Part 1
For this practice i will choose a street (Calle Tejares) in the center of Albacete. More specifically the terrace of a bar that is located in this street, it has standar metal chairs and tables, and a sunshade. I choose this place because this is what many people could call a comfort place, it reminds me of good times.
Q1. Why did you choose this place?
This is the place where me and my friends have been hanging out for the whole two years of “bachillerato”, it’s where many memories were made and where I spent most of my Friday and Saturday afternoons and nights. Thinking about this place always makes me happy.
Q2. What do you think makes you at ease? Q3. Is there any disruptive element?
All of my friend’s presence. The fact that we always went when it was getting dark, my favourite part of the day. Being outdoors in the middle of the city and always seeing people walking by. The bar was always crowded and therefore was always noisy with every table and friend group talking over each other, since this would mean that me and my friends could talk and laugh loudly without getting judged.
It would be even better when it would rain, the smell and the sound of it is my favourite thing in the world. The only disruptive element could be that the tables were extremely close to the road and many cars or motorcycles would pass by making too much noise or going too fast and startling us.
Q4. Do you think you’d feel the same way in another space right now?
Maybe if I found the right place, and all of the things that I love about being there would be the same. But honestly I think I’d be rare to find a place that had all of these qualities at the same time. Also, my friends’ company would be crucial to have this other space to be nearly alike.
Q5. Do you think that the particular conditions of this space may influence its occupants? How?
I think the conditions have a big impact on the costumers. Firstly, this bar is in the centre of the city where all the clubs and pubs are, it’s where most people go before they go out to party, so it’s well located. Another factor might be that they have really cheap beverages that always come with “tapas“, the way to a Spanish’s heart. The inside of the bar may be a bit small but the terrace takes up a big segment of the street so many people fit. The waiters are also very nice and friendly and don’t mind tables with a lot of people.
Q6. Would you change anything?
Yes, as I said before, I would make the road a pedestrian street so cars wouldn’t drive by. Also this would mean that even more tables could be set and many more people would be able to enjoy this great place.
Part 2
This text, or essay, was a great way to see through an architect’s lenses. The author has opened my eyes in many ways, to notice things I had never noticed before from an architectural point of view. Of course these are things I’m aware and conscious of but until he mentioned them, I hadn’t throughly seen or analysed them. I think noticing these things about an atmosphere that we enjoy, is a way of getting to know ourselves because each one of us may like different things, and not only this but may like different combinations of these same things. Like say, I tend to like seeing gray and black in landscapes or sceneries, it’s just comforting. Someone else might also like this, but accompanied by silence or echoing sounds or rain, whereas I enjoy these colors combined with the sound of people chatting, an orchestra that’s far away etc, basically the sound of a crowded place. Even when the writer talks about the “Surrounding objects” I remember how big of a fan I am of details, I consider myself to be a “maximalist” and this would very obviously affect what we’re seeing, but I hadn’t stopped to think about how many people don’t enjoy lots of things in a relatively small place, and that It makes them feel overwhelmed and saturated. He mentions things, to take into account when working as an architect, that I had never realized existed. I think these are things one only truly learns with time and experience.
When it comes to describing a place where I felt comfortable, satisfied and astonished with the beauty of it, I always think of my trip to Puerto Rico that I made almost five years ago. I was fourteen but I remember it perfectly, even back then I remember thinking that I would probably never feel so euphoric ever again over a space that wasn’t that one. Most of my memories are from during the night, we went during Christmas so the sun set really soon. Even though the sky was black, the town where we stayed (San Juan, the capital), was always and everywhere lit up with Christmas and partying lights in general, aside from the streetlights that had the perfect warm tone. Every bar and pub open, with upbeat latin music that could be heard when walking the streets, aside from the sound of talking people absolutely everywhere you went. People danced and laughed, they all seemed happy, the aura felt lifted in a way. The temperature was warm and humid, but just right. The streets felt kind of cramped because the buildings are very tall, and some got on top of each other, they were also painted colourful, so the houses felt dense and thick, but in a good way (at least for me). The roofs also varied in form from one house to another which made it seem unorganised but I liked it, it was unique and special. The whole experience was very welcoming and inviting, even if I try to describe it by pointing out things that I remember, the feeling which I felt of pure freedom could never be described.
