Spanish Architecture takes over Manhattan

With the slogan “Spanish Architecture Takes Over Manhattan!” the excellences of Spanish contemporary architecture selected by the 12th Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (BEAU), Alternativas / Alternatives move to New York for an exhibition at The Cooper Union, running until 3 December 2016.



2016 is the year of big achievements for contemporary Spanish architecture, from the Leone d'Oro for the Spanish Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale (link) to the opening of the 12th Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (BEAU), Alternativas / Alternatives (link) at The Cooper Union in New York yesterday, 27 October 2016.





The exhibition showcases 22 projects selected by the jury and completed between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2015, plus an additional 20 shortlisted works. A look at the  Spanish architectural creative scene, not only in the cities but also in smaller towns and in the country.





All this enjoyed in the large photos and audio-visual comments to share this current generation of Spanish architects “full of optimism for the discipline and although recent austerity and frugality has affected the work, every project has become an opportunity for creative architecture”, says Begoña Díaz-Urgorri, BEAU co-director.



And what might appear to be a limit ends up being the great strength and appeal of the Spanish exhibition at The Cooper Union in New York. As Nader Tehrani, Dean of Cooper's The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture says: “... it is important for American audiences to have an opportunity to see the work of this next generation since it demonstrates how great inventiveness emerges from a sense of scarcity and significant constraints, but in combination with a disciplined and ambitious imagination .”



The exhibition is accompanied by a discussion panel on 12 November 2016, discussing contemporary Spanish architecture. We wish our Spanish friends all the best for their New York conquest before the exhibition continues on to France, Germany, Japan and Sweden.

Christiane Bürklein

Exhibition: 
Alternativas / Alternatives 
Presented by The Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism and The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union. 
Ongoing Exhibition October 27 – December 3, 2016 Tuesday – Friday 2pm-7pm, Saturday and Sunday 12pm-7pm 
The Cooper Union, Arthur A. Houghton Jr. Gallery, 2nd Floor 7 East 7th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues New York, NY 10003 
Find out more: http://cooper.edu/events-and-exhibitions/exhibitions/alternativas-alternatives-xiii-spanish-biennial-architecture