Construction Grinds to a Halt Burdened by a meltdown in its overheated real estate market, Spain has been severely affected by the world financial crisis, and its architects are feeling the pinch. The boom in housing construction, fueled over the past decade by low European Union interest rates, was dealt a fatal blow by the crisis this past fall. According to the Madrid College of Architects, a professional association, permits for new construction virtually came to a halt in 2008. Paloma Sabrini, head of the organization, estimates that at a national level, the market will require three years to absorb

Steven Holl Photo courtesy Steven Holl Architects The first edition of the BBVA Foundation’s Frontiers of Knowledge Prize in the Arts, sponsored by the Spanish bank BBVA, has been awarded to American architect Steven Holl. The 400,000 euro prize (roughly US $500,000), whose announcement surprised even Holl, is a another sign of the apparent good health of the Spanish banking system, following the BBVA's recent announcement of a new headquarters building by Herzog and De Meuron. The jury cited for distinction “the humanistic values that Steven Holl has preserved in his work, promoting social and cultural fundamentals without sacrificing his

Project Specs POPS Arcadia, Oklahoma Elliott + Associates Architects << Return to article the People Owner:  POPS, L. P. Architect: Elliott + Associates Architects 35 Harrison Avenue Oklahoma City, Oklahoma  73104 405.232.9554 – telephone 405.232.9997 - fax Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit: Rand Elliott, FAIA – Principal-in-charge David Poerio, Assoc. AIA – Project Manager Sam Moore, NCARB Interior designer: Elliott + Associates Architects Engineer(s):  Grossman & Keith Engineering (Civil & Waste Water Aerobic System) Eudaley Engineering (Structural) PSA Engineers (MEP) Design Engineers (Non-municipal, public well) Terracon (soils) Coon Engineering (Flood Revision Map) Consultant(s): Landscape:       Elliott

Project Specs Petter Dass Museum Alstahaug, Norway Snøhetta << Return to article the People Architect Snøhetta www.snohetta.com Project Team: Project Architects: Tarald Lundevall, Maria Svaland Principal Architects: Craig Dykers, Kjetil Thorsen Architects: Jim Dodson, Ellen Heier, Tom Holtmann, Bartec Milewski, Andreas Nygaard, Astrid Van Veen   Interior Architect: Snøhetta Interior Architect: Heidi Pettersvold   Landscape Architect: Snøhetta Landscape Architects: Lars Jørstad Nordbye, Jenny Osuldsen   Engineer(s): Structural Engineering: Norconsult AS v/ Frank Jacobsen Engineering Geology: Norconsult v/ Arild Neby Engineering Lighting: Ingeniør Per Rasmussen AS v/ Per Einar Skog MEP Engineering: VVSplan AS v/ Lars Beck FEDRA: Norconsult AS v/

Project Specs Museum of the Roman Theater of Cartagena Cartagena, Spain José Rafael Moneo << Return to article the People Architect José Rafael Moneo Project architect: Juan Manuel Nicás Collaborators: Carla Bovio Angel Huertas Suanzes Engineer(s) Structural engineer: NB 35 Jesús Jiménez Cañas Mechanical Engineer: Úrculo Ingenieros Model  makers: Estudio Rafael Moneo   the Products

Project Specs BIP Computer Building Santiago, Chile Mozó & Pontavice Studio << Return to article the People Architect: Mozó & Pontavice Studio Design team: Alberto Mozó, Francisca Cifuentes, Mauricio Leal Engineers: Juan Lopez Ingenieros (structural); Gastón Villaroel (electrical) General contractor: Arauco + Constructora Photographer: © Cristobal Palma   the Products Structural System: The principal materials is Pine wood (laminated) the Company name is Arauco S.A The glass company is  www.glasstech.cl , and we used a double glass panel. Inside or beetween both galsses ( windows) we put a kind of polyester wool, we called napa and we use it in

Located on the Mediterranean coast almost 300 miles southeast of Madrid, the port city of Cartagena is rich in a history that dates back more than 2,000 years, when it was a stronghold of ancient Carthage.

A wheel-shaped tower rises out of a “carpet” of low-rise offices and gardens in Herzog and de Meuron’s design for the new Madrid headquarters of BBVA, Spain’s second largest bank. With over 800,000 square feet of office space for 6,500 employees, construction of the building will begin this year on a 22-acre site in the city’s northern suburbs. The project is scheduled for completion in 2013. Images courtesy BBVA Herzog and de Meuron have designed the new Madrid headquarters of BBVA, Spain's second largest bank. Construction is scheduled to begin this year. In their project brief, the architects describe the

Beyond the ephemeral glitter of a world's fair, the 2008 Zaragoza Expo, which runs through September 14th in the northern Spanish city, is architecturally memorable for only two or three innovative buildings. The compact 60-acre site along the Ebro River is designed to become a future urban district. Pavilions for participating countries (missing are Britain, Canada and the USA) and Spain's regions recede into the background with organic forms discretely designed by the Spanish firm ACXT. A landmark Water Tower structure by Enrique de Teresa, though organized as a double spiral of ramps around its central void, looks like an