The view through the window shows the typical set of any city. On the right, a few collective housing towers have a paved community area on the ground floor. On the left, a recent building intended for hospital use, with a well resolved curtain wall facade. In the background, a 248 m high skyscraper. In the middle of this typically contemporary collage, there is … [Read more...]
Stories of the staircase: a journey through stairways’ role in architecture
Staircases are one of the richest architectural elements in terms of formal possibilities, one of the most complex to solve geometrically, and one of the most demanding at the functional level. In the architecture of AGi architects, staircases usually acquire an important role, as they are an opportunity to define a special transit between floors. The staircase is thought as a … [Read more...]
Power and the city. 1970s architecture in Kuwait and Madrid
The 70s were a decade of political and economic reconfiguration both in Kuwait and in Spain. Architecture gave shape to these processes, through buildings that reflected the aspirations of public and private institutions. In 1961, President Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem signed the agreement that ended the British protectorate over the region of Kuwait. The Sheikh became the father … [Read more...]
Treatments of light: mashrabiya to shōji
The relationship between the architectural interior and the exterior has always been a key aspect when thinking about domesticity. Geographic reasons, which mainly have to do with climate, and cultural ones, linked to society and tradition, define the architectural limit between inside and outside. In the West, the opening of large windows was accepted and celebrated as soon … [Read more...]
The Galician Castros: origins of the circular house in Galicia
Landscape and heritage 1964. Modernism in architecture was beginning to be criticized by the younger architects. However, the belief in modernity remained alive. The architect Bernard Rudofsky was preparing an exhibition at the New York’s MoMA. Architecture without Architects changed perceptions about "vernacular" architecture, or at least drew attention to it. … [Read more...]
Translating between garden and paradise, an architectural atlas
Garden or paradise? Few architectures are so utopian, and at the same time so real, as the garden is. Perhaps the etymology of the word can help us to know the reason why. Garden comes from Old French jart, whose meaning was 'orchard', which came from Old Low Franconian garda, 'enclosure', space that is delimited by a fence. It turns out that, if we trace the origin of the … [Read more...]
Water Architectures
Between Kuwait and Spain. The influence of modernity. “¡Várgame San Rafael, / tener el agua tan cerca / y no poderla beber!” [Help me San Rafael, being so close to water / and not being able to drink it!] These lines are now being sung by Rosalía, a young Spanish flamenco singer. But they were written 70 years ago, for a film, "La blanca paloma", and for … [Read more...]
New Corporate Identity of AGi architects
AGi architects presents its new corporate identity. During the last few months, together with the international design studio 2x4, we have followed a process of branding that ends this week with the presentation of our new website. The new identity has a very clear concept. "In between". In between Europe and the Middle East. In between the large scale and the … [Read more...]
Our new turnkey service: quality and comfort
The so-called "turnkey" contracts are receiving an increasingly better reception among clients when it comes to architectural projects. So, then, we want to explore all the nuances of the term and explain in detail how we have adapted to this reality of the market. A turnkey project is one whose design, construction and start-up only involves a contractor who will be in … [Read more...]
An allegation in favour of Brutalism
We already anticipated in a previous article the current situation of the constructions of the s. XX in relation to the architectural heritage and with regard to the its salvage. We talked about the ignorance on the importance of these works that often end with a demolition sentence because apparently on most occasions it's imposed temporality criteria rather than assessing … [Read more...]