232. Lever House, New York

Dear Aldo,

This building is located directly across
Park Avenue from the Seagram Building
by Mies van der Rohe. It was one of the
first Curtain Wall modern office buildings
in the U.S. and architecturally and
programmatically a big revolution.
Needlessly to say that the Lever House
has been much copied elsewhere from
Buenos Aires to Copenhagen.

Best regards.
R

231. Buenos Aires. Teatro Colon y Edificio Fiat

Dear Claude,

The Torre Mirafiore (called Edificio Fiat when completed
back in 1964) made me to remember the wonderful Royal
Hotel where I stayed when I was in Copenhagen.

All the best.
R

230.Copenhagen, Denmark, Hotel Royal

Dear Claude,

The Alberto K gourmet restaurant, on
the 20th floor of the Hotel Royal has besides
a marvelous menu a breathtaking view.
All Jacobsen details are preciousness too.
See you soon in Buenos Aires.

Take care
R

229. Vista Aerea de la Ciudad Universitaria. Caracas, Venezuela

Dear Alexander,

The unquestionable reference of this magnificent 

covered plaza designed by Villanueva, is Le Corbusier's 

lobby in the Palace of the Soviets project of 1931. This 

plaza works as a lobby for the theater and the rectory 

and it is decorated with art works by Bloc, Calder, 

Pevsner etc. It has been an inspiration for many 

architects, including Alvaro Siza when designing the 

Portugal Pavilion for the Expo 98.

Regards.
R

228. California Academy of Sciences

Dear Jan

“I try to get at the fundamental emotion of a site. The
roof design is like lifting up a piece of the park and putting
a building under it.” (Renzo Piano)
Now Jan you have another good reason to come back to
San Francisco.

Cheers.
R

227. Barcelona. Parque Guell, Columnas del Teatro Griego.

Querido Alfonso,

Esta estructura de columnas levantada
por Gaudi me inspira pensar en conceptos
como solidez y belleza, ambos reunidos
aqui simultaneamente. Es tambien como las
amistades viejas, tal como la nuestra.

Un abrazo
R

226. Berlin (West) Internationale Bauaustellung

Querido Juan,

Según Enric Miralles, la obra de Peter Eisenman es útil 
para pensar. Según él desde un pensamiento acerca de
ella podremos desplazarnos a los lugares donde es
posible preguntarse por el sentido de la arquitectura.
Siento no haber podido verte esta vez en Sevilla. La
próxima vez será y quizás entonces podamos
preguntarnos juntos por el sentido de la arquitectura.

Un abrazo muy fuerte.
R

225. Torino. Il Salone Internazionale delle Tecnica al Palazzo delle Esposizioni al Valentino

Cristina,

Durante algunos años de su vida Pier Luigi Nervi se
dedico al estudio de cubiertas de grandes dimensiones
construidas con elementos prefabricados de hormigon
armado. En este campo su indiscutible obra maestra
es la cúpula del Palacio de Exposiciones de Turín
(1948-49). Esta cubierta esta contituida por una celosia
ondulada de un espesor de 5 cm y una altura media de
1.5 m que es capaz de salvar una luz de 76 m. El inmenso
espacio es tan dramatico como el de las grandes catedrales
goticas.

Besos.
R

224. Markuskyrkan, Skarpnacks forsamling, Bjorkhagen, Stockholm

Dear Sven,

Lewerentz talked about ancient Persian masonry walls when asked for the design process of his famous Church of St. Mark. Indeed the archaic and closed walls of the building stand against the light birch grove on the site and continue inside the building with wonderful masonry vaults ceilings. St. Mark's was completed in 1960 when Lewerentz was 75 and it was the building that consolidated his position as the living master amongst Swedish architects.

Best regards.
R

223. Whitney Museum of American Art

Dear Arnt,

"Modern Architecture is not a style,
It's an attitude" (Marcel Breuer)

Regards
R

222. San Francisco Store designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for V.C. Morris 140 Maiden Lane

Dear Bob,

When questioned by V.C. Morris
about the omission of storefront
windows on the facade, Frank Lloyd
Wright replied:
"We are not going to dump your
beautiful merchandise on the street,
but create an arch-tunnel of glass, into
which the passers-by may look and be
enticed. As they penetrate further into
the entrance, seeing the shop inside
with its spiral ramp and tables set with
fine china and crystal, they will suddenly
push open the door, and you've got
them!"

Nice mouse trap!

Regards.
R

221. Rotterdam, Calandplein, Monument en Passage

Dear Louetta,

During the bombing of the city center of Rotterdam in
1940, the original Cafe de Unie (1925) built by J.J.P.
Oud was destroyed. It stood at the Coolsingel and it
shows here in this old postcard partially behind the
monument. In 1986 the façade was reproduced in a
different location. The design is a perfect example of
the Dutch artistic movement De Stijl with its use of
primary colours and simple abstract composition.

Regards.
R

220. Dudley Zoo

Dear Uncle Dudley,

British Dudley Zoo (1935-37) is a regrettable neglected
monument of national significance. Berthold Lubetkin,
the main architect, once said: “A society that openly
professes that the present is expendable and the future
unintelligible begets artists who have to scream to be
noticed and remembered for a quarter of an hour.”

Best regards.
R

219. New York World's Fair. The Brazilian Pavilion

Dear Lucia,

The Brazilian pavilion was one of the outstanding features
of the 1939 World's Fair. It was so, that the mayor of NY,
Fiorello La Guardia conferred the accolade of honorary
citizen of New York City on architect Niemeyer, a
declared communist.

Best.
R

218. Cantabria, Santander. Palacio de Festivales

Luz,

Aún recuerdo cuando Don Francisco nos dijo que algo
importante en este edificio era penetrar en él ascendiendo
desde la escena como un Epidauro y anclarlo en la bahía
para dejarlo clavado ahí para siempre.

Besos.
R

217. Lahti

Hola Conchi,

Hemos venido a Lathi (a 100 km de Helsinki) a
pasar el ultimo dia del año. Aunque es una ciudad,
muy antigua, fundada en torno a 1445, es bastante
modesta. Hoy iremos a visitar la Iglesia de la Cruz
obra de Alvar Aalto. Ademas de los habituales
celebraciones religiosas, ocasionalmente sirve de sala
de conciertos y centro de conferencias.

Besos desde Finlandia.
R

216. Roma. Stadio Olimpico e Attrezzature Sportive

Querido Paco,

Esta vista del Foro Italico proyectado por Luigi
Moretti, muestra en primer termino la "Casa delle
Armi" con acabado exterior en marmol de Carrara.
El mismo Moretti comparo este edifico con el Partenon
de Atenas por su perfeccion de proporciones (basado en
la seccion aurea o divina proporcion) y en la precision
de su construccion.

Abrazos.
R

215. Ciudad de Mexico. Las Torres Mathias Goeritz

Querida Paula

Viajando hacia Tlalnepantla por la 57
me he encontrando transportado a un
particular San Gimignano de torres de
colores. Luis Barragan me devuelve al
Mediterraneo.

Besos.
R

214. The Kansai International Airport

Dear Koji,

The Kansai International Airport has a single four-story
terminal which is the longest airport terminal in the world
with a total length of 1.7 km from end to end. The
terminal's roof has the shape of a wing as seen in
cross-section to help air circulation through the building.

Best.
R

213. Milano. Corso Sempione, La Casa Novecento

Cherie Catherine,

Leo de la conocida Casa Rustici de Terragni y
Lingeri que el proyecto fue rechazado hasta en nueve
ocasiones por considerarse que las galerias-pasarelas
cerraban el patio.
Luego me viene a la cabeza la cita del pintor
Delacroix: "De la experiencia se aprenden dos cosas:
la primera es que hay que corregir mucho; la segunda
es que no hay que corregir demasiado."

Meilleures salutations.
R

212. Firminy (Loire). La Maison de la Culture

Querido Juan Luis

Esta "Casa" del Corbu podria servir de ilustracion para
la cita de Cesar Vallejo: "Una casa vive unicamente
de hombres, como una tumba".

Una abrazo siempre.
R

211. Otaniemi. Dipoli. Suomi

Querida Rosi,

El Centro Dipoli en Otaniemi (Finlandia) es uno de los
edificios mas sugerentes y poeticos construidos en el
mundo. Puedo decirte que Pietila es su arquitecto y que
no desmerece en absoluto entre todos los fascinantes
"Aaltos" que le rodean.

Un abrazo.
R

210. Le Havre. Eglise St-Joseph, Arch A. Perret

Dear Jim,

Auguste Perret, teacher and mentor of
Le Corbusier built this church in Le
Havre in 1958. It is dedicated to the
local people killed during
the Nazi siege.

Sincerely,
R

209. Kuwait Parliament Building. Kuwait

Dear Ennio,

Jørn Utzon understood the spirit of the place in kuwait
and designed accordingly the new Kuwait Parliament
Building. Because of this, he rejected the idea of create
either a pastiche or a mere copy of western architecture
with some Islamic decoration.
The canvas-like huge structure of the Entrance recalls
nomad camps tents but in an appropriate monumental
scale. Alvaro Siza learned from this building when
designing the Portugal Pavilion for the Expo 1998 of
Lisbon.

Regards.
R

208. Helsinki, Stadion Helsingfors

Dear Rene,

Greetings from Suomi and thank you
very much for what you have done for
me.
Meme si tout s'effondrait, je serais pres
de toi (even if everything was falling apart,
I would be by your side)
(from Les Rita Mitsouko)

Yours very sincere.
R

207. Expo 67 Montreal. Le Pavillon des Etats-Unis

Dear Anna,

The well known Geodesic Dome by architect Buckminster
Fuller is an enclosed structure of steel and acrylic cells, 76
meters in diameter and 62 meters high built as the USA
pavilion for the Expo 67 of Montreal. This humanist and
visionary architect and early environmental activist
hoped for a "omni-successful education and sustenance of
all humanity"

Best.
R

206. Villa Girasole. Marcellise (Verona)

Querido Curro

La Villa Girasole esta situada en las afueras de Verona
y fue construida en 1935 por el ingeniero Invernizzi y
el arquitecto Fagiuoli que consiguieron hacer realidad
la innovadora idea de construir un edificio que fuese
capaz de girar siguiendo el curso del sol. El cuerpo
superior de la edificacion gira 360 grados en torno a un
eje central que alberga a su vez el nucleo de escaleras
y el ascensor. Dos motores diesel empujan la inmensa
mole gracias a un triple carril circular sobre los que se
mueven 15 vagonetas que sustentan la estructura.
La casa se mueve a razon de 4 milimetros por segundo
es decir que le toma casi 9 horas y media para dar una
vuelta completa.
Lo ideal en el futuro seria sustituir el diesel por energia
solar, no te parece?

Un abrazo.
R

205. Klosters, Eisenbahnbrucke

Dear Sean,

Robert Maillart's apparently fragile concrete arches
are sublime landmarks in the Swiss alpine landscape.
In the Landquart rail bridge at Klosters, for instance,
the deck follows a smooth horizontal curve in plan to
facilitate traffic. To achieve this effect the arch is as
wide as the deck at mid-span but much wider at the
abutments. Undoubtedly integration of the supporting
arch, the stiffening wall, and the traffic platform into
one cohesive unit were Maillart's main design principles.

Regards.
R

204. Capri. Villa Malaparte

Querido Juan,

Esta casa, con toda su simplicidad formal es
ademas de una casa, una escalera ascendente
a un rito mediterraneo antiguo,
una casa pompeyana en medio del mar,
un barco latino de vela blanca desplegada,
una antigua ruina expuesta sobre el mar,
una prision-retiro para el espiritu.

Una abrazo y gracias por la postal.
R

203. Pavillon de la Norvege, Bruxelles 1958

Dear Arne,

To me this is one of the buildings that better represents
the principle of "Thought of Construction": The Brussels
exhibition pavilion (1958) by Sverre Fehn.
Concrete walls and lime-tree roof are the main elements
(structural posts are made of Plexiglas to avoid shades)
all worked out in such a way that the light can filter
beautifully into the rooms.

Sincerely
R

202. Greetings from Sydney

Dear Jan,

This first postcard is called Opera Dishouse. This
is what Marco Berton says about his dream:
"This concept was envisaged at the age of 4.
Seeing a photo of the Opera House, I believed it
to be a rack of drying dishes. I was subsequently
disappointed upon arriving in Sydney several
years ago, finding something other than what
I'd expected. (on the second postcard)
I dedicate this to that dream. The Toaster though
is a recent interpretation"

Cheers.
R

201. Donostia-San Sebastian. Txillidaren Peine de los Vientos

Dear Louis,

“Boundaries are actually the main factor in space,
just as the present, another boundary, is the main
factor in time.” (Eduardo Chillida)

Love
R

200. Funchal (Madeira) Casino Park Hotel

Estimat Mayol,

"Van esdevenir grans terratrèmols i inundacions i,
en el breu espai d'una nit, la Atlantida es sumio en
la terra entreoberta" (Platon)

Salutacions
R

199. Bob Hope's Palm Springs Home

Dear Greg,

"The purpose of Architecture is to improve human
life. Create timeless, free, joyous spaces for all
activities in life"
(John Lautner)
“Too much of what goes on today are 'facilities'...
they are seldom architecture,”
(John Lautner)

R

198. Plug-in city, overhead view-Peter Cook, Archigram 1964

Dear Aston,

Just an interesting quotation by Peter Cook
"We are in the ideas business...Certainly architecture
should be "propositional". Every piece should say
"Yes, well, we know that that is the circumstance,
the requirement, the context, the likelihood.. but this
is the potential, this is a twist of the story and this
well... its something over and above... maybe relevant,
maybe contradictory"

Please let me know.
R

197. Barcelona. Torre Agbar

Mary kate,

Hoy mientras te esperaba
me he sentado enfrente de
la Torre Agbar. Como hoy
es viernes, cuando ha
oscurecido la Torre se ha
iluminado y ha ido cambiando
de color lentamente. Todo ha
sido como una gran fiesta de
luz que anunciaba tu presencia.
He pensado en los cientos de
colores desplegados en los
fragmentos de azulejos del
Parque Guell al que fuimos
ayer y en los colores del
vestido floreado que llevabas.

TQS
R

196. Looshaus, Wien

Dear Kathryn,

The Goldman & Salatsch Building,
aka the Loos House is famous for
its clean lines and lintel-less windows.
Very controversial building, it was
much criticized when built. Some
comments from Franz Josef, for
instance, described the building as
having "windows without eyebrows".

Sincerely,
R

195. Watergate Office Building

Dear Sarah,

The Watergate's lead architect, Italian Luigi Moretti,
apparently was "Mussolini's favorite architect".
The complex is notable for being the only U.S. building
designed by this Italian architect. The curvilinear 

complex, which includes the hotel, two office buildings, 

and three apartment buildings, was designed and 

constructed between 1964 and 1971.

Best.
R

194. Barcelona. Casa Batllo (Gaudi)

Querido Jose,

He leido que Gaudi paso mucho tiempo trabajando
en una maqueta de escayola de esta casa ensayando
las ondulaciones y los ritmos de la fachada.
Los barandales en forma de mascara fueron tambien
modelados a escala 1:1 en yeso antes de ser construidos.

Un abrazo.
R

193. Dulles International Airport

Dear Norman,

Dulles Airport was the first airport in the world
specifically designed for jet air crafts.
Mobile lounges that brought passengers from the
terminal to the airplanes were one of the many of
its experimental architectural features.

Regards.
R