Alberto Veiga The co-founder of internationally acclaimed architecture firm Barozzi Veiga emphasizes that the principle of “sentimental monumentality” guides the approach to the project. Founded in Barcelona in 2004, the practice has been commissioned for a wide range of public and private projects, mainly focusing on cultural, civic and educational structures. Alberto will be a keynote speaker at the 2024 Australian Architecture Conference, discussing the firm’s current and built projects, as well as its design approach and practice methodology.
Barozzi Veiga’s projects are highly acclaimed and have won numerous national and international competitions. Notable buildings include the Ribera del Duero Headquarters (2011), the Infanta Elena Auditorium in Águilas (2011), the Szczecin Philharmonic Hall (2014), the Bundner Museum in Chur (2016), and the Lagenhaus in Bruneck. There is a music school (2018), a museum, and more. Lausanne Cantonal Museum (2019), Zurich Tanzhaus (2019), two artist ateliers in London (2021), and the Aesop Store in Barcelona (2022).
Veiga explained that a key part of the appeal of exhibition competitions is that the concept comes entirely from and belongs to practice, rather than being heavily driven by outside influences. Additionally, public projects allow practices to give something back by creating experiences that impact the residents and visitors of a place, he said.
“Our profession is like a public service because it has the potential to impact many people.When you design public buildings, your job is for the residents, so you have to make sure that they fit together in a perfect circle.” “I feel like we can give back through public works, like libraries, museums, and small schools, and that makes us feel really good,” he said.
Alberto compared participating in a design contest to going to the gym and suggested that contests serve as an effective training ground for designers to improve and refine their designs and design approaches. “As for the competition, well, we often lose. But it’s still very much worth participating in. To understand where the ideas we propose stand in comparison to others, we recommend Of course, sometimes you need to win. [in a financial sense] But contests are the best way we’ve found to improve our work,” he said.
Throughout the design process, the company takes an approach they have coined “sentimental monumentality.” Whereas sentimentality relates to the specificity of a place in a cultural, contextual, or historical sense, monumentality refers to autonomy. “It’s about these two concepts: sentimentality, which means something that has a kind of personal approach and is situational, and monumentality, which means something that is autonomous, something that has value in itself. “It’s about finding a balance between,” he added. context. “
The incorporation of “sentimental” elements can be seen in the design of the Szczecin Philharmonic Hall in Poland. In this practice, imitation gold leaf was chosen to be applied to the interior walls of main concert halls after discovering that it was customary to use gold leaf on historic buildings such as churches and concert halls. it was done. Several workshops in the city continue to specialize in working with gold leaf for the maintenance and restoration of historic buildings.
“For us, there was a desire to reinterpret the classic concert hall typology in a modern way, but there is already a local gold leaf industry and Poland’s workforce is much larger than in other European countries. It also had the added benefit of being affordable.” We thought it made sense because of the building, the grounds and the affordability,” Alberto said.
“The gilding women worked non-stop gilding eight hours a day for about eight or nine months. It was amazing to watch them work.” Strategies inside the main concert hall Two expansive skylights strategically placed reflect natural light off the golden walls and at different times of the day, creating a unique visual experience every time you visit.
Alberto explained that one of Barozzi Veiga’s main objectives is to create buildings that belong to a specific location. “A building belongs to the place it sits in, but it also needs to belong to something larger than its physical location.” It always amazes me how anyone can understand what I was trying to express with a painting. This painting may hang in China, but thousands of you still understand it. We empathize and understand. They don’t know the place or the painter, but they feel something. We humbly strive to achieve the same result in our work.”
Alberto Veiga will be the keynote speaker at the 2024 Australian Architecture Conference in Melbourne from 8th to 11th May. View the full program and purchase tickets on the Australian Institute of Architects website.