Postales Inventadas/ Making up Postcards

1981. Turun Teatteri. Katsomo.

Querida Cristina,

Aquí te mando una postal antigua del interior del
teatro de Turku, obra temprana de Aalto. Fijándome

en la inteligencia del diseño y la elegancia de los detalles

recuerdo la anécdota de cuando alguien le preguntó a

Aalto sobre el módulo de construcción que utilizaba

a lo que el maestro le contestó sin pestañear que

el milímetro.

Besos.

1980. Sanatorium 'Zonnestraal'

Dear Rem,

"Las necesidades del hombre son finitas, solamente

son infinitas las espirituales y estas requerirán cada

vez más atención" (Jan Duiker)

Respectfully,

1979. München. Pinakothek. Trepennhaus

Dear Jan H.,

“Hans Döllgast was truly one of the first

creative preservationists that we had in

Germany after the war. Today, most people

have forgotten that he belonged to the very

few by virtue of whose efforts the Leo von

Klenze’s Alte Pinakothek was not demolished

and replaced by something ‘contemporary.’

With his suggestion, he showed how one could

close up a hole torn open by bombs without

replacing everything as if nothing had happened.

His repair work strove to let the building’s scars

remain visible

….It is certain that in the future, Döllgast’s

modesty of built means and his reverence for

history will again become qualities to strive for

– namely when our ideology of perfectionism

has run itself into the ground.”

(Paulhans Peters)

Cheers,

1978. Bilbao. Isozaki Atea

Dear Hans,

"My first experience of architecture was the void of

architecture, then I began to consider how people

might rebuild their homes and cities.”

(Arata Isozaki)

Regards,

1977. Andorra. Santuari de Meritxell

Dear Pablo,

"Monumentality begins with the ritualization of life."

(Ricardo Bofill)

Sincerely,

1976. M/S Museet for Søfart. Maritime Museum of Denmark.

Dear Sara,

"What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty!

In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel,

in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world. The paragon of

animals. And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me."

(William Shakespeare, Hamlet)

Best regards,

1975. Cappella Santa Maria degli Angeli. Monte Tamaro

Dear Jan,

"The first action of architecture is to put a stone on

the ground. This action transforms a condition of

nature into a condition of culture. It's an action

tha becomes holy."

(Mario Botta)

Cheers,

1974. Kobenhavn Politigaarden. Arkitekt Hack Kampmann

Querida Cristina,

El cuartel general de la policía en Copenhague es

normalmente referido como el último gran ejemplo

de arquitectura neoclásica en el norte de Europa.

Su patio circular central de 45 metros de diámetro

está rodeado de 44 grandes columnas de orden

dórico.

Besos,

1973. Chapelle St. Rouin

Dear David,

A vintage postcard of the hermitage of Saint-Rouin

in the Argonne forest still in construction.

Dominican father Rayssiguier, a disciple of Le Corbusier,

was the architect of this little gem, a historic monument

since 1998.

Best regards,

1972. Kobenhavn. Flyve udsigt over Byen

Querida Cristina,

Cuando el cuartel general de la policía en Copenhague

se inauguró en 1924 su estilo neoclásico fue criticado

como anacrónico por aquellos que sentían que el

estilo que debería imponerse era el Funcionalismo,

tan en boga en Alemania y otras partes de Europa

en aquellos tiempos.

Besos,

1971. Barcelona. Panorámica.

Querida Cristina,

En esta interesante postal destacan además de

las conocidas Torres Trade de Coderch y Valls, las

Torres La Caixa de cristal tintado en negro también

de Coderch en colaboración con Frances Mitjans

i Miró. Las Trade se terminaron en 1969 mientras

que las Torre La Caixa se inauguraron 14 años

después en 1983.

Besos,

1970. Breslau. Tauentzienplatz, Wetheim

Dear Beata,

The luxurious and very modern Wertheim Department

Store was opened in 1930 and violently closed by the

National Socialist seven years later.

Happily, the building survived the war aftermath and

after several renovations and extensions it was

finally re-opened in 2009.

Sincerely,

1969. Helsinki. The Taivallahti Church

Dear Tapio,

"The church hall was excavated using a

certain system: first a large pit was made

while leaving a layer of one or two meters

un-excavated. The last few meters were then

excavated very carefully while planning at the

same tie how to accomplish an acoustically

suitable surface as well as some angles and

rough spots for the sake of outer

appearance."(Timo Suomalainen)

Regards,

1968. The Netherlands Pavilion at Expo 2000, Hannover

Dear Felix,

"The architecture of the Pavilion suggests

Dutch open-mindedness whilst referencing

stereotypes associated with the Dutch

landscape: tulips, windmills, and dykes"

(MVRDV)

Sincerely,

1967. The Fagus Shoe Factory. Alfeld-an-der-Leine, Germany

Dear Ludwig,

"A modern building must be true to

itself, logically transparent, and

virginal of lies and trivialities"

(Walter Gropius)

Sincerely,

1966. Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. Austin, Texas

Dear Bruce,

"Was the overbearing mass of travertine called the

Lyndon Baines Johnson Library in Austin, Texas,

finished in 1971, a sly comment on Johnson's imperial

predilections, or the sad result of Mr. Bunshaft's own"

(Paul Goldberger)

Sincerely,

1965. Tampere Kaleva Church

Dear Rem,

"Pietilä´s avant-garde was, and is, more

of a philosophical or spiritual quality than

something merely connected to the

architectural forms" (Kaisa Broner)

Sincerely,

1964. Ostankino TV Tower

Querida María,

"Cuando llegas a la cumbre descubres que

no hay mucha diferencia entre ver las cosas

desde las alturas o desde el fondo del mar"

(Rafael Narbona)

1963. Marco de Canaveses

Querida Cristina,

"Un buen arquitecto trabaja despacio"

(Alvaro Siza Vieira)

Un abrazo,

1962. La Maison de Jean Prouvé

Dear Daniel,

"Never design anything that can not be made"

(Jean Prouvé)

Regards,

1961. Fourth Financial Center, Wichita, Kansas

Dear Natalie,

"Architecture is at the outset functional, but that

function must extend beyond the mundane to

matters of the spirit" (Bruce Graham)

Respectfully,

1960. Bouches-du-Rhone. L'Hôtel du département du 13

Dear David,

"Something ugly in the morning can become

beautiful in the evening"(Will Alsop)

Regards,

1959. Bergeijk, Weverij De Ploeg

Dear Hans,

"The spatial artist creates the environment and

proportions appropriate to our time"

(Gerrit Rietveld)

Cheers,

1958. San Francisco International SFO

Dear William,

"It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on
earth has ever produced the expression, 'As pretty
as an airport" (Douglas Adams)

Regards,
R

1957. Kolumba, Köln

Dear Sybi,

"Designing is a matter of concentration. You go

deep into what you want to do. It's about intensive

research, really" (Peter Zumthor)

(A building I'd love to visit in Köln)
R

1956. Koetalo, Muuratsalo

Dear Kenneth,

The Muuratsalo House near Jyväskylä is a small
summer residence that Alvar and Elissa Aaalto built

for themselves between 1952 and 1954. The main

idea that inspired this project wast the Ancient Roman

Atrium that was reinterpreted by Aalto while using

50 different kinds of bricks on it.

Respectfully,
R

1955. Indiana's Pyramids

Dear Sean,

"On occasion, there is a big gesture, and that's okay,
but I am basically a problem-solving construction guy"
(Kevin Roche)

Best regards,
R

1954. Arvo Pärt Centre

Queridos Patricia y Curro,

"No es tanto -el menos es más- de Mies, sino saber

detenerse a tiempo, quitar lo que está en exceso sin

que se pierda la idea original" (Enrique Sobejano)

Abrazos,

1953. Vuoksenniskan kirkko

Dear Marjatta,

"Distrust all theoretical systems, sustain your contact

with nature, learn from practical experience, always be

prepared for new difficulties" (Alvar Aalto)

Respectfully,

1952. Guggenheim Bilbao

Dear Daniela,

"The best advice I've received is to be yourself.

The best artists do that" (Frank Gehry)

Sincerely,

1951. Helga Howie. 140 Maiden Lane San Francisco, CA

Dear Steeno,

This is the Frank Lloyd Wright's store

I told you about the other day over the

phone. This architect used to say that

freedom is from within when discussing

on architectural design processes. I also

heard this same thought from you

referred to other contexts many

times.

Peace,

1950. Neuer Pavillon im Schlosspark Charlottenburg, Berlin

Dear Sybi,

"First delight, then instruct"

(Karl Friedrich Schinkel)

Warm regards,

1949. Meknès, Entrée de la nouvelle poste

Dear Ahmed,

"Let us sit bent but talk straight" (Moroccan Proverb)

Barakallahu feek,

1948. Arvo Pärdi Keskus

Querida Manolo,

"Los proyectos existen ya, sin saberlo, en nuestra

memoria. Reaparecen sin que seamos conscientes"

(Nieto y Sobejano)

Un abrazo,

1947. The Robie House, Chicago

Dear Elisa,

"The mother art is architecture" (Frank Lloyd Wright)

Regards,

1946. Danmark. Arhus. Radhuset, Aften

Dear Gunnel,

Arne Jacobsen, one of the architects of

the Aarhus Town Hall, was a good friend

and admirer of Swedish architect

Gunnar Asplund from whom he learned

to instill a poetic sense of place in his

architecture.

Best.

1945. Joensuu SOK:n Toimitalo

Dear Saara,

Architect Erkki Huttunen, a major figure of

Scandinavian Functionalism, was the chief architect

of the building department of SOK (Finnish

Cooperative Society) until 1941. This is one of his

building in Joensuu.

Best regards,

1944. Otaniemi, Suomi-Finland

Dear Juhani,

"We should work for simple, good, undecorated
things" (Alvar Aalto)
An aerial view of the Otaniemi Technical

University still under construction.

Best regards,
R

1943. Spanish International Pavilion. St. Louis, Mo

Cristina,

Javier Carvajal recordaba como un día hablando
con Alvar Aalto este le dijo que lo que en realidad
importa es servir y resolver problemas, no servirse
de ellos ni crearlos.

Un abrazo,
R

1942. AGO. Art Gallery of Ontario.

Dear Barry,

"In the world we live in, 90 percent of what gets

built and designed today is pure s." (Frank Gehry)

Best,

1941. Berlin Hansaviertel.

Dear Nora,

"Architecture is invention" (Oscar Niemeyer)

Best regards,

1940. Looshaus, Wien, Austria

Dear Josef,

"Cultural development involves the elimination of
ornaments from useful objects"
(Ornament & Crime, Adolf Loos)

Respectfully,
R

1939. Seattle Art Museum.

Dear Bob,

"They owe me not a Pritzker Prize but a Pritzker
inclusion ceremony" (Denise Scott Brown)

Respectfully,
R

1938. Wanda Metropolitano. Madrid

Dear Manuel,

"Architecture is a very synthetic activity. Many

factors take parts: economic, constructive, social,

visual...the building must be the connecting point

of all of them." (Antonio Ortiz)

Sincerely,

1937. Union Carbide Building. New York

Dear Eero,

"Architecture changed all the time, it has always

changed. It's never been boring"

(Natalie de Blois)

Sincerely,
R

1936. Exposition Universelle de 1900. Le pavillon de la Finlande.

Dear David,

"Art was born as a desire, not as a demand"
(Eliel Saarinen)

Sincerely,
R