Writer: Maya Krolikowski
Hometown: Wilmette, IL
Hometown: Wilmette, IL
These last 2 weeks have been filled with many different experiences, from classes, to sightseeing to socializing with Spanish students. Beginning with sightseeing, on October 25th we went into the 22@Barcelona- the newly development technology district of Barcelona. While here, we observed a few specific structures for our steel construction course: the Disseny Hub Museum (Design Museum) which was newly built and is still in the process of opening. The second was the Media TIC building, by Barcelona's Cloud9 architects and of course passing by the Torre Agbar, which has a very impressive night feature of over 4,500 LED lights. All of these buildings provided to be very interesting structural precedents! We also had the chance to do some quick analytical sketches and share them with our classmates.
We have also been taking part in a course that focuses on architectural sketching, which is something that is a new concept to many of us. For our first assignment, we visited in the Celler Cooperatiu in downtown Sant Cugat. This wine celler was constructed in 1921 out of brick and has steel elements to help with the span. Our job was to walk around the structure and develop an analytical sketch that is thoughtfully composed on a single page. This meant deciding what drawings would communicate best what we were trying to analyze in terms of the architectural elements, structural system, construction, or whatever we chose to focus in on. This was definitely a lot harder than I initially thought, and it took me two tries to get it right, and even then it wasn't perfect. I know a lot of us are looking forward to improving our ability in analyzing buildings and creating architectural drawings efficiently and effectively. This is a tool that will unassailably help us throughout our careers as architects!
On October 1st we visited Barcelona's city hall, Ajuntament de Barcelona. Before visiting we had a lecture about the history of the medieval city and how it has evolved to today. This government building alone has also changed throughout time- it was built in a traditional Catalan Gothic style, but the facade was renovated in the 19th century in a Neo-Classical style, giving the building a mix of the two styles. At the end of our visit, we were given the assignment to sketch the Ajuntament and compare it to the Palau de Generalitat (the government building of Catalonia) directly on the other side of the Placa de Jaume.
Last but not least, a very fun experience/event with the Spanish students occurred on October 2nd; a welcome party for all of the first year students, which is an annual ETSAV tradition. Even though we are seniors, we still count as first years and were invited to the party and other festivities. Professors and faculty were invited to our Residence Unihabit as we snacked on some tapas and did a few icebreakers. Afterwards a Barcelona drum group put on a show for us which was entertaining to watch and participate in! Overall, the night was a perfect chance to mingle with more Spanish students and other international students studying in ETSAV. Looking back on the last month, I have been extremely happy with the friendships that I have started to form with various students, learning more about their backgrounds and their own views on culture.
This Thursday and Friday, October 9th and 10th, we are going on our first IASAP-BV field trip to visit 3 cities in Spain/France. Look for our next post within a few days after our return.
Bon voyage!
This Thursday and Friday, October 9th and 10th, we are going on our first IASAP-BV field trip to visit 3 cities in Spain/France. Look for our next post within a few days after our return.
Bon voyage!