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Design Country: 5 Hot Spots
BY Hot Spots
BY Hot Spots
Design Country:5 Hot Spots in Spain
Hotel Marqués de Riscal
The landmark Marqués de Riscal Hotel nestled in the heart of the Rioja Alavesa wine region of Elciego, Spain is designed by none other than the enigmatic Frank Gehry, whose architectural style is at once surreal yet stylishly chic. The luxurious hotel, which at first glance surprises one with its bouquet of ribbon-like curves, opened in September of 2006 with only 43 exquisite rooms.
A forward statement in architecture resting languidly in the Ciudad del Vino (City of Wine), the hotel's key elements were to bridge its immediate landscape with its individual theme, and to communicate the feel of a 21st century luxury abode. One of the most interesting materials used in the building of the hotel's flowing facade is its colored titanium, in thick red and gold to “symbolize flowing wine or perhaps that of a flamenco dancer,” says Edwin Chan, project designer at Gehry Partners and senior designer on the hotel.
Although a project of smaller scale compared to the rest of Gehry's works, the magnificent hotel is anything but. Breathtakingly striking, this elegant abode compliments its rich surroundings and is worth the experience.
Top image courtesy of http://mike-danielle.com/Photos.php
Bottom image courtesy of http://lioninoil.net/blog/2007/11/19/marques-de-riscal-hotel/
Design Country:5 Hot Spots in Spain
Valencia Opera House
The proud, intensely dominating architecture and symbolic masterpiece that is the Valencia Opera House officially opened in October 2005. Its Valencia-born Spanish designer, Santiago Calatrava, poured a total of 14 years of heart and soul into the structure (9 years for construction). An immediately striking landmark, the opera house is one of the city's most prominent art centres. It houses a Main Hall which seats 1,800 guests, an Upper Auditorium for 1,700 which has the capabilities to host special musical events laced with optical effects, an Amphitheatre for 1,500 and numerous other facilities such as assembly workshops, rehearsals and Master Class rooms.
As the third largest city in Spain, Valencia's addition of the monolithic Opera House established the city as a serious hub for aspiring designers after trailling behind Madrid and Barcelona for years. Also known as 'El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia' after Queen Sofia who inaugurated the building, the 70m tall is royal in its own right as it rests within the City of Arts and Sciences complex.
At once a modern and futuristic fantasy set amongst culturally preserved architecture, the Valencia Opera House is still one of the most recognized theatres in the world, and attracting with it a constant flood of talent to the city with plenty of promise.
Top image courtesy of http://www.hickerphoto.com/spain-opera-forum-11250-pictures.htm
Bottom image courtesy of http://www.spain4uk.co.uk/places/valencia.htm
Design Country:5 Hot Spots in Spain
Café Gijón
Its unassumingly austere outlook belies a robust history one might not be aware of while passing it on the street on a sunny Madrid day.
Café Gijón has welcomed literary intellectuals into its cozy arms since it opened its doors in 1888. Its legacy involves having famous poets and novelists sip from its porcelain cups and dine from its plates, and also inspiring a 2001 poem titled Paseo hasta el Gijón: A stroll to Gijón Café by José Garcia Nieto.
Its long-enduring decor has seen little revision over the years and waxes nostalgia of famous artists and intellectuals alike. The cafe is looked upon as one of the city's most endearingly important establishments. It is certainly worth a look when in Madrid, amid the city's strengthening modernity and influence.
Top image courtesy of http://www.fotomadrid.com/ver/527
Bottom image courtesy of http://arielrubinstein.tau.ac.il/univ-coffee.html
Design Country:5 Hot Spots in Spain
Casa Batllo
An intriguingly designed building inspired by the shapes and colors of marine life, Casa Batllo is one of two great buildings in Barcelona, restored by architect Antoni Gaudi and Josep Maria Jujol.
Often compared to Monet's series of oil paintings “Water Lilies”, the facade comprises of broken glass and ceramic fragments meant to convey the effect of gently undulating waves of water. Also know as Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), the building originated as an apartment complex for a middle-class family and survives today at 43, Passeig de Gràcia.
Ostensibly imposing, one cannot help but stare in awe at the imaginative masterpiece that is Casa Batllo. As if one has stepped into a fantasy journey into the unknown or into a painting, the building is part of Barcelona's rich heritage of design and imagination. In essence, this building cannot be taken in at just one glance. The building's intricately wonderful waves and skeletal-like columns offers a beautiful view into its designer's complex ideal of beauty and challenge to the idea of modernity.
Top image courtesy of http://www.cambridge2000.com/gallery/html/PC1313006.html
Bottom image courtesy of http://www.cursos.org/cee/cas/ba06
Design Country:5 Hot Spots in Spain
Picasso Museum
One travels to Barcelona in search of romance, seeking beauty and to be inspired --- and one finds this experience at the Picasso Museum, which pays tribute to the legendary painter.
Unlike most museums, the idea for this museum originated from Picasso's life-long friend Jamie Sabartés, who himself held a collection of 574 piees of orginal Picasso work. Sabartés was the receipient of such gifts from Picasso, and eventually suggested the idea of a museum. The museum opened doors in 1963 and contained Sabartes' original collection, including several items that Picasso himself had given to the city of Barcelona, plus collections from various other collectors and art centres.
Today, the Barcelona Picasso Museum is home to the largest Picasso collection, with at least 3,500 pieces of the artist's works, the earliest of which dates back to his school days. Currently the Picasso Museum is undergoing an extensive make-over, with a re-opening scheduled for the first semester of 2008. One waits with bated breath for this momentous unveiling.
Top image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/newmediabrew/1116637840/
Bottom image courtesy of http://www.cs.cmu.edu/%7Emalin/pictures/berlin2003/picasso/picassoCeiling.jpg
...................................................................................
TRAVEL ALBUM: DESIGN COUNTRY publishes the essential photography subjects of a city. As they say, architecture landmarks denote the progressing development of a city. Design in each and every city speaks in different languages and dances to different cultures. A lot of cities are growing in the design realm but no one would know about this development but the travelers and the locals themselves. Only. The exciting quirks and electrifying eccentricity of Everyday Product, Design Schools, Designers, Resources, Hotels/Buildings, Design Studios/Personalities, Local Galleries, Museums, etc, are found in both secret and obvious places of the city.
We miss out on these simple things during travel or simply during our busy lifestyle in our own city. So the next time you travel, think of TRAVEL ALBUM: DESIGN COUNTRY.
Design in Progress: Spain. How Design a Country is Spain? We find out...
We talk to 2 amazing groups to watch out for in Spain. Who are they? Design Country: Talent Spotlight -Read more on these rising design stars.
...................................................................................
© 2003 - 2008 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.
Hotel Marqués de Riscal
The landmark Marqués de Riscal Hotel nestled in the heart of the Rioja Alavesa wine region of Elciego, Spain is designed by none other than the enigmatic Frank Gehry, whose architectural style is at once surreal yet stylishly chic. The luxurious hotel, which at first glance surprises one with its bouquet of ribbon-like curves, opened in September of 2006 with only 43 exquisite rooms.
A forward statement in architecture resting languidly in the Ciudad del Vino (City of Wine), the hotel's key elements were to bridge its immediate landscape with its individual theme, and to communicate the feel of a 21st century luxury abode. One of the most interesting materials used in the building of the hotel's flowing facade is its colored titanium, in thick red and gold to “symbolize flowing wine or perhaps that of a flamenco dancer,” says Edwin Chan, project designer at Gehry Partners and senior designer on the hotel.
Although a project of smaller scale compared to the rest of Gehry's works, the magnificent hotel is anything but. Breathtakingly striking, this elegant abode compliments its rich surroundings and is worth the experience.
Top image courtesy of http://mike-danielle.com/Photos.php
Bottom image courtesy of http://lioninoil.net/blog/2007/11/19/marques-de-riscal-hotel/
Design Country:5 Hot Spots in Spain
Valencia Opera House
The proud, intensely dominating architecture and symbolic masterpiece that is the Valencia Opera House officially opened in October 2005. Its Valencia-born Spanish designer, Santiago Calatrava, poured a total of 14 years of heart and soul into the structure (9 years for construction). An immediately striking landmark, the opera house is one of the city's most prominent art centres. It houses a Main Hall which seats 1,800 guests, an Upper Auditorium for 1,700 which has the capabilities to host special musical events laced with optical effects, an Amphitheatre for 1,500 and numerous other facilities such as assembly workshops, rehearsals and Master Class rooms.
As the third largest city in Spain, Valencia's addition of the monolithic Opera House established the city as a serious hub for aspiring designers after trailling behind Madrid and Barcelona for years. Also known as 'El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia' after Queen Sofia who inaugurated the building, the 70m tall is royal in its own right as it rests within the City of Arts and Sciences complex.
At once a modern and futuristic fantasy set amongst culturally preserved architecture, the Valencia Opera House is still one of the most recognized theatres in the world, and attracting with it a constant flood of talent to the city with plenty of promise.
Top image courtesy of http://www.hickerphoto.com/spain-opera-forum-11250-pictures.htm
Bottom image courtesy of http://www.spain4uk.co.uk/places/valencia.htm
Design Country:5 Hot Spots in Spain
Café Gijón
Its unassumingly austere outlook belies a robust history one might not be aware of while passing it on the street on a sunny Madrid day.
Café Gijón has welcomed literary intellectuals into its cozy arms since it opened its doors in 1888. Its legacy involves having famous poets and novelists sip from its porcelain cups and dine from its plates, and also inspiring a 2001 poem titled Paseo hasta el Gijón: A stroll to Gijón Café by José Garcia Nieto.
Its long-enduring decor has seen little revision over the years and waxes nostalgia of famous artists and intellectuals alike. The cafe is looked upon as one of the city's most endearingly important establishments. It is certainly worth a look when in Madrid, amid the city's strengthening modernity and influence.
Top image courtesy of http://www.fotomadrid.com/ver/527
Bottom image courtesy of http://arielrubinstein.tau.ac.il/univ-coffee.html
Design Country:5 Hot Spots in Spain
Casa Batllo
An intriguingly designed building inspired by the shapes and colors of marine life, Casa Batllo is one of two great buildings in Barcelona, restored by architect Antoni Gaudi and Josep Maria Jujol.
Often compared to Monet's series of oil paintings “Water Lilies”, the facade comprises of broken glass and ceramic fragments meant to convey the effect of gently undulating waves of water. Also know as Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), the building originated as an apartment complex for a middle-class family and survives today at 43, Passeig de Gràcia.
Ostensibly imposing, one cannot help but stare in awe at the imaginative masterpiece that is Casa Batllo. As if one has stepped into a fantasy journey into the unknown or into a painting, the building is part of Barcelona's rich heritage of design and imagination. In essence, this building cannot be taken in at just one glance. The building's intricately wonderful waves and skeletal-like columns offers a beautiful view into its designer's complex ideal of beauty and challenge to the idea of modernity.
Top image courtesy of http://www.cambridge2000.com/gallery/html/PC1313006.html
Bottom image courtesy of http://www.cursos.org/cee/cas/ba06
Design Country:5 Hot Spots in Spain
Picasso Museum
One travels to Barcelona in search of romance, seeking beauty and to be inspired --- and one finds this experience at the Picasso Museum, which pays tribute to the legendary painter.
Unlike most museums, the idea for this museum originated from Picasso's life-long friend Jamie Sabartés, who himself held a collection of 574 piees of orginal Picasso work. Sabartés was the receipient of such gifts from Picasso, and eventually suggested the idea of a museum. The museum opened doors in 1963 and contained Sabartes' original collection, including several items that Picasso himself had given to the city of Barcelona, plus collections from various other collectors and art centres.
Today, the Barcelona Picasso Museum is home to the largest Picasso collection, with at least 3,500 pieces of the artist's works, the earliest of which dates back to his school days. Currently the Picasso Museum is undergoing an extensive make-over, with a re-opening scheduled for the first semester of 2008. One waits with bated breath for this momentous unveiling.
Top image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/newmediabrew/1116637840/
Bottom image courtesy of http://www.cs.cmu.edu/%7Emalin/pictures/berlin2003/picasso/picassoCeiling.jpg
...................................................................................
TRAVEL ALBUM: DESIGN COUNTRY publishes the essential photography subjects of a city. As they say, architecture landmarks denote the progressing development of a city. Design in each and every city speaks in different languages and dances to different cultures. A lot of cities are growing in the design realm but no one would know about this development but the travelers and the locals themselves. Only. The exciting quirks and electrifying eccentricity of Everyday Product, Design Schools, Designers, Resources, Hotels/Buildings, Design Studios/Personalities, Local Galleries, Museums, etc, are found in both secret and obvious places of the city.
We miss out on these simple things during travel or simply during our busy lifestyle in our own city. So the next time you travel, think of TRAVEL ALBUM: DESIGN COUNTRY.
Design in Progress: Spain. How Design a Country is Spain? We find out...
We talk to 2 amazing groups to watch out for in Spain. Who are they? Design Country: Talent Spotlight -Read more on these rising design stars.
...................................................................................
© 2003 - 2008 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.
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