Estimados Jose y Pilar,
"En todas las almas, como en todas las casas, ademas
de fachada, hay un interior escondido"
(Raul Germano Brandão)
Con todo el cariño,
R
903. Sabaudia. La casa del Fascio
Estimados Jose y Pilar,
"En todas las almas, como en todas las casas, ademas
de fachada, hay un interior escondido"
(Raul Germano Brandão)
Con todo el cariño,
R
902. Louisiana
Dear Agnete,
A picture of the first extension to the old patrician villa that serves as the main entrance to the Louisiana Museum
of modern art in Humlebaek, near Elsinore. This museum,
with its many expansions over the years, is a masterpiece
of Danish modernist architecture that brilliantly combines
art, architecture and landscape.
Regards.
R
901. Praha. Dum Ustredni rady odboru
Dear Ladislav,
The General Pension Fund Building in Prague-Zizkov was the largest Functionalist structure in the city. It is considered by many to be one of the most important works of Czech Functionalism and a hallmark for the Czech architectural modern movement.
The freestanding cross-shaped ground plan and the long strips of ribbon windows, are two of the architectural features in this outstanding building that clearly follows Le Corbusier's design precepts.
Regards.
R
900. Fos Sur Mer. La Tour de Vigie
Dear David,
If you thought of Laurel & Hardy as an
inspiration for these magnificent observation
tower and water tank at the Port of Marseille,
I think in another eternal couple, Romeo and
Juliet, to compare this bold and terrific image
with those I keep in my mind about the old,
charming and delicate Romeo and Juliet
Windmill that Frank Lloyd Wright built at
Taliesin back in 1896.
Warm regards,
R
899. Marina Bay by Night
Dear Laurent,
In the center of this picture is the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, topped out with a remarkable cantilevered platform that contains a vanishing edge swimming pool. Moshe Safdie, the architect of this building complex, looked for inspiration in card desks, since the casino is one of the main features of this outstanding resort that also includes a 2,500-room hotel, a convention center, two theaters, a museum, an ice skating rink, seven restaurants, and more than 300 stores.
Regards,
R
898. La Mémé, Louvain en Woluwe (Bruxelles)
Dear Peter,
The picture in this postcard shows from left to right the
Restaurant 80, the Medical Faculty Housing, and the
School Chapelle-aux-Champs, all by Belgian iconoclastic
architect Lucien Kroll who partially developed here in
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert an iconic representation of
democratic architecture.
Regards,
R
896. Salvador-BA-Brasil. Vista aerea do Centro Administrativo
Dear Roberto,
"The path to beauty does not always demand to be imbued by the fact to make something beautiful. Sometimes you make something beautiful through a rational way" (João Filgueiras Lima Lelé)
Regards,
R
895. Montecatini Terme.
Dear Carlo,
"Architecture for architects is wrong, it breaks the
continuity of architectural history. Architecture is not for
architects. it's for the public" (Paolo Portoghesi)
Sincerely,
R
894. Montecatini Terme. La Stazione Principale.
Carissimo Giovanni,
"...tale fabbricato è forse la parte più geniale della nuova stazione di Montecatini, nel senso che il razionalismo tecnico, indispensabile nell'edificio viaggiatori, è qui meno rigido. Là è la macchina che si impone, qui è l'ispirazione che detta. Il giallo-sole del travertino cede il posto all'ombra fresca della pietra di grotta"
(Il Nuovo Giornale, 4 agosto 1937)
Un caloroso saluto,
R
Un caloroso saluto,
R
893. Solvesborg. Listers harads tingshus
Querido Juanlu,
"...después de haberlo estudiado, se toma papel limpio y
se comienza a trabajar con una nueva inspiración"
(Erik Gunnar Asplund)
Un abrazo.
R
892. Tampere. Tammerfors.
Dear Ossi,
The Tampere Bus Station (Tampereen Linja-autoasema)
is one of the finest examples of early functionalist
architecture in Finland. Although partially bombed by the
Soviets during the Winter War of 1940, the building has been preserved in its original function and form since it was built in 1938. With its simple and elegant white facades, flat roofs, long strips of ribbon windows, and minimal decoration, the Tampere Bus Station was fully restored in 2008 to recover its original appearance.
Regards,
R
891. C.I.E. Bus Terminal, Dublin
Dear Sean & Michel,
"There were no books in the library, it was a very small
department in those days, except for four books by Le
Corbusier, so we were all mad fans o Le Corbusier. You
can see this in the station, it is influenced by the Swiss
Pavilion at the Cite Universitaire in Paris and the Salvation
Army Hostel in Paris also by Le Corbusier"
(Michael Scott)
Best,
R
890. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Casa del Marino
Querido Nestor,
Miguel Martin-Fernandez de la Torre fue un extraordinario arquitecto canario que construyó importantes obras racionalistas como el Cabildo
Insular de Gran Canaria, el Edificio Shell Staibs o
el Hospital Psiquiátrico de Gran Canaria. La Casa
del Marino que se muestra en esta postal supuso un ejemplo muy destacado en el proceso de retorno a
la segunda modernidad arquitectónica en España.
Este inmenso edificio esta compuesto de piezas
programaticamente independientes dedicadas respectivamente a viviendas, hotel, capilla, clínica
Este inmenso edificio esta compuesto de piezas
programaticamente independientes dedicadas respectivamente a viviendas, hotel, capilla, clínica
y espacios comerciales, articulándose todas ellas sabiamente en la complicada parcela triangular
donde se enclava el edificio.
Se han establecido concomitancias entre este
Se han establecido concomitancias entre este
edificio y otros de naturaleza similar desarrollados
en la misma época en Europa por parte de
arquitectos como Alison y Peter Smithson en
Inglaterra o Jacob Bakema y Jo Van den Broek en Holanda.
Saludos afectuosos.
R.
889. Potsdam. Einstein-Turm
Hola abuelo,
Aquí te mando otra postal de la
época dedicada al observatorio de
Potsdam de Erich Mendelsohn.
Aunque es un edificio más bien
pequeño esta obra es una de las
cumbres de la arquitectura
expresionista. Hay dos ideas de
gran fuerza expresiva que se funden
en este proyecto: la tendencia a
la verticalidad y la ascensión por
una parte y la idea de la cueva y
del mundo subterraneo de naturaleza
Nietzschiana por otra.
Espero que te guste.
Besos.
R
888. Unity Temple. Oak Park, Illinois
Querido Enric,
Decía Frank Lloyd Wright que el Estilo es una consecuencia del Carácter. El Templo Unitario en Oak Park es considerado por muchos el primer ejemplo de arquitectura moderna construido en el mundo, y como tal influyo enormemente en la creación del estilo moderno en arquitectura.
Un saludo afectuoso.
R
887. Corse. Calvi-Plage
Queridos Ines, Paula, Javier,
Hoy, el dia que se clausura esta maravillosa experiencia
que ha sido Re: Colección. Postales Inventadas. Otra
historia sobre arquitectura, os envio esta imagen llena
de historia de un edificio maravilloso que el mitico
André Lurçat levantó en la mágica isla de Corcega
en 1929.
He elegido esta imagen para vosotros no solo por su
He elegido esta imagen para vosotros no solo por su
intrínsica belleza sino también porque este edificio se
construyó para que en sus siete estudios con vistas al
inefable Mar Mediterraneo pudieran albergarse una
pequeña comunidad de artistas. Re: Coleccion, ha sido
para mi como este edificio, donde las visiones y
sensibilidades de cada uno de nosotros y de todos
aquellos que se implicaron en este proyecto, han
aquellos que se implicaron en este proyecto, han
tenido cabida y acogida.
Una vez mas gracias, por vuestro trabajo, ilusión,
creatividad y sobre todo generosidad. Yo, como
siempre, seguiré aquí, espero que durante mucho
tiempo, escribiendo sobre la mágica belleza de la
arquitectura.
R
886. Das Haus Behrens
Dear Harry,
"It isn't from individual forms in nature that we can deduce a useful pattern or model, but from its structure, its construction, the mighty law of nature"
(Peter Behrens)
The father of the modern movement in architecture the
self-taught architect and industrial designer Peter Behrens, built his own house, in 1901 at the Darmstadt Artists' Colony. It was his first architectural commission and it represented for Behrens a turning point from the Arts and Crafts Movement ideas to a more ascetic and fresh way of design.
Regards.
R
The father of the modern movement in architecture the
self-taught architect and industrial designer Peter Behrens, built his own house, in 1901 at the Darmstadt Artists' Colony. It was his first architectural commission and it represented for Behrens a turning point from the Arts and Crafts Movement ideas to a more ascetic and fresh way of design.
Regards.
R
885. Kobenhavn. Tycho Brahe Planetarium
Dear Arianna,
The exquisite Tycho Brahe Planetarium was designed by
Knud Munk, the architect of the wonderful Carlsberg
Brewery building in Northampton, UK. The planetarium,
that somehow resembles some other buildings of Mario
Botta, is dedicated in honor of Danish astronomer and
alchemist Tycho Ottesen Brahe.
Regards,
R
884. Sonsbeek, Arnhem
Dear Tom,
"Architecture becomes an environment and nothing more"
(Gerrit Th. Rietveld)
Best.
R
883. Lanzarote, Islas Canarias. Mirador del Rio.
Querido Paco,
Al norte de la isla de Lanzarote en el risco
de Famara existe un mirador excavado
en la roca. Un espacio fascinante con unas
vistas privilegiadas del archipielago canario
de Chinijo, que fue creado por el pintor,
escultor y arquitecto Cesar Manrique que
fue capaz de convertir la belleza oculta de
Lanzarote en una obra de arte.
Un abrazo.
R
882. Stockholmsutstallningen, 1930. Huvudentren
Dear Colin,
When asked about the main entrance building to the 1930
Stockholm Exhibition, Asplund responded: "It is perhaps
not a building, but rather a necessary festive advertising
arrangement, dressed during the day in colorful international flags and at night in rich illumination"
Best regards.
R
881. Turun Teatteri. Suomi
Dear Raija,
The mixed-use Southwestern Finland Agricultural
Cooperative Building designed by Alvar Aalto in
1928 included a hotel, a restaurant, a banking center,
several shops, many flats and the 500 seat Turku City
Theater. Shown in this vintage picture of this vanished
theater is one of the entrances to the symmetrical
auditorium. These entrances were passages below a
tier of the auditorium seats, very much like the
vomitoria in the ancient roman amphitheaters.
Good wishes.
R
880. Exposition des Arts Decoratifs. Pavillion des Republiques Sovietiques
Estimado Santiago,
Tu, como Oscar y tantos otros
compañeros, luchastes por un ideal,
un sueño de igualdad y tolerancia.
Este pabellon, que se levanto en
Paris cuando tu eras solo un niño,
represento de alguna manera ese
sueño, que desgraciadamente
despues se trunco.
Gracias por todo.
R
879. Residentie Jozef Schobbens
Dear Geert,
"The central problem at this moment is how to develop
functionalism in such a way that it expresses positive human values and aspirations, as the best architecture of the past did." (Renaat Braem)
Regards.
R
878. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Dear George,
The first of the two building additions Mies van der Rohe
undertook for the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston is shown on the top postcard picture. The free-span exhibition space was named Cullinan Hall and the interior space with all the works of art was fully visible from the adjacent street.
undertook for the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston is shown on the top postcard picture. The free-span exhibition space was named Cullinan Hall and the interior space with all the works of art was fully visible from the adjacent street.
The second postcard is a picture of the Brown Pavilion that was built in front of the Cullinan Hall 16 years later to serve as a new entrance lobby, exhibition gallery and auditorium.
This is the only curved building built by Mies and one of the two Museums he realized.
Best wishes.
R
877. Centre d'art contemporain de Vassivieré en Limousin
Dear Michael,
"Without an event there is no theater and no
architecture" (Aldo Rossi)
Regards,
R 876. Marina City and IBM Building, Chicago
Estimado Gianni,
"De Mies van der Rohe aprendi que lo
peculiar solo es creacion cuando es
aplicacion de la mente a la claridad del
resultado, y que asi nos defiende de la
falsedad del mismo" (Aldo Rossi)
Saludos,
R
875. Gedenkteeken op den afsluitdijk
Dear Herman,
"Architecture, besides being an enthralling
play of spatial relationships and tensions,
should also contain a sublimation of
substance in form" (W.M. Dudok)
Respectfully
R
874. Altstadter Schule, Celle
Dear Simon,
Back in the twenties the new Functionalist Architecture
embraced all kind of new building types. New types of
schools such as the "pavilion" schools developed by
Ernst May or the "hall" schools proposed by Otto Haesler,
are just some examples of those highly creative times. In
the "hall" school of Celle built in 1927, all the classrooms
and offices are grouped around a covered central area
that serves as gymnasium and assembly hall.
Best.
R
873. BEST, Houston, Texas
Dear Louis,
"Architect in general, don't deal with conceptual ideas.
There must be an unbelievably small percentage of
architects who are interested in practicing as an art
form" (James Wine, founder of SITE)
Best regards.
R
872. Nigeria. View of Kuti Hall. Ibadan University
Dear Edwin,
"...an architecture and form of urbanism will emerge closely connected with the set of ideas that have international validity, but reflecting the conditions of climate, the habits of the people, and the aspirations
of the countries lying under the cloudy belt of the
equatorial world." (Maxwell Fry & Jane Drew)
Regards,
R
871. Barcelona. Edificio Banco Atlantico
Estimado Félix,
El edificio del BancSabadell, antiguo Banco
Atlántico, tomó prestada su rotundidad y
elegancia de la Pirellone milanesa. Como él,
otros edificios célebres como el MetLife,
antiguo Pan Am en Nueva York, y menos
célebres como la Torre Alpha en Birmingham,
hicieron lo mismo antes o después.
Un cordial saludo,
R
870. Brasilia. Palacio da Alvorada
Mary Kate,
"When I was very little my mother said I used to draw
in the air with my fingers." (Oscar Niemeyer)
Thank you for these years plenty of beautiful drawings
and personal projects.
Happy anniversary.
L
869. Roosenberg. Waasmunster
Dear Alvaro,
The outside under the spell of the inside
The inside under the spell of the wall
The wall under the spell of its surface
The surface under the spell of its outline
The line under the spell of its measure
The measure under the spell of the plastic number
The number under the spell of the ground ratio
(The Seven Relationships Of Architectonic
Space, Dom Hans van der Laan)
Happy 80th Birthday!
R
868. St. Hallvard kirke og Kloster, Enerhaugen, Oslo
Querido Federico,
"Y en el espacio de aquel hueco inmenso y mudo, Dios
y yo eramos dos." (Espacio. Fragmento Tercero.
Juan Ramon Jimenez)
Eternamente,
R
867. Expo 67 Montreal. The Pavilion of Germany
Estimado Javier,
"Arquitectos y escritores suelen estar mas cercanos de lo
que se piensa, porque las casas y los libros sirven para lo
mismo: para eludir la intemperie."
que se piensa, porque las casas y los libros sirven para lo
mismo: para eludir la intemperie."
(Labia, Eloy Tizon)
Un fuerte abrazo.
R
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)