Rafael Moneo

was born in Navarra, Spain in 1937. He graduated in 1961 from the Escuela de Arquitectura in Madrid after which he worked in the Denmark office of Jorn Utzon for two years. he then worked as an assistant at the Academia de Espana until 1965 when he established a private practice in Madrid. his professional life is divided into teaching and architectural practice, mainly in Spain and in the US. yesterday, at Instituto Cervantes in Berlin, he presented three project he built in the recent years in America. the projects reminded me of my years in the university, the late 90's, coherent plans and sections, the aesthetics of the structure and the forms that follow function. you could definitely tell that Moneo doesn't follow contemporary design trends (which he describes as short-life architecture). Instead, he produces buildings with influences of Nordic or Dutch design mixed with his own historic traditions, trying to maintain the competence of architecture.

Beyond Architecture

is a book that documents the creative exploration of architecture and urban propositions in the contemporary arts. the projects collected in this book demonstrate how not only architects and designers, but also artists are taking architecture as a starting point for experimentation. they range from performance, installation art and crafted sculptures to architectural models, alternative ideas for living spaces and furniture, as well as illustration, painting, collage and photography. through stunning photography, visuals and complementary texts, these visionary concepts reveal the hidden creative potential for architecture and urban environments in inventive ways. some of the works are really interesting and they had and will have a place of honour in this blog.
in this hard times for architects all over the world, that book shows that there is an alternative. so just dust your old conceptual models and photoshop collages and make art out of it!
Editors: Robert Klanten, Lukas Feireiss
source: Gestalten