732. Comedor de Ruperto de Nola. Edificio Torres Blancas, Madrid

Querido Jose

"Lo más importante que tiene que saber un estudiante
que sale de la escuela es qué es y qué no es arquitectura".
(Francisco Javier Saenz de Oiza)

Un abrazo
R.

731. Luanda. Largo dos Lusiadas

Cristina,

El Mercado do Kinaxixe en Luanda era un soberbio
edificio moderno diseñado por el arquitecto portugues-
angoleño Vasco Vieira da Costa. Este arquitecto, uno
de los precursores del Movimiento Moderno en
Angola, trabajo en el taller de Le Corbusier a mediados
de los años 1940. Kinaxixe era un edificio racional
de gran fuerza expresiva. A mi personalmente me
recuerda a algunas obras de arquitectos brasileños como
Vilanova Artigas, Mendes da Rocha o Reidy.
Lamentablemente despues de años de abandono fue
demolido en 2008.

Besos.
R

730. City of Nairobi. Kenyatta Conference Center

Querido Antonio,

Como tu y como yo el arquitecto de
este fascinante edificio en Nairobi era
extranjero. Karl Henrik Nøstvik era
un arquitecto noruego que con
40 años, en 1965 fue a Kenya a diseñar
y construir este complejo. Luego vinieron
otros edificios gubernamentales que
necesitaban ser construidos despues de
la independencia del pais en 1963.
Como tu y como yo Karl Henrik Nøstvik
se quedo a vivir en el pais y se establecio
en Nairobi como arquitecto.

Un abrazo compañero.
R

729. Yas Marina Hotel, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Dear Anne,

"The search here was inspired by what
one could call the 'art' and poetics of
motor racing, specifically Formula 1,
coupled with the making of a place that
celebrates Abu Dhabi as a cultural and
technological tour de force"
(Asymptote Architecture)

Regards.
R

728. The Night View of 63 Golden Tower

Dear Gunter

In Seoul we went to the world’s tallest art gallery located
on the 59th floor of the 63 City skyscraper. Just some four
floors higher there is also an observation deck known as
’63 Golden Tower’ where we enjoyed an amazing view of
this incredible city.

Best regards.
R

727. Minsk National Library

Dear Raphael,

The new National Library of Belarus resembles an
enormous gem to symbolize the enduring and powerful
worth contained in books as legitimate holders of
knowledge and culture values. The geometric name of
the big glazed shape is Rhombicuboctahedron. That is a
solid analyzed as early as 1509 by Italian mathematician
Luca Pacioli in his book "The Divine Proportione" which
also included illustrations by Leonardo da Vinci.

With best regards.
R

726. Baghdad new architectural facade

Dear Zaha,

"My aim was to create an architecture which at once
acknowledges the place in which it is built, yet sacrifices
nothing to modern technical capability. At the same time
I was concerned to understand analytically the reasoning
behind traditional architectural devices of environmental
control such as courtyards, screen walls, natural
ventilation and reflected light." (Rifat Chadirji)
The Iraqi Federation of Industries Administration Building
is shown in the center of the picture.

Best regards,
R

725. Kaohsiung World University Games Stadium

Dear Kazuko,

"What is important now is not technology, but rather
dialogue with people. Architecture emerges from a
dialogue." (Toyo Ito)

Regards.
R

724. University of Ife. View of the Auditorium

Dear Cesar,

The Oduduwa Hall of the University of Ife in Nigeria
was designed by Israeli architect Arieh Sharon and
local firm AMY Ltd. Sharon studied at the Bauhaus
under Gropius and Meyer and then returned to Israel
where he worked for the Israeli government planning
department. In the mid-1950s he worked in his private
office and designed among other buildings the new
campus of the University of Ife in Nigeria. The hall
is named for legendary Oduduwa who was the founder
and first king of Ife, the ancient Yoruba city.

Regards,
R

723. Tripoli. International Fair Centre

Dear Philip,

The Rashid Karami International Fair in Tripoli was
commissioned to Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer
in 1963, but construction was interrupted by the
Lebanese civil war in 1975 and never completed.
The immense complex remains largely abandoned
and it has become a famous contemporary set of ruins.
This is the perfect example of the kind of abandoned
and dismissed urban areas that Rem Koolhaas named
in his "The Generic City" as "Third Landscape",
ironically in Tripoli, whose name means triple city.

Sincerely,
R

722. Universidad de Panama

Querida Cristi,

"El aprendizaje de la arquitectura es hora de desvelos,
mucho vivir con los ojos pegados a las cosas, sufriendo
la lucha de arrancarle a la vida su verdad pletorica y oculta."
(Ricardo J. Bermudez)

Mil besos.
R

721. Nouvelle-Calédonie. Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center.

Dear Peter,

"The culture of the Pacific is a culture
of lightness and of the ephemeral.
Lightness, or the wind, is much more
durable than the stone." (Renzo Piano)

Regards,
R

720. Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand

Dear Isabella,

Scottish architect Basil Spence built the "Beehive" to house
the executive wing of the New Zealand Parliament buildings
in Wellington. Spence is also famous for having designed the
extraordinary Coventry Cathedral in England.

Best regards.
R

719. Ethiopia, Asmara

Dear Ed,

The fantastic Fiat Tagliero building in Asmara is a 74 years
old gas station in the Italian Futuristic style. The station has
a central tower that houses the cashier desks, a small shop,
an office, and two massive 50 feet long cantilevered canopies
at each side designed to resemble the wings of an airplane.
Undoubtedly this is one of the best modern buildings in all
Africa.

Regards,
R

718. Lycée Français. Madrid

Querida Ines,

Me alegro mucho recibir tu postal del Liceo Frances
de Madrid. Este, como otros tantos liceos y centros
de cultura, fue fruto de la politica de descentralizacion
del ministro y gran intelectual frances André Malraux.
Tu paralelismo entre la colaboracion de arquitectos
franceses y españoles materializada en esta obra tan
expresiva y nuestro proyecto me lleno de optimismo.
Sigo preservando ese optimismo con la ilusion de que
algun dia tambien nosotros podamos materializar
nuestra idea.

Un cordial saludo
R