Barcelona-New York City Urban Bridge 2014 (BCN-NYC): A Year of Catalan Architecture in New York
Wednesday, Apr 16, 201411:19 AM — Thursday, Apr 16, 20154:19 AMEDT
| New York, NY
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The year-long celebration begins with the launch of a website, www.bcnnyc.org, that will compile the many programs and exhibitions related to Catalan architecture in New York City throughout 2014. April 16, 2014, New York – The American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY) | Center for Architecture, the Museum of the City of New York (City Museum) and the Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York (CCNY) are pleased to announce “Barcelona-New York City Urban Bridge 2014 (BCN-NYC): A Year of Catalan Architecture in New York.” BCN-NYC Urban Bridge is a year-long celebration of Catalan architecture in New York. Built on the foundations of three exhibitions presented by the three partnering institutions – AIANY, City Museum, and CCNY – and their related programs, it celebrates the shared values of these two cities, linked by their spirit of enterprise, their love of diversity, and their characteristic styles of urban planning. Defined by their street grids and their waterfronts, Barcelona and New York are also distinguished by the passionate devotion of their citizens to the life of the city. The three exhibitions, City Museum’s Palaces for the People: Guastavino and the Art of Structural Tile, AIANY’s Polis: 7 Lessons from the European Prize for Urban Public Space [2000-2012], and CCNY’s Gaudi’s Unfinished Masterpiece: La Sagrada Familia, Space Time and Site, explore different aspects of what these cultural capitals can teach each other as our cities become increasingly globalized. BCN-NYC Urban Bridge is also an initiative of “Civic Spirit: Civic Vision” AIANY 2014 President Lance Jay Brown, FAIA’s, presidential theme: “Barcelona and New York, two of the great world cities, known for their civic spirit and their civic vision,” says Brown. “Two cities known for their classical roots and gridiron expansions. Two cities where people walk, from the corporate stride to the flaneurs’ stroll. Two cities wedded to their morphing modern coastlines. Two cities with much to exchange and learn from. This is the goal of the "BCN-NYC Urban Bridge". This year we will be privy to works of innovative Guastavino technology, exemplary civic open space design, and the civic vision embodied by Gaudi's extraordinary cathedral in Barcelona. We hope to share some secrets and celebrate some differences. We invite all to cross this Bridge!” The three organizations will be kicking off BCN-NYC Urban Bridge with the launch of its website, www.bcnnyc.org. This site will compile all the programs and exhibitions related to Catalan architecture that will be taking place in New York City during 2014, along with partners, sponsors, and supporters. It will serve as the information hub and archive of activities for the year. Inspired by the aesthetic of baggage claim tags, the website, designed by CHIPS, is meant to convey ideas of travel and connectivity. BCN-NYC EXHIBITIONS: Palaces for the People: Guastavino and the Art of Structural Tile On view March 26, 2014 – September 7, 2014 at the Museum of the City of New York Throughout the five boroughs are more than 200 long-overlooked marvels of engineering and architectural beauty—the interlocking tile vaults built by Spanish immigrants Rafael Guastavino, Sr. (1842-1908), and his son, Rafael Jr. (1872-1950). The system of structural tile vaults developed by the Guastavinos—lightweight, fireproof, low-maintenance, and capable of supporting significant loads—was used by leading architects of the day, including McKim, Mead & White and Carrere & Hastings. Ellis Island’s Registry Room, Carnegie Hall, the Bronx Zoo’s Elephant House, and Grand Central Terminal all contain Guastavino vaults. This major exhibition explores the innovations the Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company (1889-1962) brought to the science and art of building. It was originally organized by MIT’s John Ochsendorf, who is a MacArthur Fellow; it is substantially expanded here to include some 20 key Guastavino spaces in the five boroughs. Polis: 7 Lessons from the European Prize for Urban Public Space [2000-2012] On view March 27, 2014 – June 21, 2014 at the Center for Architecture The European Prize for Urban Public Space aims to recognize and make known successful examples of different applications of the democratic conception of the city. Over its history, the Prize – which is organized by the Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB) together with six other European institutions – has amassed almost 1,300 projects from more than 600 European cities. The 35 winning works of the seven editions of the Prize constitute a gauge of the democratic quality of Europe’s urban and social fabrics. The fruits of this harvest should prompt reflection that can be shared with cities all around the world. The projects have been grouped here under seven headings: periphery, complexity, voids, water, mobility, memory, and democracy. These issues have emerged as empirical lessons that confirm the social and political dimension of the city and that is so well reflected in the Greek term polis. This is why it is so important to claim and defend the democratic quality of our cities. After all, as we shape cities, cities shape us. Gaudi’s Unfinished Masterpiece: La Sagrada Familia, Space Time and Site On view Fall 2014 at the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture The Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture will celebrate the work of Antoni Gaudí and offer an unprecedented glimpse into his genius for millions of admirers globally and in New York. Sagrada Familia, its construction and fate, continues to be a source of wonderment for scholars and lovers of architecture around the world. The Sagrada Familia Foundation has selected the Spitzer School to host an exhibition that will focus on the dual curiosities of the basilica’s construction and the incorporation of new technologies into its already magnificent design. It will also feature the reconstruction of architectural models and the use of computer graphics software to analyze and draw precise tridimensional geometry.
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