades.
2. John Peel.
3. UHU that isn't yellow.

I don't miss:

1. The Northern Line.
2. Photomount at £15 a pop.
3. Dejan Sudjic.


Before I sign off, let me give a big hello to all you Harvard GSD students in the Caruso St. John unit, especially my old friend Ollie Cooke. Keep going with that tracery people!

A couple of pics to keep chris happy....


ETSAB Entrance


Torre Agbar - Jean Nouvel


Torre Agbar - Jean Nouvel


nyc 03

ok....as requested.

nyc 04

Well I've started my first semester here in Barcelona. As expected my first week was a pretty confusing experience! All notices were in Catalan and all the other students looked very busy whilst I spent the week walking around with a very obvious expression of ¿Que? engraved on my face! To my rescue was Miguel; the student/international relations officer/hero. He explained all the procedures about what subjects I could choose where to do it!

The university here is huge! There are 3000 architecture students alone and the set up is very much like being back at school. There are classrooms with blackboards! Teachers stand at the front and hammer out three hour lectures about the luminosity of a light bulb to a room full of 50 mulleted Catalans! A slightly different approach to what I ”˜m used to. Last year I was studying at London Metropolitan University and most of our time was spent discussing the correct proportions for mixing plaster. Fun as it was, it seems very far removed from what the Spanish define as architecture. In England education is far vaguer. At times it is not ”˜architecture' per say but more of a vehicle for a series of intellectual exercises. Important this may be, but here they teach architecture and that's it! There are some more conceptual modules to choose from, including one that involves a semester of drawing faces, fantastic! However the obligatory subjects are driven towards teaching students the fundamentals of how glass meets wood meets metal.

So I am set for a year of detailing and I'm very pleased about that. It is not going to be easy though. The level of construction here is very high with little margin for error. But I will definitely learn a lot. All in all, it's good to be here!