Mateo: How to Draw Up a Project: Response

Initially, I agree with the process. The start of a project is always vague. It is as vague as a few words or quick lines on a piece of paper. But I believe that this is a place that you come back to and improve upon throughout the design process. While it is correct that each step builds on the firm foundation of the step before it, I find the design process to be more circular than linear. Vague ideas from the early stages take shape when designing the structure and then the ideas are reformed and clarified. The structure certainly influences the initial form as does the material and skin.
In terms of my own process, this is not an accurate map. My process flows between these stages and repeats stages many times over to revise and revisit formal ideas. It is a good linear guideline, but my process is iterative. A thesis should be the culmination of the design process, each part giving a firm foundation for the overall project.

22@ Barcelona

The Poblenou district in Barcelona was redistricted on July 27^th of 2000 to amend the Metropolitan Master Plan of 1976 and formally called the 22@ district. The Poblenou has been an industrial area for over 150 years comprising textile, foodstuff, chemical and metallurgical industry. The decline of these industries in the 1970s left the area abandoned. The redistricting of Poblenou changes the zoning from Industry to Commercial and Housing. Over 110 street blocks are affected by the new zoning and the Ajuntament de Barcelona has already poured 180 million Euros towards rebuilding infrastructure with the intent of attracting new technology businesses and a knowledge based economy.

I am really interested in the area because it is a new type of program: the district is combining research facilities, housing, universities, green spaces and technology driven companies.

http://www.22barcelona.com/index.php?lang=en

thoughts on thesis

I'm still having a tough time firming up a place, but I like the idea of Barcelona. I am recently familiar with it and just studied an urban scale project that the city is implementing call 22@ where the city redistricted an old industrial park to make new housing and new innovative industry. It's an exciting place to study on the urban scale as well as for program. The Barcelona city council is giving money to companies that will focus on innovation, collaboration and new technology.