128. Hamburg Chile-Haus

Dear Jan,

Here's a building I'm sure you will be very familiar with:
The Chile-Haus. A ten-story office building that was
designed by the architect Fritz Höger and built between
1922 and 1924. It is considered to be a masterpiece of
German clinker expressionism. The typical dark-red to
violet fired "clinker" bricks that are characteristic of brick
expressionist style, and connected to the reinforced
concrete core as the load bearing structure.

Warm regards.
R

127. Terminal 4. Aeropuerto de Barajas, Madrid

Hola mami,

Rafa y yo hemos llegado a Madrid y todo ha ido bien.
En unas pocas horas estamos en Sevilla. Ya os
echamos de menos a ti y a Luisito.

Mil besos de Rafa y mios.
R

126. Vila de Conde, Edificio de Alvaro Siza Vieira

Dear Joel,

Alvaro Siza's Banco Borges & Irmao in Vila do Conde
(Portugal) is notable for its vertical identity and its dramatic rotational character, with all the interior floors visually related as in Le Corbusier's Carthage villa.

Hope you are doing well.
R

125. The New Hong Kong Bank Building

Dear Carme,

The current HSBC building was designed
by Norman Foster and engineers of Arup.
The main characteristic of this building is
its absence of internal supporting structure
and that natural sunlight is the major source
of lighting inside the building. It is one of
the most expensive buildings in the world,
costing nearly US $1 billion.

Regards.
R

124. Ricola-Europa SA Production and Storage building, Mulhouse-Brunnstatt, France

Dear Eliel,

The translucent printed panels on this storage building,
recall textiles, like the inner padding of a box. Besides
the building form recalls a cardboard box with open flaps.
When daylight diminishes the printing is barely visible
from outside and the opposite when it is dark outside.

Regards.
R

123. Caracas Monumental. Liceo Fermin Toro

Querido Juan,

Cipriano Dominguez, arquitecto venezolano de este
fantastico edificio caraqueño dijo una vez:
"El movimiento, el desarrollo, la alegría del vivir,
el mecanismo mismo de la vida son mi pasión...
Hago los planos de una ciudad contemporánea"
Para mi esta frase es la sintesis perfecta del espiritu
nuevo de la arquitectura moderna.

Besos.
R

122. Capri. Punta Massullo

Dear Juan,

"Too much sky, and too much sea for one man alone;
and alas, not enough earth! Yet I already feel that I
love this poor island, as a sailor loves his drifting ship,
dismantled by the storm. Perhaps I also am but a
shipwrecked sailor, clinging to an overturned keel, a
piece of driftwood, a shelf of rock. From the castle
terrace, I survey the sea...I look over the sea and I
feel that I am contemplating from the height of a tower
the piazza of a provincial town, an admirable scene for
the comedy of which Ulysses is the hero."
(Curzio Malaparte)
Juan, "Seek and ye shall find", but loved your improvised
card anyway. Thanks a lot.

Love and warmth.
R

121. Het Nationale Park, De Hoge Veluwe, Jachtslot St. Hubertus

Dear Oscar,

The Hendrik Petrus Berlage's St. Hubertus casino in
Otterlo was designed based on this socialist principle:
Opennes and frankness in the structure equals open
expression to the urban public of the building's
community functions.

Regards.
R

120. Bergen, De Drie Landhizen, Park Meerwijk

Dear Francesco,

This trio of adjacent houses under one roof designed
by J.F. Staal has biblical names: Zophar, Eliphaz and
Bildad

Best regards.
R

119. Bergen, Huize de Beukenhoek, Park Meerwijk

Dear Maristella,

The villa Beukenhoekk designed by M. Kropholler
in 1916/18 has the silhouette of a ship. Furthermore
the visitor to the house crosses a bridge to reach the
entrance. The front yard projected forward as a sea
of a grass. The metaphor of shipping, as appealing in
the Amsterdam School architecture inspired much
later on the house Figueiredo in Gondomar designed
by Alvaro Siza in 1984.

Regards.
R

118. Berlin, Staatsbibliothek

Dear Jan,

Here's the Staatsbibliothek with its famous stockroom 

also known as "the spine of the book". Jacques Herzog 

said he used to love Scharoun's work. He found it 

ugly, strange, very real and unreal at the same time. 

He loved the aluminum gold clad so they intended 

to clad in gold the skylights of the Photo Studio Frei 

but it was too expensive and problematic.

All the best.
R

117. Dominus Winery, Yountville, California

Dear Alvaro,

Talking about the gabions placed in front of the facade
of the Dominus Winery, Jacques Herzog said:
"You could describe or use of the gabions as a kind of
stone wickerwork with varying degrees of transparency,
more like skin than like traditional masonry"

Regards.
R

116. Praha, XII, Namesti Krale Jiriho

Dear Norman,

The Church of the Sacred Heart in Vinohrady (Prague)
is a project of Jože Plečnik finished in 1932. The clear
glass rose windows on either side of the wide bell tower
contrast with the general heaviness of the building.
Indeed the emphasis of this church is put on the exterior
although the interior is a very unique space which
nevertheless has a recognizable religious aura.

Regards.
R

115. Avenue de l'Europe, le Pavillon Philips, Bruxelles 1958

Dear Joseph,

The architecture of Le Corbusier and the soundtrack of
the "Electronic Poem" by Edgar Varese composed and
played for the occasion, join forces to create an ephemeral
total work of art in the Philips Pavilion of 1958.

Regards.
R

114. Berlin Panorama vom Funktrum mit Haus des Rundfunks

Dear Rem,

The Haus des Rundfunks is the oldest self contained
broadcasting house in the world. It was designed by
Hans Poelzig in 1929. The building contains three large
broadcasting rooms located in the center, shielded from
street noise by the surrounding office wings.

Best regards.
R

113. Auditorio de Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Mama,

Gracias por enviarme esta postal tan
bonita del Auditorio de Santa Cruz
de Tenerife.

Muchos muchos besos.
R

112. Neue Nationalgalerie

Dear Jean,

Mies was fully aware of the great difficulties for the
exhibiting of art caused by the huge dimensions of
the hall. He said: "But it has such potential that I
simply cannot take those difficulties into account"
This picture that is a sort of beautiful partial cross
section shows the hall and the interior of the podium
underneath.

Regards.
R

111. Stockholmsutstallningen 1930 Huvudentren

Querido Manolo,

Este, como sabrás bien, es el edificio de entrada a la
Exposición de Estocolmo de 1930. Como todos los
demás edificios del conjunto este fue proyectado por
Gunnar Asplund, y llama la atención además de su
lenguaje funcional y a la vez amable, el espíritu festivo
tan acorde con el evento.

Un abrazo.
R

110. Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania

Dear Enric,

This building, a residence for 150 students, was designed
by Louis Kahn and built in 1965. The ground floor plan,
a succession of 3 squares connected at their corners, is
developed around 3 interior courtyards. The "serving"
spaces are located in the walls of these courtyards.

Regards.
R

109. Como. Panorama con Brunate

Querida Cristi,

Esta postal me parece fascinante. Si te fijas bien se
ven en ella hasta tres edificios de Terragni:
Abajo en el centro la casa Giuliani-Frigerio, ultima
obra del arquitecto, manierismo racionalista de
altisima calidad; en el centro hacia la derecha y solo
el alzado corto, el Novocomum, gesto revolucionario
de Terragni cuando tan solo tenia 23 años (fijate en el
edificio para el club de obreros de Ilya Golosov) y
por ultimo algo mas a la izquierda y cerca del lago el
monumento a los caidos de 1933, obra inspirada en los
dibujos del influyente futurista Sant'Elia.

Mil besos.
R

108. Roma. Palazzo della Civilta-Piazzale Marconi. Piscina delle Rose-Palazzo dei Congressi.

Querido Juan Luis,

Gracias por tu Post. La Casa Malaparte es una de las
postales que mas he buscado sin poder encontrar
hasta el momento. Tengo que decirte que
aunque casi universalmente atribuida a Adalberto
Libera (los planos, que no se parecen a lo construido,
estan firmados por el) la casa es mucho mas obra del
cliente, Curzio Malaparte, que del arquitecto Libera.
Este, estaba muy ocupado por aquel entonces
proyectando el Palacio de Congresos de Roma
(en la postal). Ademas su relacion con Malaparte,
personaje singular, no era la mejor, asi que lo dejo
hacer...
El resultado, la casa mas hermosa construida en el
siglo XX para muchos (me incluyo). La pelicula de BB
la he visto (y la tengo en mi pequeña coleccion), pero
si estas interesado en la Malaparte hay dos libros sobre
la casa:
"Casa Malaparte" (Marida Talamona)
Princeton Architectural Press, 1992
y "Malaparte. A House like me" (Michael McDonough)
Potter 1999.

Un abrazo.
R

107. Milano dall'aereo. La Torre Velasca

Dear Pierre,

The Torre Velasca in Milan, built by
BBPR in 1954, is a modern reinterpretation
of an italian medieval castle and an
undisputable landmark building on this city.

Regards.
R

106. Torino. La pista sopraelevata delle Officine Fiat. Sezione Automobili

Dear Sean,

Finished in 1923, for its time, the Lingotto building was
avante-garde, influential and impressive.
Le Corbusier called it "one of the most impressive sights
in industry", and "a guideline for town planning"

Regards,
R

105. The Philadelphia Saving Fund Society Building

Querido Manolo,

En una de tus inolvidables clases
nos hablaste de este edificio, el
primer rascacielos "moderno"del
mundo construido en 1932 en
Philadelphia. Nos contaste que sus
arquitectos, Lescaze y Howe
organizaron el edificio en distintas
areas en funcion de sus usos
diferenciandolas entre ellas por el
empleo de materiales distintos.
Las primeras plantas, que forman
un gran podium albergaban tiendas
y estan acabadas con granito pulido
de color grisaceo. Sobre esta gran
base, se alza el edificio de oficinas
de 30 plantas en forma de T y esta
acabado en piedra caliza de color
terroso. La parte trasera, que es el
nucleo de servicios esta acabada
con ladrillos vidriados y no vidriados
alternativamente de color negro.

Un abrazo.
R

104. Le viaduc de Millau

Querido Paquillo,

El viaducto de Millau, en Francia, obra del ingeniero
Michel Virlogeux y del arquitecto Norman Foster es
el viaducto construido para trafico rodado mas elevado
del mundo con sus 343 metros. Dos de sus siete pilones
son los mas altos del mundo en este tipo de estructura
con casi 245 y 221 metros respectivamente.
Solo el Royal Gorge Bridge en Colorado, el mas elevado
del mundo, esta considerado mas alto que este.
Te puedo decir sin embargo que de seguro bastante
menos elegante tambien.

Un abrazo.
R

103. Teologado de Dominicos San Pedro Martir, Madrid

Dear Sverre,

The main theme, that is of light and
color in this church is key for a better
understanding of this unique space.
The architect, Miguel Fisac, decided
to use uncolored glass in the altar, red
colored glass for the choir area and
blue stained glass for the rest of the
space. The church with the rest of the
large theological complex was finished
in 1955.

Warm regards.
R

102. Lissone. Piazza Liberta

Dear Carol,

The Casa del Fascio de Lissone, designed by Giuseppe
Terragni, shows with the presence of the massive tower
an evident transition of the official italian architecture
toward the dominant fascist German classicism of the
time.

Cheers.
R

101. Rotterdam. Torenflat Bergpolder

Dear Enric,

This is the very first working-class
high apartment building built as
conceived by Gropius: the Bergpolder.
The main structure is of steel, while the
horizontal partitions and door and
window frames are of wood.
This is also the first time a lift is installed
in an apartment building for workers.

Best regards.
R

100. J. van Nelle, Rotterdam

Dear Joel,

The Van Nelle Factory plans were exhibited at the
Stuttgart exhibition of 1927. As Benevolo states,
the various functions of the productive process were
rigorously analyzed and faithfully expressed in the
articulation of the building, including the pipes carrying
the product to warehouses along the canal, which were
openly set into the glass facade.

Thanks for meeting with me yesterday.
R

99. Scale Model Kunsthal. Rotterdam

Querido Manolo,

"En el Kunsthal las columnas inclinadas desafian las
lineas de atraccion gravitatoria para alinearse con la
topografia generada en el proyecto, en una radical
declaracion de libertad e independencia de los
ordenes naturales" (Alejandro Zaera)

Un abrazo.
R

98. Elephant House. Whipsnade Park

Dear Louis,

"The aim of the the zoo work was to present a vision
of nature tamed not with a fist but with a smile"
(Berthold Lubetkin)

Best.
R

97. Moscow. The Rusakov House of Culture. 1929. Konstantin Melnikov, architect

Dear Enric,

This magnificent building is a culture
center for workers that houses a a total
of three auditoriums with a total capacity
of 1400. The reinforced-concrete
construction was designed based on
geometry volumes with sharp angles and
diagonal lines that somehow resemble a
gigantic mechanical gear.

All the best.
R

96. Pavilhao de Portugal, Expo 98

Cristina,

Este es el Pabellon de Portugal de la Expo 98 que
como sabras proyecto Siza con la colaboracion del
ingeniero Cecil Balmond de Ove Arup. La losa, de 20
centimetros de espesor contiene tubos a traves de los
cuales pasan los tensores. Siza penso en proyectos como
los de Asplund para laExposicionde Estocolmo de 1930,
en los grandes espacios cubiertos con losas de Niemeyer
y en la plaza semi cubierta de Villanueva de la Universidad
de Caracas cuando lo estaba proyectando.

Besos.
R

95. Hembrugstraat, Amsterdam

Dear Sybille,

This residential complex, nicknamed "the ship" because
of its shape, was built in Amsterdam by Michel de
Klerk in 1921. Its tower was meant to be topped by a
cock, the symbol of the Dutch Social Democratic party.

Cheers.
R

94. Scottish Parliament

Dear Charles,

"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)

Best regards.
R

93. Ciudad Universitaria Hospital Clinico Caracas Venezuela

Carlos,

I read that in this University Hospital the corridors linking
the different wings are protected with screens to diffuse
the dazzling light and ensure natural ventilation, letting
the air flow through the perforated blocks to control the
high tropical temperatures. Though this building was
finished in 1954 it seems to me very up to date considering
all the new "green" architectural method we need to deal
with nowadays.
In any case I also admire very much the fantastic display
of bright colors so uncommon in a Hospital.

Thanks.
R

92. Barcelona 1929 Pavillon de Yugoslavie

Dear Jan,

Dragiša Brašovan was the architect who designed
the Yugoslavian Pavilion for the Barcelona International
Exhibition of 1929. It was an attempt to define a new
style for the new nation that expressed its modernity
while remaining faithful to local tradition. Its defining
formal element was the unusual cladding, alternating
horizontal stripes of grey and white stained Serbian
wood prepared by builders in Belgrade and shipped to
the site. Though the most recognizable and memorable
building of the exhibition was the Mies van der Rohe's
German Pavilion, this unknown building was a very
decent attempt of modern architecture for this event.

Cheers.
R

91. Hilversum-Raadhuis

Dear Enric,

W.M.Dudok reinterpreted in this building the playful and
efective intersection of built volumes so typical in the
architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. The alternative use
of horizontal and vertical lines and narrow and broad
spaces gives the complex a strong design concept that
makes the Town Hall a real urban icon. The vertical line
of the tower works as a visual pivot counterbalanced by
the others horizontal architectural elements.

Best regards.
R

90. Bauhausneubau dessau 1925-26

Querido Alfonso,

Es quiza una de esas pequeñas ironias de la vida que
usted, el maestro mayor de la Catedral de Sevilla,
fuese la primera persona a la que oi hablar
apasionadamente de la Bauhaus. He leido de este
edificio, que posee un equilibrio dinamico. Luego he
pensado que es el contrapunto perfecto al majestuoso
estaticismo de la "Montaña Hueca".

Un saludo muy afectuoso.
R

89. Matosinhos, Courts de Tenis no Parque Municipal

Cristina,

Este proyecto de Fernando Tavora sito en Quinta da
Conceisao en Matosinhos, junto a la Casa de Ferias de
Ofir, dieron pie al debate en torno a la arquitectura
popular en Portugal como marco valido de una posible
relectura de los valores de la modernidad junto con
los de la tradicion. Una de las ideas latentes en la
entonces emergente Escuela de Oporto.
Nos veremos en Noviembre. Quiza podamos visitarlo.

Besos.
R

88. Guggenheim Bilbao

Dear Alvaro,

This is the building that started out the well-known
"Bilbao effect". The powerful influence great public architecture can exert. After this building many eye-catching buildings by famous architect have been built worldwide.

Best Regards.
R

87. Pavillon de l'URSS (K.Melnikoff, Arch)

Dear Enric,

This is the back side of the Pavilion.
Above, the roof-like red colored awnings
of the stairs soared like wings. Down, the
staircase crosses the building diagonally
allowing views on to the exhibits on either
side.

Take care.
R

86. Paris Exposition des Arts Decoratifs Pavillon de URSS

Dear Enric,

Konstantin Melnikov's Soviet Union
Pavilion for the 1925 Exposition des
Arts Decoratifs in Paris was a masterly
propaganda instrument: a celebration of
the factory aesthetic. As I know you'll
love this image I will be sending you
soon another postcard that shows the
back side of the pavilion.

Best.
R

85. Judisches Museum und Berlin-Museum

Querido Doctor Pasavento,

Su amigo, el arquitecto Daniel Libeskind, que según 
usted leía sus poemas de hospital ( de versos escritos
entre monjas y luces de algodón) y después los
comparaba con edificios que el había soñado, llego a
construir después (o fue antes?) este edificio, que para mi tiene mucho de melancolía y psiquiatría.

Atentamente.
R