The works of Fernando García Mercadal over time

Descripción de las obras más representativas del arquitecto Fernando García Mercadal, incluyendo el estado de conservación y el grado de protección de sus edificios. A la vez, se exponen algunas de las claves que aclaran las razones de las alteraciones, mutilaciones, ampliaciones o derribos sufridos a lo largo del tiempo.Description of the flagship works of the architect Fernando García Mercadal, with an indication of the state of conservation and degree of protection of his buildings. Some of the main reasons are also given for the alterations, mutilations, enlargements and demolitions suffered over time

An unpublished legacy of Antonio Rubio Marín (1884-1980), an architect between Aragon and Madrid

Este documento se considera que es un capítulo de libro en lugar de un congresoAn unpublished legacy of the architect Antonio Rubio Marín has been found in the library of the University of Alcalá. He was an important an architect of the first half of the twentieth century in Madrid and Aragon, being responsible in Zaragoza for the Post Office building and the Grand Hotel. Still in a state of certain abandonment, the legacy has great interest for its documentary quality, being a fairly complete set of the activity of an architect of the early twentieth century. Antonio Rubio combined other notable merits, such as his training as a mathematician and cartographer, or his work as dean of the College of Architects of Madrid between 1948 and 1954. The inventory and cataloging process of the material found by researchers from the School of Architecture of the University of Alcala is currently being carried out, with the collaboration of his family and those responsible for the archiving of the same University. The legacy contains an important variety of drawings of different types. Most of them are freehand drawings in ink, in different formats and supports, high-lighting large format ones using watercolors. These drawings are of great inter-est as they are a project commissioned by the city of Zaragoza in which the proposal included the square and the Basílica del Pilar. All these documents show the work of a not very well known architect, but of undoubted value through his interesting drawings

The preservation of the architectural heritage of the twentieth century: the laminar structures of reinforced concrete.

The beginning of the 20th century brought a new typology of architecture based on the use of geometrical laws of nature, the use of a new material such as reinforced concrete, and the use of plastic calculus as a tool to mold continuous, adirectional structures, such as the long cylindrical shells of Eduardo Torroja or the hyperbolic paraboloids shells of Felix Candela. This type of architecture allowed the creation of large diaphanous spaces of great plastic beauty due to its close connection with the laws of nature that generates them. Little more than 100 years later we see how the necessary legal protection has not been given to these buildings to consider them part of the heritage and we are witnessing a process of disappearance of most of the structures that have defined an important period of modern architecture. From this research we have made an inventory of the main structures made with these techniques and their state of preservation today and the possible measures for their possible rehabilitation, and real or virtual reconstruction through the use of digital tools, 3D scanners or lifting using photography, and especially its inclusion in the catalogs of buildings that are part of the architectural and cultural heritage. The process culminates with the possible construction on a real scale of the models lost by digital manufacturing systems or the diffusion through augmented reality

Nuevas herramientas gráficas para el análisis espacial y el diseño de hospitales

La aplicación de conceptos matemáticos al diseño arquitectónico suele ser un proceso intuitivo. La topología en particular ha resultado ser especialmente útil en las fases iniciales del proyecto, cuando se determina la ubicación de los usos y los recorridos.La topología también ofrece múltiples posibilidades en los casos en que no es necesaria una definición dimensional, sino satisfacer ciertas propiedades como la adyacencia, la inclusión, etc. En consecuencia, resulta una herramienta útil y versátil cuando se trata de estudiar y comparar relaciones espaciales en varias soluciones de proyecto. Conceptos como contigüidad, conectividad o intersección se pueden aplicar directamente a los esquemas de planta para efectuar su dimensionamiento posteriormente. El manejo de estos conceptos mediante programas informáticos se venía realizando con los sistemas de información geográfica (SIG) a una escala esencialmente territorial, pero actualmente se han integrado en los procesos de la proyectación arquitectónica a través de los modelos de información de los edificios (BIM).Actualmente el diseño de hospitales y de otras instalaciones asistenciales se beneficia de la aplicación de la topología desde las primeras fases de proyecto. Esto se debe, por una parte, a su elevada complejidad como corresponde a sus exigencias técnicas, funcionales y de equipamiento, que requieren un alto grado de especialización. Pero la topología también resulta útil en el difícil diseño de los recorridos interiores y exteriores tanto para los usuarios como para la logística, pues pone de manifiesto los puntos conflictivos y los riesgos asociados.Mathematical concepts applied to architectural design, arise frequently from intuition. Among them, topology has proved to be particularly useful in the previous stages of the architectural projects, when location of uses and itineraries is defined. On the other hand, topology brings lots of possibilities in these phases where no dimensional definition is needed, but just to satisfy some topological properties. It becomes then a powerful easy tool to show and analyse different solutions through their spatial relationships. Concepts as continuity, connectedness, intersection, or inclusion, can be directly applied to layout schemes, setting the basis to further dimensioning. These concepts were traditionally managed and carried out in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and now can be applied to the architectural design processes by means of the Building Information Modelling (BIM). As a particular application, the architectural design of hospitals and other healthcare facilities benefits directly from topology. This is due, firstly, to their high complexity derived from their particular technical, functional, and instrumental constraints. Secondly, topology becomes helpful to design the inner and outer itineraries of both people and logistics, paying attention to the specific problems derived from transfer points, pollution risks, and intersections.Ministerio de Economía y Competitivida

Brussels World’s Fair, a change of course for Huarte construction company

En 1927 se fundó la constructora Huarte y Cía., una de las más activas y emprendedoras del país durante casi 60 años. A mediados de los años 50 se produjo un cambio generacional en la dirección de la empresa en el momento en que el mundo se preparaba para la Exposición Universal de Bruselas de 1958. Aunque Huarte no consiguió hacerse responsable de la estructura del pabellón español, sí pudo asumir la fabricación del mobiliario diseñado por los arquitectos Corrales y Molezún. La experiencia resultó trascendental para los empresarios pues supuso el primer contacto con varios de los mejores arquitectos y artistas del país, embrión de lo que más tarde sería entendido como el "grupo Huarte", sobre el que ejercerían su intensa labor de mecenazgo. Bruselas fue un punto de inflexión en su desarrollo empresarial, pues consiguió ampliar sus intereses más allá de lo estrictamente constructivo, de tal forma que la promoción de edificios de gran calidad se convirtió en uno de sus objetivos principales.One of the most active and entrepreneurial companies in Spain, the construction company Huarte y Cía., was founded in 1927, working without interruption for almost 60 years. In 1958 a generation renewal took place in the company management, simul-taneously with the Brussels World’s Fair. Huarte took over the manufacture of furniture for the Spanish pavilion, designed by its architects Corrales and Molezun. It happened to be a decisive experience for it was Huarte’s first contact with several of the best architects and artists in the country, embryo of what would later be understood as the ‘Huarte group’, on which they would exer-cise their intense patronage. Brussels was a turning point in its business development, extending its interests further on the strictly constructive activities, in such a way that the promotion of high-quality buildings -’Torres Blancas’, the ‘White City’ in Alcudia or many others- became one of its main objectives

Nuevas consideraciones en torno a la señalética y el color para incrementar el bienestar en los espacios hospitalarios.

El presente análisis de la adecuación y funcionalidad del sistema señalético y del empleo del color en los hospitales públicos españoles tiene por objeto proponer una mejora en el confort y estado de ánimo de sus visitantes. Con frecuencia nos olvidamos que un buen diseño arquitectónico, más allá de su capacidad por organizar adecuadamente unos espacios, puede proporcionar bienestar a sus usuarios solo teniendo en cuenta una serie de medidas relacionadas con las percepciones sensoriales. Luz, color, relación visual entre el interior y el exterior, orientación y comodidad en los desplazamientos, o adecuación y proporcionalidad espacial en función de los usos, son algunos de los factores que inciden en la tranquilidad de los usuarios.The aim of the analysis about the suitability and functionality of the signaling system and the application of color in Spanish public healthcare facilities is to detect anomalies and, consequently, to propose improvements in the comfort and state of mind of its visitors. We often forget that a good architectural design, beyond its ability to properly organize spaces, can provide well-being to its users taking into account a series of measures related to sensory perceptions. Light, color, visual relationship between exterior and interior spaces, orientation and comfort in the displacements, or adequacy and spatial proportionality depending on the uses, are some of the factors that affect the tranquility of the users.Ministerio de Economía y Competitivida

New Learning Tools in Architectural Education: Audiovisual media and the promotion of creativity in modern propaedeutics

COCA I Congreso internacional en Comunicación Arquitectónica - E.T.S. Arquitectura, 17/05/2017-19/05/2017, Madrid, EspañaEl objetivo de esta comunicación pretende reivindicar el empleo de los nuevos soportes audiovisuales en el proceso de aprendizaje de las asignaturas gráficas en las escuelas de arquitectura. La fotografía y el vídeo empiezan a estar consolidadas como medios habituales, pero habría que incorporar nuevos soportes instrumentales, como el stop motion, la fotonovela o los vídeojuegos, por su valor como innovadoras herramientas docentes y pedagógicas. Partimos del supuesto que nuestros alumnos son capaces de manejar un gran número de herramientas digitales capaces de facilitar la transmisión de los conocimientos más adecuados en el proceso de aprendizaje y potenciando al mismo tiempo sus capacidades experimentales y expresivas. En ningún caso entendemos que deban abandonarse las herramientas tradicionales aun plenamente activas en nuestras escuelas. Se presentan algunas experiencias obtenidas a través de una serie de ejercicios propuestos en "Análisis de Formas Arquitectónicas II", asignatura impartida en la Escuela de Arquitectura de la Universidad de Alcalá. Su carácter experimental nos ha llevado a reflexionar acerca del valor de la innovación pedagógica desde la óptica de las destrezas gráfico-analíticas adquiridas por nuestros alumnos.The aim of this paper is to claim the use of new audiovisual media in the learning process of graphic subjects in architecture schools. Photography and video are already established as usual means of expression, but it would be necessary to incorporate the new present instrumental supports, such as stop motion, photo-romance, or video games, for their value as optimal teaching and pedagogical tools. We assume that our students are able to handle a large number of digital tools, providing the transmission of the most adequate knowledge in the learning process, and at the same time enhancing their experimental and expressive capacities. In no case do we understand that traditional tools –still fully active in our schools should be abandoned. We present some experiences obtained through a series of proposed exercises in ‘Análisis de Formas II’ subject, taught at the School of Architecture of the University of Alcala. Its experimental character has led us to reflect on the value of pedagogical innovation from the perspective of the graphic-analytical skills acquired by our students

The influence of G. Kazinczy in the structural analysis of long cylindrical roof shells

This work is devoted to the study of the beam method in cylindrical shells from a mathematical point of view. We mainly focus on the methodological contribution by the engineer G. Kazinczy, well known by his influence on the Theory of Plasticity, in order to illustrate the structural calculation of long cylindrical reinforced concrete roof shells. Kazinczy"s methodological contribution to their structural calculation was developed at a time when attempts were being made to make computations in a rigorous manner, applying the mathematical mechanism of the theory of elasticity. The method is more feasible than the analytical method from the computational point of view, and it is based on the study of various states of equilibrium used by Kazinczy in his analysis of these structures

Estudio colorimétrico de la fachada del colegio de San Ildefonso. Alcalá de Henares

ReUSO 2017 Congreso Internacional, Granada, 19/10/2017-21/10/2017, Granada, Españ