WoolyBully7, Jencks

The picture in Barcelona of the orange and brown building with the very curvaceous window style is a great example of Jencks’ disharmonious harmony. This building, sandwiched in between what looks like traditional Spanish/Mediterranean architecture, reminds me of a part of the more recent version of the movie “Time Machine.” The futuristic human race lives on the side of a cliff where the living quarters just floors covered with bamboo reeds built directly onto the side of a cliff overlooking a river. I feel that this building’s location, juxtaposed with classic architecture native to that region, helps it stand out even more.

Modern architecture is often environmentally focused and this building almost looks like its constructed from mud, at least from the outside, like the ancient Mayan, Aztec and Incan Indians mud houses. This indeed is not a classical revival, it is a completely new look that appears to be a restaurant on the main floor with apartments above carrying on the same theme. This architect must have known this project was difficult requiring a lot of skill to accomplish what the building owners had imagined. People from all ages and backgrounds should be able to appreciate this building which was complex in construction, yet simple on the exterior to street pedestrians. The theme is carried up the entire height of the building and flows extremely well complementing the base of the structure. This dissonant beauty may not work well with people who are not architect-savvy since it really is so different from its surroundings.