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For many architects the goal is to build something new, for Miralles it was about regenerating the old
T O T H E
ROLAND HALBE
FUTURE
T
The unique urban regeneration style of ALEX GAULTIER
Spanish architecture firm EMBT is showing
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SIGN
| ISSUE ELEVEN 2015
ISSUE ELEVEN 2015 | SIGN
ALEJANDRO QUEVEDO
ALEX GAULTIER
into the new
HISAO SUZUKI & MARCELA GRASSI
how to make the old
he architect Enric Miralles was fascinated by fixing things. For many architects the goal is to build something new, for Miralles it was about regenerating the old. Miralles was born in 1955 in Barcelona, a city where architectural gems – from Gothic churches to Modernist houses – are found at every turn. The city’s major regeneration in the run-up to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics turned his focus to regeneration and in 1994 he established EMBT with Benedetta Tagliabue. EMBT has always placed special emphasis on the coherence between the built environment and the public space and its Santa Caterina Market project from 1997 is a perfect example of this. Set in the old quarter of Barcelona, EMBT reorganised the interior distribution of the market creating service systems, public spaces and links to public transport. It also incorporated residential property, while paying close attention to the unique history and context of the site. The incorporation of public space and market place combined with residential housing, integrated all activities of the neighbourhood, ensuring the social structures of the area not only remained but were further enhanced. “When you are working on the fringe you can decide what side of the line you are standing on, Top: Exterior of the Santa Caterina Market. Middle: Interior of the market. Left: Architects Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue
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