BCN Saturday Adventures 04

number 04 - Igualada Cemetery


When I think of Enric Miralles and the legacy he left I feel that Architecture suffered a great loss when he died at the age of 55 in 2000. This feeling was driven deep on a visit to Igualada Cemetery, designed by himself and Carme Pinos, where he is buried.


The cemetery is in a sad state of unfinished and aged disrepair - it has been awaiting completion since 1994, when the second phase of construction was stopped, and has since started to weather, rust and emulsify...

Scars and bruises in the concrete give testimony to an abandoned existence... A dilapidated beauty, but a sad one nonetheless, it wouldn't have been any less beautiful had it been completed and properly looked after.


There are countless lovely details to find, sketch and photograph. Curves and lines that shout Miralles' name...



Even on All Saints' Day (when most Catholics visit the dead) the place is very quiet, with no supervision, you can even walk around the autopsy theatres which are left open, unfinished...


Miralles' tomb is a homage to the great man.
Architecture enthusiasts from all over the world have scribbled messages in all languages and drawn little sketches for him. It is amazing, especially when you consider the fact that there is nothing much else to see in Igualada, and it is a long journey from Barcelona, which is presumably where most people came from.

Lesser mortals are buried in large retaining walls, as they do in other Spanish cemeteries. I find the idea of being sandwiched between other graves, in all directions, for all eternity a bit disturbing and claustrophobic. But it does make for some nice repetition...


And repetition is another of the Architects' fortes...

This is why I feel sad when I'm in Malta

White Rocks Complex, Malta

Young, Gifted and Unemployed…

“it took me a long time to get young and now I consider myself young. And I'm proud of it. I'm proud that I'm young… It is not an old peoples' world”
(Bob Dylan at the Bill of Rights Dinner, 1963)

Whilst Foster, Gehry and co. are busy writing lists of their most dispensable employees we all find ourselves on a level playing field. Fellow students, we have advantages! – we’ve nothing to lose, nobody to lay off, we’re young with free time, energy and new ideas! What’s everybody complaining about?

This recession is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for. Pull up your sails and fly ahead single-handedly in your little boat past all the sinking super-yachts. Now is the time to be optimistic, work hard, take risks and shape the times to come.

...Not sure where to start?
Initiate change: Start an ideas competition.
Travel and learn: Apply for a travel scholarship.
Write: Apply for journalistic jobs, start your own magazine, a blog.
Work with friends in different fields: Design sets for film, theatre…
Build: Volunteer for construction work in developing countries.
Teach: Learn from others.

Planning Anarchy

The Caravan Village Għadira, Malta

I always find it amusing that Maltese people have Summerhouses in Malta. How far away could you possibly ever be from the sea? (Not more than a 15-20 minute drive)... Or from your Winterhouse? (Not more than a 40 minute drive).


To the north of the island, by one of the largest sandy beaches, there's a Caravan Village. Every Summer around 200 families move to this green neighbourhood, and every Summer they repaint their homes (they must do, because the paintwork is pristine) in various, particular shades of pea green (pea-soup, frozen-peas, pea-pie, pastizzi pea, fresh peas, mushy-peas,...)


I find myself drawn to its mysterious existence in such a prime location and its well-kept, favela-like style. I've never seen such well-kept shacks anywhere else in the world, surely this is some sort of monument to the house-proud Maltese people.


This would be a great location for a Wes Anderson film, there are so many Wes Anderson-style shots to be taken...

Originally people used to camp on the beaches during the Summer. Eventually they were cleared (for “hygienic purposes”) to their present site, across the road. What started out as a small group of campers grew into its present size without much objection, because this helped increase the number of local supporters for the then government. Today the Caravan Village has water, electricity, its own church, saint and festa - the fundamental requirements of any Maltese town or village.


Most people hate the place. Whenever I ask about it the response is always of the same kind: angry, mumbled remarks about its very existence being an example of the failings of the Maltese Government and MEPA (the planning authority). In my opinion they have signed off much worse things, I think this is an example of how interesting architecture without architects and planners could be. The residents have a much better flare for design than I’ve ever seen MEPA show – they understand concepts like matching colours, building heights, continuity in neighbouring facades – concepts that the Planning Authority of Malta clearly still struggle to understand.


More proof to help back up my favourite argument - Down with the Planning Authority... Lets just go for complete Planning Anarchy! That way everybody can do whatever they want, and not just those with political weight or money. I’m sure some interesting things will be born of Planning Anarchy, and besides when I look around the island I don’t really feel like we have anything to lose…