Architects
country:Spain
website: www.lagula.to
Bio
Their works has been recognized at FAD prizes, at the 2nd. European Biennial of Landscape Architecture or at the Lacetania prizes. They have obtained prizes from different architectural competitions, as the first prize in the International Housing Competition VIVA (Vasco-Mayacina intervention).
The research is a constant in the studio, both in Master’s works as teaching some courses in specialized centers in Spain (UPC-Tech, UIC, IAAC, ELISAVA) and in foreign countries (University of East London, Tsinghua University), and some un-productions studio workshops (Inquietudes).
In this moment, Lagula is developing projects of different scale and typology all around Spain, including 15.000 sqm in 102 social housing units or in social housing in Mieres, Asturies, 16.000 sqm of public space in Sant Esteve de Sesrovires and 14.000 sqm of in an underground sports center at Tarragona.
In February of 2009 Lagula Arquitectes obtained the 1st. PRIZE in the competition for a the Museum of La Patum in Berga, Barcelona, a Catalan Festival declared Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005. Now, Lagula is developing the Final Architectural Plan Set.
:: Photo information and credits:
1-3 > Αpartment building in Badalona, Barcelona - Spain
Photo © Adria Goula
4-6 > Stands and pavilion in Betsaida court, La Betsaida, Sant Adria de Bescs, Barcelona - Spain
Photo © Adria Goula
7-9 > Luxurian house in PGA Golf de Catalunya, Caldes de Malavella, Girona - Spain
Photo © Lagula Arquitectes SLP
Most recent people interviewed (View all)
Toal O' Muire
Árpád Ferdinánd
Constantin Xenakis
Isaac A. Meir
Kim Herforth Nielsen
Most recent list of themes (View all)
on Architecture and Theory
on Architecture and Competent Authorities
on Architecture
on Architecture and Sustainability
on Educating Architecture
on Promoting Architecture
on Architecture and Events
on Guiding Architecture
on Architecture and Photography
on Architecture and Politics
on Architecture and Skyscrapers
on Architecture and Art
on Architecture and Travel
My point of view:
on Architecture and Travel
Interview Date: 14-07-2011
What is the importance of architectural tourism?
Mark: We are living in Barcelona which is a city with a lot of tourists, about 4 million, which is a huge number. The main attraction is the city itself, architecture from the past and also from current times. So it is very important, in terms of economics also.
What is the importance of traveling, especially for Architects and humans in general?
Tony: You get some experience from common life. Basically, for human, if you stay always in the same place, your knowledge about the world it’s very concentrated. If you want to have a wider aspect of life, you have to travel.
Mark: There are different kinds of travel. You can travel for business, or you can travel for pleasure. All of them are interesting, but what has not been really focused yet is what happens during the trip. We are involved in some projects on getting this trip an experience itself. It’s not about the starting point or the final point, but it’s also the trip by plane. So this is also an important point to focus on.
What do you think is the added value that architecture creates within a city?
What is the importance of Architectural events (like WAF that is holding us here) worldwide? What are the profits for a city holding this kind of events?
Is the world financial crisis an opportunity for everyone to reconsider the ways that we design and construct the buildings and the urban environment?
Mark: It should be.
Tony: For the first time, the governments or the people don’t pay only for the space but they want to catch on some more things when they pay for a building. It’s an opportunity for the architects to put on their drawings more contents.
Does Architecture as a profession need empowerment? In which ways should this be done?
Mark: Architects have to reinvent ourselves. We’ve been asked to do projects and we do very nice projects, very good projects. We start now to work with other people, to interact with other professions, to be more socially involved. So this is a good thing but we should also focus in the business site and what can we offer to society by reinventing our profession. There are many fields where architects have a global vision. We’ve been taught to learn a bit of everything so this is an important aspect we have that we should push it towards not just providing services but also creating our own businesses around this aspect, around this knowledge of everything. There are few examples of new fields where architects can be working. We are working on the space sector so this is a kind of reinvention of ourselves.
In recent years attention turns to green urban regeneration. Do you think that it is imperative for the city or it’s just a new fashion with economic outcomes and covertly interests?
Tony: In terms that bio-architecture is more expensive than the traditional building, really good constructed, it’s only a fashion. It is impossible when a bio-house in Switzerland costs 3 times than a conventional house in Portugal.
Mark: It shouldn’t be a fashion. Of course, there will always be some kind of imaging like ‘ok, this is bio’. It should bring to completely re-thinking of architecture, but we cannot forget that buildings have to be paid and that we have to explain very well to people who pay for them why we do certain things. The most important: we need to prove that this is really working. So, we have engineering in terms of sustainability in our buildings and we’d like to check afterwards, really, how much of it is working properly. There are some solutions that are very costly but afterwards you don’t get very much from them. Instead of that, there are some simple actions which mainly can bring a big difference. So, sometimes it is a choice. You have to make a choice and to choose what can you do and what you cannot do because the building has to be paid.
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