Richard Rogers + Architects

Today I have taken my time to scan a book from the Architecture School Library. Richard Rogers + Architects, it's a great Architectural Monograph Published in the US and the UK in 1985 that collects the works of architect Richard Rogers and his partners, from early projects to the mid eighties. The book was in a terrible condition when I  borrowed it, so after scanning it, I fixed it, and re-bind it as best as I could with a lot of care and a bit of glue.

The scanning process is so slow that made me think a lot in the meantime. There are certain problems related to the psychical books. For example, if a teacher recommends a book in class and it's available in the book stores, the main problem is usually only the price, specially with architecture books, that tend to be fancy and expensive. The real problem arises, however, when the book is sold out or hard to find. Then, the only way to go is the school library. But every time a teacher recommends a book, it literally  flies from the shelves, and as we are so many students, it's common not to be able to even have a glance at it before the semester ends.

I also wonder, what happens when a library book gets worn so much that gets destroyed, and it's not useable anymore. Or when unscrupulous people cut the pages or the pictures they are interested in, (Sadly that happens too). What if the library is not able to re-buy it because it's sold out? Something pretty common in architectural publications, that many times are periodicals with no big printing numbers. So, libraries are expending their money on a bunch of bind paper that sooner or later is going to be consumed and become unusable. Is that it?

I understand the advantages of physical books, it's always great to have them on your hand and feel them, to be able to read them everywhere, anytime... but what about when you have to carry a bunch of them in your backpack day in and day out, or when you need a picture from them, or a piece of text and you have to either scan it or re-write it. In my opinion, digital is going to be the way to go, without a doubt.

I'm sure physical books will remain with us forever, but more as a great analogue precious objects than anything else. As a luxury that give us joy and holds a backup of our information. Meanwhile, the digital editions will be available for download in a few seconds by anyone, everywhere, anytime. I believe the future its promising, both for classic book lovers and for the people that need the information within them in a  fast, reliable and comfortable way.

Richard Roger + Architects

---

Architectural Monographs
Published in Great Britain in 1985 by Academy editions
Published in the USA in 1985 by St Martin's Press
ISBN-10: 0312682077
ISBN-13: 978-0312682071

Availabe on Amazon Marketplace: US / ES / JP

Zatoichi Directed by Takeshi Kitano

DESIGN | Panasonic SV-AS10

We have submitted two proposals for a contest organized by Panasonic Spain to promote in printed ad campaigns their new Panasonic SV-AS10 multimedia device.

DESIGN | AudiBaby storyboard

A storyboard for a AudiBaby ear hygiene spray commercial that finally didn't happen.

LAB | Arana House Expansion

This second year in ETSAM Projects 2 class we had to made an expansion proposal for Arana House in Madrid.

Memory: 

The expansion of Arana house in the Ribera of Manzanares is a complex project due to a law of conservation of buildings with a certain typology established years after the completion of the building. That means that any alteration in the house has to be done now with the actual normative, and basically, the full house would have to be be modified in the case of any intervention on it. That's why the house has not suffered any renewal work from the outside for a long time. However, the needs of the inhabitants in the house have change through the years, what makes an expansion inevitable.

One of the inhabitants, who is a huge Star Wars fan is looking for a bigger room to keep collecting stuff. From the start, the decision of putting a prefabricated container in the flat roof of the house was an idea that seemed to work. This kind of industrial element doesn't try to mimic with the house but with the cinematic imaginary infused by the filmmaker George Lucas through his movies. The contrast with the house also helps to emphasize the idea of an alien ship that rest in the roof. As the extension is just a prefabricated element installed in the roof without the need of mayor work, the need of a license to build is not necessary. The façade of the house itself is not modified and in the worst case scenario, if the element has to be removed, this is a task hat could be easily done. 

The user can access to this container from the terrace and from his room through a spiral stairs that connect both spaces. The interior is completely diaphanous so the user can organize the inside of the room depending on his needs thanks to articulated screens. The floor works also as a container so that there is no need of extra furniture to keep things, and space is liberated for other purposes. The fact that the container is elevated makes it possible to continue using the roof of the terrace adding a shade for the rain and the sun.