September 2008

Memories of an Exhibition

Following the example of the Olympic Games, international exhibitions provide great showcases of architecture. Why is this? Is it because of urban renewal, or is it simply a demonstration that the current architectural scene includes a number of big names? Paris, Brussels, Montreal and others – each has at least one emblematic building that goes far beyond their ephemeral origins. This is often due to popular opinion. Zaragoza has opted for didactics and spectacle, linked to the theme of water. The spectacle cannot be called a responsible construction method. It comes as no surprise that most of the buildings are mere containers. It all looks like a gigantic shopping centre. What will happen to the 25 hectares of the Expo site? Only a few buildings are worthy of the history books. Certainly there are the Ebre bridges, the Third Millennium Bridge by Arenas & Associates, as well as the superb bridge building by the Anglo-Iraqi Zaha Hadid –occasionally disparaged for excessive formalism. And then? The Water Tower (Enrique de Teresa) shaped like a drop of water, the Soft Water Aquarium (Alvaro Planchuela), the biggest in Europe, the Conference Centre (Enrique Soberano and Fuensanta Nieto), the House of Aragon (Olano, Mendo, Navarro and Lassa)? And our particular favourite – the House of Spain, by Francisco Mangado? A worthy representative of its country, this building acts as a reflection on its surroundings (place, climate, summer heat) and on the methods of arriving at an “intelligent” architecture and not a tacked-on “environmental” style, as is so fashionable these days.
Judgement will soon be passed on such architecture. One thing is certain: the city of Zaragoza has benefited from the occasion to transform and boost its infrastructure right even in the heart of the city. And this is an opportunity that, on many occasions, is lacking due to overly hasty planning or short-term thinking.

The Archi-Europe team

Francisco Mangado

One of the emblematic figures of Spanish architecture, Francisco Mangado, has just received worldwide recognition. This accolade comes thanks to the House of Spain at the International Exhibition in Zaragoza, which is set to see between six and seven million visitors in the space of three months...

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'ARCHI-BAU AWARDS' / 'ARCHI-TUBE AWARDS'

Archi-Europe and Archi-Students are proud to announce the launch of 2 new contests for architects and students in architecture.

* For architects, the contest will concern the following specialties:
  - Green Building
  - Facades
  - Interior Design-Architecture

* For students in architecture, the contest will reward the best project in the field of:
  - Green Building