Carme Pinós: Recent Works
Laura Belik on the Arts + Design Mondays @ BAMPFA | Public (Re)Assembly talk series
Carme Pinós: Recent Works on April 2, 2018
Acclaimed Spanish architect and recent Berkeley-Rupp Prize recipient Carme Pinós shared some of her work and thoughts on architecture with a packed audience that Monday night at BAMPFA. “The first part of this talk, I will talk about the city. The second part will be about structures.” Pinós explained how she approached her projects, and the selections she had made for that talk.
Her approach to the “city” started with an aerial view of Barcelona, and her preliminary studies on what would later become the “Restoration of the back façade of La Boquería Market” (2007 – 2015). It is interesting to perceive how Pinós emphasizes the need for us to understand public spaces within the city and their current uses, contextualizing those relationships that should later be expressed in her own renovations and projects as well. Pinós also explained her relationship with the idea of perspectives/point of view being the way the city provides us specific frames within the space. Acknowledging these existing perspectives is an important design strategy and inspiration for Pinós. The architects’ perceptions and sensibility for the existing factors of the site is what adds poetics to her spaces.
“I want to make a project that follows the movement of people”, Pinós incorporates these flows within the Boquería’s roofing, making space for air and light to enter the Market. This was also strategic for maintaining a certain relationship of closer dimensions within the surroundings. While Pinós admits that buildings do have a sculptural value, she also makes sure that the spaces are cohesive with its location’s atmosphere. “I did not want to impose”, she mentioned referring to how she wanted to make sure her buildings were in dialogue with the constructions and spaces around them.
The second part of her lecture, Pinós presented “Cube I Office Tower in Guadalajara (Mexico)” (2002 – 2005). In this session, as she previously mentioned, the inspiration was focused on the structure itself. She explained how the building can take shape through its form, being an expression of it. In this case, since the project was conceived in a more isolated area away from the urban fabric, the architect had the opportunity to explore its forms and volumes with more freedom. Models played an important role in this design process, understanding the structure’s spatial configurations.
To finalize her talk, Pinós shared her work and experience designing “Caixaforum Museum, Auditorium and Cultural Center in Zaragoza” (2008 – 2014). It was interesting to see how in this case, the architect incorporated both spatial connections that the particular location represented within the city’s plan, associating neighborhoods with different histories; and how the design’s form and structure were extremely important to make these ideas visible. Starting by elevating the museum space, making the ground floor’s passage free, Pinós guaranteed visual and physical connections to happen. This also configured a space for visitors to decompress in between exhibitions. Caixaforum’s design also had a special sculptural tone to it, and once again working with models to understand the form and dimensions of the building was essential. “The geometry is very simple, but in a way, every corner has its meaning”, Pinós reflected over her meticulous strategies that made those spaces unique. Looking around the auditorium, people sketching inspired by Pinós’ ideas could not reflect on this presentation any better.
Laura Belik (PhD Student, Architecture) reviewed the April 2nd talk, Carme Pinós: Recent Works, as part of the Spring 2018 Arts + Design Mondays @ BAMPFA series. To learn more about the series, see below:
What is the role of public assembly in our current moment? And to what degree are new models necessary to respond artistically and technologically to our political climate? After a highly successful launch of Arts + Design Mondays @ BAMPFA in Spring 2017, Berkeley Arts + Design is pleased to present a new suite of exciting lectures that explore the theme of “public (re) assembly” from a variety of perspectives. The word assembly carries a range of associations. It challenges us to think about the democratic right to assemble; it recalls the artistic history of assemblage. It provokes us to imagine new systems of arrangement that respond to a digital age. It asks to consider how UC Berkeley might re-imagine the “school assembly” as a site of social transformation. Learn more here.