The stairway to the Saxhóll crater wins the Rosa Barba International Landscape Award
Imatge:
© Landlag
The intervention, which was built at the Saxhóll volcano (Iceland) to address the impact of the visitors who climb the crater every day, was undertaken by the Landslag ehf architectural practice and architect Þráinn Hauksson and has won the 10th Rosa Barba International Landscape Award. The jury also gave a special mention to the Linear Park project for the Cuernavaca railway. The award was presented on Friday, 28 September, at a ceremony held in the small palace of the Palau de la Música.
Reducing the damage caused by visitors
The 45-metre-high Saxhóll volcano rises out of the moss-covered lava fields of the National Park of Snæfellsjökull in Iceland. The hill is a popular destination as it provides excellent views of the endless lava field, the Atlantic Ocean in the distance and the picturesque Snæfellsjökull glacier. The walk to the top of Saxhóll follows a path that has been laid down over the years by its visitors. The increase in visitor numbers in the last few years has started to make itself felt: the slopes and vegetation of the hillsides have started to become damaged and the path to the top has branched off into winding parallel tracks. For this reason, in 2014 it was decided to take action to prevent any further damage to the landscape.
The stairway to heaven and hell
The team at Landslag ehf and architect Þráinn Hauksson designed a black steel stairway that follows the route of the original path. The project was completed in 2016 and the black steel quickly oxidized to blend in with the reddish shades of the volcanic crater and the Arctic/Alpine vegetation. The end result has proved very popular with visitors, who often refer to the route social media as the 'stairway to heaven'.
The project was selected for three awards in 2017: the Nordic Architecture Fair Award in Gothenfurt, the Island Design Awards, and the DV Reykjavík Cultural Awards in Iceland.
Rosa Barba International Landscape Award
As part of the International Landscape Biennial organized by the Architects’ Association of Catalonia and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech (UPC), the prestigious Rosa Barba International Award recognizes the best landscape projects undertaken around the world. The Award, with an endowment of 15,000 euros, enjoys the support of the Banc de Sabadell Foundation.
For further information please visit the website of the International Biennial of Landscape Architecture.
Reducing the damage caused by visitors
The 45-metre-high Saxhóll volcano rises out of the moss-covered lava fields of the National Park of Snæfellsjökull in Iceland. The hill is a popular destination as it provides excellent views of the endless lava field, the Atlantic Ocean in the distance and the picturesque Snæfellsjökull glacier. The walk to the top of Saxhóll follows a path that has been laid down over the years by its visitors. The increase in visitor numbers in the last few years has started to make itself felt: the slopes and vegetation of the hillsides have started to become damaged and the path to the top has branched off into winding parallel tracks. For this reason, in 2014 it was decided to take action to prevent any further damage to the landscape.
The stairway to heaven and hell
The team at Landslag ehf and architect Þráinn Hauksson designed a black steel stairway that follows the route of the original path. The project was completed in 2016 and the black steel quickly oxidized to blend in with the reddish shades of the volcanic crater and the Arctic/Alpine vegetation. The end result has proved very popular with visitors, who often refer to the route social media as the 'stairway to heaven'.
The project was selected for three awards in 2017: the Nordic Architecture Fair Award in Gothenfurt, the Island Design Awards, and the DV Reykjavík Cultural Awards in Iceland.
Rosa Barba International Landscape Award
As part of the International Landscape Biennial organized by the Architects’ Association of Catalonia and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech (UPC), the prestigious Rosa Barba International Award recognizes the best landscape projects undertaken around the world. The Award, with an endowment of 15,000 euros, enjoys the support of the Banc de Sabadell Foundation.
For further information please visit the website of the International Biennial of Landscape Architecture.
28/09/2018
Eight original documents on Gaudí’s work exhibited at the Het Schip Museum in Amsterdam
Imatge:
Palau Güell © Arxiu Mas
The COAC’s Historical Archive has loaned eight original documents on Gaudí’s work to the Het Schip Museum in Amsterdam for an exhibition entitled ‘Gaudí and the Amsterdam School’, which opened on 2 October.
Seven photographs and a plan, all originals, of some of the most significant works by the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, loaned by the Historical Archive of the COAC, will be on display until 1 April 2019 in an exhibition that aims to showcase the similarities between Gaudí and the Amsterdam School. The exhibition includes a drawing of the façade of Barcelona Cathedral by Gaudí, finished by Domènech i Montaner, and other illustrations and photographs of such iconic buildings as Casa Batlló, Casa Milà, the Sagrada Família, Teresianes Convent and Palau Güell.
The documents come mainly from the collections of the Architects’ Association of Catalonia and the Joan Martorell collection, which currently belongs to the COAC’s Historical Archive. The Archive, which boasts more than 2,000,000 documents, loans documents for exhibitions and shows with the aim of showcasing the architects who form part of its collections and their work.
For further information, please visit the website of the Het Schip Museum.
Seven photographs and a plan, all originals, of some of the most significant works by the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, loaned by the Historical Archive of the COAC, will be on display until 1 April 2019 in an exhibition that aims to showcase the similarities between Gaudí and the Amsterdam School. The exhibition includes a drawing of the façade of Barcelona Cathedral by Gaudí, finished by Domènech i Montaner, and other illustrations and photographs of such iconic buildings as Casa Batlló, Casa Milà, the Sagrada Família, Teresianes Convent and Palau Güell.
The documents come mainly from the collections of the Architects’ Association of Catalonia and the Joan Martorell collection, which currently belongs to the COAC’s Historical Archive. The Archive, which boasts more than 2,000,000 documents, loans documents for exhibitions and shows with the aim of showcasing the architects who form part of its collections and their work.
For further information, please visit the website of the Het Schip Museum.
25/09/2018
The COAC joins the campaign to help build the SJD Pediatric Cancer Center in Barcelona
Imatge:
© Hospital Sant Joan de Deu
The Architects’ Association of Catalonia is supporting the campaign #Paralosvalientes, promoted by Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, which calls upon any architects who wish to make an anonymous donation to support the construction of SJD Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona.
Hospital Sant Joan de Deu is currently facing the challenge of building the SJD Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona, and to do so has started a campaign to raise funds. In just one year, this campaign has managed to accrue 28 of the 30 million euros needed for the project. The COAC has joined the campaign and is encouraging architects to make anonymous donations to help make the creation of this medical centre a reality.
The COAC’s support of the campaign was explained at the conference 'Architecture at the service of children. Architectural innovation at Sant Joan de Deu', where the speakers talked about the importance of collaboration between architects and managers to create new and more generous spaces designed for the people who have to inhabit them.
Let’s get involved!
Hospital Sant Joan de Deu is currently facing the challenge of building the SJD Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona, and to do so has started a campaign to raise funds. In just one year, this campaign has managed to accrue 28 of the 30 million euros needed for the project. The COAC has joined the campaign and is encouraging architects to make anonymous donations to help make the creation of this medical centre a reality.
The COAC’s support of the campaign was explained at the conference 'Architecture at the service of children. Architectural innovation at Sant Joan de Deu', where the speakers talked about the importance of collaboration between architects and managers to create new and more generous spaces designed for the people who have to inhabit them.
Let’s get involved!
26/09/2018
New edition of the survey on the profession of architect
Imatge:
© CSCAE
Two years on from the first survey entitled ‘Architects. Situation, opportunities and prospects’ produced by the Architects’ Association of Catalonia, we are now embarking on the second edition in conjunction with the CSCAE.
In 2016, with the aim of getting a detailed overview of the professional situation of architects in Catalonia and the way this had changed over the preceding years, the COAC produced and presented a report on the profession of architect based on a survey in which more than 1,700 architects in Catalonia participated.
Two years on from that first study, the CSCAE is introducing ΛRQUITECT@S-2018, a survey aimed at all the architects working in Spain, which has a similar content and structure to the one we conducted two years ago, which will allow us to follow up and compare the results.
The survey will start being rolled out in the first week of October, by email, to the members of all the different architects’ associations. The idea is that the results will help to draw up a map of the current situation facing architects in Spain, the activities they are engaged in, their working conditions, the areas in which they train, the obstacles they come up against, etc.
All the information on the survey can be followed on social media using hashtag #EncuestaΛrq2018.
For further information, visit the website of the CSCAE.
In 2016, with the aim of getting a detailed overview of the professional situation of architects in Catalonia and the way this had changed over the preceding years, the COAC produced and presented a report on the profession of architect based on a survey in which more than 1,700 architects in Catalonia participated.
Two years on from that first study, the CSCAE is introducing ΛRQUITECT@S-2018, a survey aimed at all the architects working in Spain, which has a similar content and structure to the one we conducted two years ago, which will allow us to follow up and compare the results.
The survey will start being rolled out in the first week of October, by email, to the members of all the different architects’ associations. The idea is that the results will help to draw up a map of the current situation facing architects in Spain, the activities they are engaged in, their working conditions, the areas in which they train, the obstacles they come up against, etc.
All the information on the survey can be followed on social media using hashtag #EncuestaΛrq2018.
For further information, visit the website of the CSCAE.
1/10/2018