Editor's Letter – February 2022

Hola.

We made it through January. Generally speaking, not the most joyous of months for many, myself included. That said, 48 hours in Barcelona certainly helped, where a spot of winter sun and a reminder of the city's architectural offering were a real tonic. The high point for me was the beautifully expressive staircase at the late-modernista Casa Sayrach, which is home to, among others, local multidisciplinary office External Reference.

The conversation with a number of architects on the ground while I was in town included, perhaps not surprisingly, the city's economic, creative – and political – trajectory, the feeling on the part of some being that Madrid's recent architectural ascendency has been attended by a dulling of the Catalan capital's once brightly shining star.

But while the pendulum may swing, creative talent remains steadfast. Barcelona is home to two of our recent Architonic Global Design Agenda contributors: esteemed architect Fermín Vázquez and polymathic interior architect and product designer Edward van Vliet. One of them is almost native and the other a passionate adoptee. I’ll let you guess which is which.

For van Vliet, who joined us in conversation as part of our Hospitality Design Week, it’s the surface beneath our feet that provides the literal and figurative ground for a successful restaurant project: 'When you start with the floor in a certain pattern, then you have done half of your work.’ Fellow hospitality speaker Diego Gronda of Studio Gronda, meanwhile, believes the work is never done. For him, ever-adaptable, open-ended interiors are where it’s at. Jason Holley of Universal Design Studio and Patrick Lüth of Snøhetta were also kind enough to offer their expert insights on designing for hotels, restaurants and bars. Just follow the links to find out what they had to say.

Of course, views on what makes a great project vary enormously. And rightly so. Creativity isn’t a one-horse race. What can, or should, be subject to consensus, however, is what it means to be environmentally responsible. There’s no place here for alternative facts. Pedrali, the top-flight Italian manufacturer of industrially (and optimally) produced furniture in metal and wood has, for years now, been transcending the swampy mire of greenwashing in its pursuit of internationally recognised green certification. It’s a corporate commitment to transparency that CEO Giuseppe Pedrali firmly believes can only be to the benefit of all. And not bad for the bottom line, too. Why not read my interview with him here?

That’s it from me for now. More soon. It’s Valentine’s Day as I write this, so feel the love…

Simon Keane-Cowell
Editor-in-Chief


PS: We’ve got a great line-up of luminary speakers for our forthcoming Lighting Design week (7–11 March), including Christ & Gantenbein, Daan Roosegaarde and Bernhard Dessecker. Not to be missed!

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