Barcelona Institute of Architecture
Encyclopedia
The Barcelona Institute of Architecture (BIArch) is an international architectural postgraduate institute based in the city of Barcelona
. BIArch seeks to further interaction between academic research, specialized practice and the cultural dissemination of contemporary architecture. The Institute defines itself as an open laboratory for professionals and researchers that aims to promote new ways of designing and thinking about architecture.
.
The Casa Milà
, also known as “La Pedrera” is the official head office of the Barcelona Institute of Architecture. The building, designed by Antoni Gaudí
and completed in 1910, has belonged to the Caixa Catalunya and the headquarters of its Social Work since 1986. It also houses a major cultural center that is one of the city’s key reference points due to the various activities and exhibitions it organizes.
La Pedrera will house the Institute’s public activities, including Open Lectures and Dialogues. It will host the Critical Seminars, as well as the annual BIArch Advisory Council meeting.
. The Board of Directors is in charge of defining the academic structure and contents for the MBIArch program, as well as appointing faculty and overseeing the advancement of the Institute’s broader objectives. Other Board members include Iñaki Ábalos and Josep Acebillo
.
, Stan Allen
, Manuel Castells
, Yung Ho Chang
, Riken Yamamoto, Irina Korobina (head of the Center of Contemporary Architecture
, Moscow), Edward Soja
, and Ramon Prat (director of architectural publishing house Actar
), among others.
’s Social Work, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, the Architects’ Institute of Catalonia, the Barcelona City Council and the Zona Franca Consortium. Collaborators include the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Diputaciò de Barcelona.
The MBIArch curriculum is composed of five areas: Architectural Design; Territorial & Urban Studies; Digital Media; Theory, History & Criticism; Energy & Building Technologies. The first edition of the MBIArch program starts in September 2010.
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. BIArch seeks to further interaction between academic research, specialized practice and the cultural dissemination of contemporary architecture. The Institute defines itself as an open laboratory for professionals and researchers that aims to promote new ways of designing and thinking about architecture.
The Institute
The Barcelona Institute of Architecture is backed by a public-private foundation made up of financial, professional, academic and political institutions with the objective of continuing and extending the action-based discourse that has characterized architecture and urban planning practice in contemporary Barcelona. The Barcelona Institute of Architecture Foundation is presided by Narcís Serra, President of Caixa CatalunyaCaixa Catalunya
Caixa Catalunya, the trading name of Caixa d'Estalvis de Catalunya, was a Catalan savings bank headquartered in Barcelona, Catalonia. It was owned by the Barcelona Provincial Government . It was the fifth largest savings bank in Spain, and the second largest banking institution in Catalonia, after...
.
The Casa Milà
Casa Milà
Casa Milà , better known as La Pedrera , is a building designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built during the years 1905–1910, being considered officially completed in 1912...
, also known as “La Pedrera” is the official head office of the Barcelona Institute of Architecture. The building, designed by Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí i Cornet was a Spanish Catalan architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and are largely concentrated in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, notably his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família.Much of Gaudí's work was...
and completed in 1910, has belonged to the Caixa Catalunya and the headquarters of its Social Work since 1986. It also houses a major cultural center that is one of the city’s key reference points due to the various activities and exhibitions it organizes.
La Pedrera will house the Institute’s public activities, including Open Lectures and Dialogues. It will host the Critical Seminars, as well as the annual BIArch Advisory Council meeting.
Board of Directors
The Barcelona Institute of Architecture's Board of Directors is presided by Josep Lluis MateoJosep Lluis Mateo
Josep Lluís Mateo is a Spanish architect. Graduated in Architecture in 1974 from the ETSAB and gained his doctorate at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in 1994....
. The Board of Directors is in charge of defining the academic structure and contents for the MBIArch program, as well as appointing faculty and overseeing the advancement of the Institute’s broader objectives. Other Board members include Iñaki Ábalos and Josep Acebillo
Josep Acebillo
Josep Acebillo is a Spanish architect.Professor at the Architecture Academy Università della Svizzera Italiana .Member of the Board of Directors and Professor of ....
.
Advisory Council
The BIArch Advisory Council establishes a local and international framework for the Institute, through an extended academic and professional collaboration network. Members of the Advisory Council include David AdjayeDavid Adjaye
David Adjaye OBE is a British architect.-Early life:David Adjaye was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The son of a Ghanaian diplomat who has lived in Tanzania, Egypt, Yemen and Lebanon before moving to Britain at the age of nine, he led a privileged life and was privately educated...
, Stan Allen
Stan Allen
Stan Allen is an American architect, theorist and dean of the at Princeton University. He received a B.A. from Brown University, a B.Arch. from the Cooper Union and an M.Arch. from Princeton University and has worked in the offices of Richard Meier and Rafael Moneo. He was formerly the director,...
, Manuel Castells
Manuel Castells
Manuel Castells is a sociologist especially associated with information society and communication research....
, Yung Ho Chang
Yung Ho Chang
Yung Ho Chang is a Chinese-American architect and the Head Professor of MIT Architecture.He studied in Nanjing Institute of Technology before went to US. Then he received his M.Arch. from the University of California, Berkeley and taught in the US for 15 years before returning to Beijing to...
, Riken Yamamoto, Irina Korobina (head of the Center of Contemporary Architecture
Center of Contemporary Architecture
C:CA, the Center of contemporary architecture was founded in Moscow in 2001 by the Russian Academy for Architectural and Building Science, Moscow Architectural Institute , Moscow Art History Institute and Architectural Gallery as a cultural non-governmental organization.C:CA is focusing its...
, Moscow), Edward Soja
Edward Soja
Edward William Soja is a postmodern political geographer and urban planner on the faculty at UCLA, where he is Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning, and the London School of Economics. He has a Ph.D. from Syracuse University...
, and Ramon Prat (director of architectural publishing house Actar
ACTAR
ACTAR is part of ActarBirkhäuser is a publisher of books on architecture, graphic design, and contemporary art. It was founded in 1994 and is based in Barcelona....
), among others.
Board of Trustees
Members of the Institute's Board of Trustees include Caixa CatalunyaCaixa Catalunya
Caixa Catalunya, the trading name of Caixa d'Estalvis de Catalunya, was a Catalan savings bank headquartered in Barcelona, Catalonia. It was owned by the Barcelona Provincial Government . It was the fifth largest savings bank in Spain, and the second largest banking institution in Catalonia, after...
’s Social Work, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, the Architects’ Institute of Catalonia, the Barcelona City Council and the Zona Franca Consortium. Collaborators include the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Diputaciò de Barcelona.
MBIArch Post-Professional Master's Degree Program
The MBIArch Post-Professional Master's Degree Program is the academic core of the Barcelona Institute of Architecture. The MBIArch is centered on the professional training of architects who have an interest in developing a high level of specialization in theoretical research and the practical application of new technologies and techniques of design.The MBIArch curriculum is composed of five areas: Architectural Design; Territorial & Urban Studies; Digital Media; Theory, History & Criticism; Energy & Building Technologies. The first edition of the MBIArch program starts in September 2010.
External links
- Barcelona Institute of Architecture
- BIArch Blog Online journal of the Barcelona Institute of Architecture.