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 Aalto built
summer residence that Alvar and Elissa Aalto 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
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)
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,
R
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,
R
1952. Guggenheim Bilbao
Dear Daniela,
"The best advice I've received is to be yourself.
The best artists do that" (Frank Gehry)
Sincerely,
R
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,
R
1950. Neuer Pavillon im Schlosspark Charlottenburg, Berlin
Dear Sybi,
"First delight, then instruct"
(Karl Friedrich Schinkel)
Warm regards,
R
1949. Meknès, Entrée de la nouvelle poste
Dear Ahmed,
"Let us sit bent but talk straight" (Moroccan Proverb)
Barakallahu feek,
R
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,
R
1947. The Robie House, Chicago
Dear Elisa,
"The mother art is architecture" (Frank Lloyd Wright)
Regards,
R
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.
R
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,
R
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
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.
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
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,
R
1940. Looshaus, Wien, Austria
Dear Josef,
"Cultural development involves the elimination of
ornaments from useful objects"
(Ornament & Crime, Adolf Loos)
Respectfully,
R
R
1939. Seattle Art Museum.
Dear Bob,
"They owe me not a Pritzker Prize but a Pritzker
inclusion ceremony" (Denise Scott Brown)
inclusion ceremony" (Denise Scott Brown)
Respectfully,
R
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,
R
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
1935. Frankfurt a.M. Verwaltungs u. Wirtschats-Gebäude der I.G. Farben-Industrie A.G.
Dear Greta,
"Light, God's eldest daughter, is the principal beauty
in a building" (Hans Poelzig)
Regards,
R
1934. Scottish Parliament Building
Dear Arthur,
"From our recollections of Scotland we find these
images (a row of Scottish boats laying on the ground
upside down) that stick in our minds...The boats
offered by the land. We like these boats not only in
their construction, but also in their delicate presence
in a place. Something about their form floating in the
landscape should be part of our project"
(Enric Miralles)
With gratitude,
R
1933. Potsdam. Einstenturm
Querido abuelo Joaquín,
Un día lluvioso de agosto de 1994 mi amiga
Sybille me llevó en su Kawasaki a visitar el
mítico observatorio astronómico dedicado a
Einstein en Potsdam. Recorrimos los 25 kilómetros
desde Berlín hasta la milenaria y hermosa ciudad de
Potsdam y al llegar empezó a llovernos fuerte.
Bajar el pequeño prado rodeado de hermosos árboles
hasta llegar al edificio bajo la lluvia fue un vivencia
personal que jamás olvidaré.
Un beso,
R
1932. Christo. The Gates. Project for Central Park, NYC
Dear Norman,
"Our work is a scream of freedom" (Christo)
Sincerely,
R
1931. León, España. Edificio de viviendas en Plaza de Santo Domingo.
Querido Rafael,
"El buen arquitecto debe construir edificios eficaces
y bellos" (Javier Carvajal Ferrer)
Saludos,
R
1930. Hagen Delstern, Crematorium
Como decía Behrens ¿es el coraje solo la conciencia
de que los gestos, los viajes, las vidas tienen una forma
intrínseca y deben, de una forma u otra, completarse?
Besos,
R
1929. Il dispensario antitubercolare. Alessandria.
Cristina,
El dispensario antituberculoso en Alessandria que
Ignazio Gardella construyó con sólo 24 años es una
obra maestra indiscutible de arquitectura racionalista.
Besos,
R
1928. The Hill House at Helensburgh
Dear Margaret,
"You must be independent, don't talk so much but
do more, go your own way and let your neighbor
go his" (Charles Rennie Mackintosh)
Regards,
R
1927. Nemausus I, Nîmes
Dear David,
"A good room, for just about everybody, means a big
room. A good apartment, above all else, means a big
apartment" (Jean Nouvel)
Best regards,
R
1926. Lobito (Angola) Aerogare
Querida Cristina,
El aeropuerto de Lobito en Angola es obra del
arquitecto Francisco de Castro Rodrigues que trabajó
en Angola más de 30 años. El edificio es un volumen
casi transparente que se adapta bien al clima del lugar.
Besos,
R
1925. Commerzbank Headquarters. Frankfurt am Main. Germany
Dear Sybi,
"With the Commerzbank Headquarters we combined
an ambitious structural and aesthetic vision with a
quest for natural ecological solutions and the
well-being of the individual. For me, it is in this
synthesis of these themes that the real achievement
lies." (Norman Foster)
R
1924. Forum Barcelona
Dear Carme,
"... a building that is topography" (Herzog & de Meuron)
Sincerely,
R
1923. Vitoria. Iglesia Ntra. Sra. de los Angeles
Querida Olga,
El gran arquitecto Javier Carvajal Ferrer solía incitar
a sus estudiantes a no perseguir imágenes, sino ideas,
porque según él las imágenes pueden ser cambiadas
por terceros pero las ideas permanecen siempre
propias.
Cuídate mucho.
R
1922. Miller House, Columbus, Indiana
Dear Maria,
"I have come to the conviction that once one embarks
on a concept for a building, this concept has to be
exaggerated and overstated and repeated in every
part of its interior so that wherever you are, inside
or outside, the building sings with the same message."
(Eero Saarinen)
Respectfully,
R
1921. Jyväskylä Kasvatusopillinen Korkeakoulu (College of Education)
Dear Anton,
The auditorium or seminar hall located in the main
building of the University of Jyväskylä is also called
Festival Hall as it is used for community assemblies.
The main building is one of the most notable works
of Alvar Aalto's red brick period.
Regards,
R
1920. Velódromo Barcelona
Querida Cristina,
En los jardines aledaños del velódromo de Horta se
encuentra la escultura Poema visual transitable en tres
tiempos: Nacimiento, camino —con pausas y
entonaciones— y destrucción de Joan Brossa, amigo
de Esteve Bonell, uno de los arquitectos del velódromo.
Besos,
R
1919. Colonnade Bridge in Piešťany, Slovakia
Dear Dietrich,
The iconic "glass bridge" in Piešťany is a symbol of the
city and a jewel of Slovakian architectural functionalism.
Sincerely,
R
1918. Kazan Circus, Tatarstan
Dear Piet,
The iconic flying-saucer Kazan Circus built in
1967 is an amazing and pioneering reinforced concrete
conic shell structure with no vertical supports inside.
1967 is an amazing and pioneering reinforced concrete
conic shell structure with no vertical supports inside.
Sincerely,
R
1917. LUMA fabriken, Stockholm, Sweden
Dear Sven,
One of Sweden first functionalist industrial facilities,
the LUMA factory was built in Stockholm in 1930.
Until the factory closure in the 1970s the Luma lamps
were tested in the all glazed top test room that
became a powerful and poetic emblem of the factory.
Best regards,
R
R
1916. Cine Esplanada (Flamingo), Lobito
Dear Nuno,
The former Esplanada Flamingo outdoor cinema in
Lobito, Angola is an impressive modern building well
adapted to the local climate conditions particularly
the night breeze from the sea. Its expressive roof
structure, spanning 16 meters, is formed by V-shaped
reinforced concrete porticoes supported from above
by single cables under tension.
Regards,
R
1915. Pozdrav iz Ljubljane (Greetings from Ljubljana)
Querido Juan,
El edificio del mercado en Liubliana (Eslovenia)
es un magnífico edificio con influencias renacentistas
construido sobre uno de los lados del rio Ljublianica
entre los famosos Puente de los Dragones y Puente
Triple. Este último construido también por el mismo
arquitecto eslovaco Jože Plečnik.
Un abrazo,
R
R
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