The external façade of the Monastery of El Escorial: Traces of a process (original) (raw)

Daniela Pittaluga, Juan Antonio Quiros Castillo, 2024, Surfaces of 20th-century façades: reflections on their archaeological awareness , Rivista Tema 10.1, 112-125

Rivista Tema, 2024

The archaeological approach to the study of elevations is applied here to 20th-century architecture. In particular, post-World War II façades are examined through several case studies. This research uses the method of the archaeology of architecture: the meticulous attention to materi- als, workmanship, and technological devices, the examination of the so- cio-economic context, and the analysis of the motivations behind specific choices. These elements contribute to discovering the history of an arte- fact in a given period of time as completely as possible. The archaeology of architecture has been widely experimented on historical buildings since the 1970s; very rare has been the application to the study of contemporary buildings. The authors, on the basis of the research already started in 2018, at this stage of the study seek to further develop the topic under inves- tigation, also with comparisons on a broader national and international scale. The architectural surfaces of the second half of the 20th century are analyzed here by studying individual components on the façades: the colour and texture of the plaster, any tile, wood, or stone coverings, or the exposed concrete work. The final aim is to develop an overall method of investigation that considers the specificity of the period examined and the possible adaptation of analysis tools that can help in the archaeological study of these contemporary architectures.

La construcción en cantería en la Galicia barroca. Las monteas del coro alto de la capilla de San Telmo de Tui / Ashlar construction in Galicia in the Baroque period. The tracings in the tribune of the chapel of Saint Telmo in Tui

José Calvo López; Miguel Angel Alonso Rodríguez; Miguel Taín Guzmán; Pau Natividad Vivó. 2013. "La construcción en cantería en la Galicia barroca. Las monteas del coro alto de la capilla de San Telmo de Tui". Informes de la Construcción, vol. 65, nº 2, p. 127-140. ISSN 0020-0883.

[ES] La construcción en piedra de cantería exige el empleo de medios geométricos de mayor o menor complejidad para controlar tanto la disposición general de la pieza como la forma de los elementos individuales de la fábrica. En este artículo se describe y analiza un grupo significativo pero poco conocido de estos trazados, localizados en la capilla de San Telmo en Tui, relacionados con varios elementos de la fachada de la capilla. Se ha practicado un levantamiento de los trazados por rectificación fotográfica y otro de los elementos más significativos de la fachada mediante una estación total. Todo esto nos permite identificar los referentes del trazado y obtener datos de primera mano acerca de los métodos de control formal empleados en la construcción barroca y de los procesos de adaptación del proyecto real a los condicionantes de la ejecución, que no ofrecen los tratados y manuscritos de la época. [EN] Construction in hewn stone requires the use of geometrical means in order to control both the general layout of the built member and the shape of the individual masonry elements. Full-size tracings have been used with this purpose since Classical Antiquity. In this paper, we shall describe and analyse a not-so-well-known example of these tracings, in the chapel of Saint Telmo in Tuy, which are connected with the façade of the chapel. We have carried out a survey of the ensemble of the tracings by means of rectified photographs; at the same time, we have prepared a survey of the most significant elements in the façade, using a laser total station, in order to compare the tracings with the built chapel. All this has allowed us to gather valuable first-hand information about the formal control methods used in Baroque construction that treatises and manuscripts cannot furnish directly.

Leserri M., Chaverra M., Rossi G., Guzman D.A., From an Enclosure to the Corraleja. An Analysis of the Genesis of an Ephemeral and Vernacular Colombian Architecture

2018

In the Colombian Caribbean region, human extraordinary ability to interpret nature's functioning and mechanical language, has allowed man to manage and use, throughout history, natural elements to improve living conditions. In Architecture, technical-constructive knowledge development has enabled constructions of a temporary and stable nature. In fact, this research project begins with the relationship between the understanding of nature and the creation of Colombian vernacular architecture, which has led to a special and unique form of architecture such as the Corraleja. In this architecture, vernacular constructive tradition and ephemeral character are concurremt. This has been an object of interest due to its folkloric aspects, however, it has rarely been researched for its architecture. Currently, it is usually built only when its real spatial function is needed, becoming a place destined to contain the annual bullfighting-like festivities. In fact, its limited and cyclical permanence, gives it an ephemeral and also nomadic character since it is not always built, necessarily, in the same place. This research study begins by means of the importance of the vertical balance control of the alive branches nailed in the ground, still present in the whole Caribbean region through enclosures. This can be considered as a primordial action and conquest, and has allowed the realization of every vernacular construction. In Europe, the tradition of ephemeral architecture when there are some civil and religious festivities becomes stable architecture over time; bullfighting party in Spain is an emblematic case which is transformed into stable spaces such as bullrings. This tradition extends to the Spanish colony in America in the eighteenth century. In the Colombian Caribbean, for example, the bullfighting festival keeps an ephemeral character that is fed by a vernacular architectural tradition. In addition, existing literature on the vernacular theme suggests that, from long time ago, many examples of tectonic building (a set of finite or pseudo-finite elements such as branches, trunks, etc.) have been nomadic, self-constructed, anonymous and with an emergency appearance which have become stable, just after many constructions, by losing all ephemeral characteristics. Likewise, to understand the Corralejas' genesis, observing the history of European architecture has been necessary due to the several old associated experiences of transitory constructions, e.g., with recreational spaces, religious or civil celebrations. This study is based on different research methodologies such as drawings of existing cases and bibliographic and iconographic analyzes. This has also been developed through a compulsory contrast with the ancient architecture of bullfighting shows, to formulate morphological reflections and analogies and analyze their ephemeral condition. Today, the Corraleja survives in Colombia, representing an architectural oddity that must be safeguarded not only for its vernacular essence but also for its limited temporal condition. In fact, tectonics, the art of montage, reconfirms the connection allowing its existence and representing a surprising and unique set of values that must be defended and treated as an architectural heritage. After the analysis on the Corralejas genesis, the study will continue through several forms of survey to explore and define constructive aspects in a different scale of detail.

The Architectural Composition in the Tractado de Architectura Que Leo the Mestre, and Archit.º Mattheus do Couto the Elder In the Anno de 1631

Collaborative laboratory: urban dynamics, heritage, arts. III - Research, teaching and dissemination seminar. , 2019

The study presented here corresponds to the analysis of the indications concerning the creation of the architectural composition in the first half of the 17th century, according to the information contained in the architectural manuscript, from the lesson transmitted by the Architect Régio and Master of Works Mateus do Couto. With this study, we intend to create support bases to clarify the way of designing architecture present in the Portuguese Constructive Tradition. The final objectives are to contribute to clarify the unity and composition used in the method of architectural creation of noble residences in Lisbon, creating useful data for their safeguarding and conservation intervention, and to use this method of architectural design in the creation of new works. English version done at: https://www.onlinedoctranslator.com

The Cloister of Santa Clara-a-nova monastery, analysis of architectural typology used at the time of the portuguese restauration

2017

This article intends to focus on the first phase of construction of the cloister of Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Nova in Coimbra (Portugal), characterized by the architectural and military tratadistics of the Restoration period. From the documentary research and the projectual representation, it is proposed to contextualize its original typology. The cloister of Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Nova, although it is a major work of the Restoration and the Cycle of Aqueduto das Águas Livres of Lisboa, is poorly studied. At a time when the work of the kingdom was conditioned by the expenses of the war, those of greater relevance were of military character and erected in the geographical areas of territorial defence. It is perhaps necessary to prove the legitimacy of Portuguese independence, which led to the reinforcement of the use of mental processes and scholastic theses, which will cultivate the propagandist of Culto Isabelino in Casa de Bragança. [1] The progressive silting of the old conven...

De la práctica constructiva a los textos de cantería: los pasos abovedados en la cabecera de la catedral de Granada / From Constructive Practice to Masonry Literature: the Vaulted Passages in the Presbitery of Granada Cathedral

Macarena Salcedo Galera; José Calvo López. 2018. «De la práctica constructiva a los textos de cantería. Los pasos abovedados en la cabecera de la catedral de Granada». Revista EGA Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica, vol. 23, no. 32, p. 154-163. ISSN 1133-6137., 2018

[EN] Studies about the Cathedral of Granada frequently emphasize the diaphanous opening of the presbytery to the ambulatory through seven vaulted passages. From the constructive point of view, these elements present interesting features, such as the splaying, the contrast between the planar arch in the ambulatory and the concave side in the main chapel, and the asymmetry of the extreme passages, caused by the complex articulation between nave, ambulatory and presbitery. In addition, these vaults are among the first pieces executed in Spain using the construction technique called "bóvedas por cruceros", which is based on a network of ribs that supports severies. This study presents a detailed survey of these vaults, an analysis of their geometric and stereotomic characteristics, and a commentary on the diffuse influence of these pieces in later literature. [ES] Los estudios sobre la catedral de Granada destacan con frecuencia la diáfana apertura del presbiterio a la girola mediante siete pasos abovedados. Desde el punto de vista constructivo, estos elementos Los estudios sobre la catedral de Granada destacan con frecuencia la diáfana apertura del presbiterio a la girola mediante siete pasos abovedados. Desde el punto de vista constructivo, estos elementos bóvedas están entre las primeras piezas ejecutadas en España mediante la técnica de construcción “por cruceros” basada en una red de nervios sobre la que apoya una plementería. El presente trabajo presenta un levantamiento detallado de estas bóvedas, un análisis de sus características geométricas y estereotómicas, y un comentario sobre los ecos difusos de estas piezas en la literatura posterior.

Tradición y evolución moderna. Tres arquitecturas-patio de Francisco Asís Cabrero

EGA. Revista de expresión gráfica arquitectónica, 2015

Palabras clave: Francisco asís cabrero. Patio. zoco exPositivo. taPiz We describe design mechanisms used by Francisco de Asís Cabrero in his patio architectures by analyzing three selected examples: the "zoco" exhibition of the first national country fair (1950), the Escuela Nacional de Hosteleria, and the pavilion of the trade union Obra Sindical del Hogar (1956). The research starts with the references based on the muslim tradition described by Fernando Chueca, which are transformed and adapted to incorporate modern references: the Italian rationalism, Mies courtyard houses and the light constructions of Charles and Ray Eames. We conclude that systems of tapestries or parallel walls and organizations in 'U' are an ignored reference of the classic systems used by Cabrero underlying his radically modern work. The research is based on the original documentation compiled during the realization of the PhD thesis and is illustrated with drawings by the author.