172. Maubeuge (Nord) L'Eglise


Dear Renzo,

The church of Saint Pierre and Saint Paul
in Maubeuge was finished in 1958 by
architects Andre Lurcat and Henri Laffite
within the framework of the rebuilding of
this french town after the big war. Jean
Lurcat, brother of the architect took part
in the decoration of the church.

Best.
R

171. Pabellon de Japon. Expo 92, Sevilla



Dear Koji,

Tadao Ando designed the Japan Pavilion for the 1992
International Exposition in Seville, Spain. His objective
here was to reinterpret the technology of Japanese wood
architecture by means of contemporary technology.
This building thus embodied tradition and modernity,
technology and culture.

Regards.
R

170. Bundesrepublik Deutschland


Querida Cristi,

En la reconstruccion del mitico Pabellon
de Barcelona el material mas dificil de
obtener fue el famoso "Onix Dore" del
muro central libre.
Se busco primero en Marruecos. Luego
en Argelia se les dijo a los arquitectos que
las canteras que se explotaban en los años
veinte ya no existian. Mas tarde se intento
en Egipto, Israel, Pakistan, Mejico y Brasil.
A la desesperada se volvio a Argelia, y en
un lugar a pocos kilometros de Muskara y
en un frente abandonado de una cantera se
encontro un bloque con la calidad y las
medidas adecuadas. Partiendo de unas
condiciones aparentemente irresolubles, por
problemas de transporte y gestion (habia que
convencer a los que ya no explotaban aquel
yacimiento que cortaran aquel bloque) se
consiguio sin embargo, llevar finalmente el
material en bloque hasta España. El fulgor
deslumbrante de las piezas de colosales
dimensiones en mitad del espacio fue la
manera en que el Pabellon recobro vida
definitivamente.
Una historia casi mitica para un edificio
mitico.

Besos.
R

169. Chicago's Gold Coast


Dear Sabrina,

Came to Chicago and saw this view
from the Lake. To the left 860–880,
to the right 900–910. Of course I mean
Lake Shore Drive, and of course I
mean they were designed by Mies.
Unlike the later 900–910 buildings, the
exterior walls of 860–880 are not true
curtain walls because the windows are
placed within the structural frame
of the building so they do not form a
continuous, separate curtain wall structure.
By contrast, at 900–910 the curtain wall
stands apart from the buildings’ structural
skeleton as a separate continuous element.
Finding the beauty in exposed structural
elements was a hallmark of Mies’
philosophy.

Thanks for your songs.
R

168. Roma. E.U.R. Palazzo dei Congressi


Dear Oscar,

My friend Curzio took me to see the Palazzo dei
Congressi at the EUR. I was surprised with
Libera's ability of giving to this building a singular
style that I could describe as between modernism
and neo-classicism. But I was shocked when I got into
the Salone della Cultura. To get an idea of its impressive
size I can say that this space is a cube measuring 38
meters on each side, a volume which could contain the
entire Pantheon.

Best regards.
R

167. Exposicao Ibirapuera S. Paulo. 4 Centenario, 1954


Mary Kate,

Hoy he estado en el Palacio de la Industria del Conjunto
Ibirapuera en Sao Paulo. Este enorme edificio de mas de
800 pies de largo por 160 de ancho es muy sobrio en el
exterior pero enormemente dinamico en el interior. Estas
rampas entrelazadas me recordaron a una ciudad donde
vivimos: los cruces y las intersecciones de las autopistas
de Los Angeles.
Os echo de menos y os llevo en el corazon a ti y a los
chicos.

Besos
R

166. Breslau, Jahrhunderthalle


Dear Anna,

This reinforced concrete structure was built in Wrocław
in 1913 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of
victory over Napoleon. At the time of construction
it was the largest reinforced concrete structure in
the world. With a large circular central space it seats
6,000 persons. The dome is 23m high and made of
steel and glass. The Jahrhunderthalle became a key
reference for the development of reinforced concrete
structures in the a 20th century.

Best regards.
R

165. Stockholm. Sergel Place with Obelisc



Dear Olof,

Sergels Torg Square in central Stockholm is fantastic!
The Cultural Center by Swedish modernist architect
Peter Celsing was designed like a huge vertical screen
with a glazed elevation facing the Square exposing the
structure of the building from the outside, and interior
details in wood. Through these large glass panes the
long floors exhibit their contents as well. Of course
after a while I went inside to take a better look.

Best regards.
R

164. Fondation Maeght-Saint-Paul, France


Querida Luz,

Hoy he visitado el Museo de Sert para la Fundación 
Maeght en el pueblecito de Saint Paul de Vence. 
La considerable extensión del conjunto es resuelta 
por Sert haciendo uso de la iconografía de pueblo 
Mediterráneo. De ese modo articula sabiamente 
espacios abiertos con naturaleza y arquitectura. 
En la foto, desde el patio Giacometti domina 
"La Mairie" (Ayuntamiento) del "poblado". 
Algunos de los ilustres "fundadores" de este pueblo 
imaginado son Braque, Miró, Chagall, Giacometti, 
Chillida o Palazuelo.

Besos.
R

163. Wien, Haas-Haus am Stephanplatz


Dear Johann,

"The shape of the building doesn't
develop out of the material condition
of its purpose. A building shall not
show its purpose. It is not an
expression of structure and
construction, it is not an enclosure or
refuge. A building is itself. Architecture
is without purpose. What we build will
find its usefulness."
(Hans Hollein 1963)

The Haas House in Vienna, in whose
facade one can see the mirror image of
St. Stephen's Cathedral, was designed
by architect Hans Hollein in 1989. The
building follows the line of ancient fortified
walls around the Roman camp on which
the building stands.

Regards.
R

161. Price Tower. Bartlesville, Oklahoma


Dear Laurita,

This is the building that inspired Saenz
de Oiza to design his "Torres Blancas".
Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower was
his pioneering experiment in the multi-use
skyscraper: a structure whose purpose
was to combine business offices, retail
and apartments. Wright nicknamed the
Price Tower, which was built on the
Oklahoma prairie, "the tree that escaped
the crowded forest." It is the only realized
skyscraper by Wright.

Warm regards.
R

160. Madrid. Avenida de America



Querida Laurita,

Esta postal originalmente escrita por una americana
viviendo en España te la manda ahora un español
viviendo en America. La torre del fondo es el famoso
edificio Torres Blancas, obra cumbre del organicismo
español y uno de los mejores edificios construidos en
Madrid. Curiosamente el proyecto para este edificio
español se inspiro en otro americano: the Price Tower
en Oklahoma obra de Frank Lloyd Wright.

Espero que estes muy bien.
R

159. Fundacio Publica del Pavello Alemany de Barcelona de Mies van der Rohe


Dear Enric,

"Such is the German Pavilion: the architecture of reflections. walls, paving stones and roofs form a prodigious blending of rays of lights which 
criss-cross freely."(Marsa, Marsillach)
"The greatness of this art cannot be expressed 
materially. Rather, it acts in ways which affect us 
even more profoundly" (Peter Behrens)

Best.
R

158. Jardines de Pedregal. Mexico D.F.




Dear Kathy,

In the mid 1940's mexican architect Luis Barragan began
to design El Pedregal. The idea of developing this
residential neighborhood was to promote the harmony
between architecture and landscape. The first structures
built on the site were the Plaza of the Fountains, and a few
typical gardens and houses by Barragán and Max Cetto.

R

157. Amsterdam, Olympisch Stadion



Dear Hans,

The Olympisch Stadion designed by architect Jan Wils
is one of the finest examples of theAmsterdam School
architecture. It was built as the main stadium for the
1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. The Olympic
flame was burned for the first time ever in a tall tower.
Nonetheless, the top bowl is known for local people
as the KLM pilots ashtray.

Regards.
R

156. Firenze. Chiesa di S. Giovanni


Dear Enric,

The Chiesa di San Giovanni or dell'Autostrada del Sole
was built between 1960 and 1963, based on plans by
Giovanni Michelucci. The floorplan follows sinuous curves
creating a feeling of fluid space just like on many of your
drawings. I always saw a strong connection between
Michelucci and Miralles architectures.

Best regards.
R

155. Madrid. Paseo de la Castellana


Querida Ines,

"La tirante superficie vitrea que envuelve el medio interno
acondicionado, se provee de una segunda envuelta o
fachada sensible de un sistema fijo de elementos de
parasol metalicos, que determinan en definitiva este
concepto de situacion de umbral o de anillo de
interrogacion dentro-fuera. La mujer en el umbral de su
casa esta tanto dentro como fuera de la misma"
(F.J. Saenz Oiza hablando sobre el Banco de Bilbao)

Besos.
R

154. Como. Vista da Brunate



Querida Cristi,

La Casa del Fascio de Terragni, vista aqui en el
centro del borde inferior de la foto, es un edificio
concebido como un cubo ideal y aislado. De esa forma
Terragni, que tenia solo 32 años cuando acabo esta su
obra maestra, propone la creacion de una plaza civica
paralela a la del poder religioso presidida por el Duomo.
Ambos edificios no comparten un eje longitudinal comun,
pero se sabe que Terragni quiso construir un segundo
bloque de igual tamaño para posibilitar la simetria de
eje con la catedral.

Mil besos.
R

153. Bremen-Rathaus, Dom und haus der Burgerschaft



Dear Hans,

The "House of Glass" as the Deputies' Assembly Hall
of Bremen is sometimes called, by virtue of its exterior,
is a building designed and built by Wassili Luckhardt in
1959.
The facade reflects the old buildings in the mirror-like
surface of the glass sheathing as a means for converging
and linking the building with the older edifices
surrounding the historic market square.

Best regards.
R

152. Bogota Colombia. Aerofotografia del Centro Internacional


Dear Alvar

One of Rogelio Salmona's key works
is theTorres del Parque housing complex
in Bogota, which has elements in common
with Aalto's towers in Bremen and
Lucerne.
"Good architecture will become ruins.
Bad architecture disappears. I hope the
[Parque] Towers not to be ruins today
but one thousand years from now"
(Rogelio Salmona)

All the best.
R