Valencia — KJP

Three weeks ago, my architecture studio traveled to Valencia, Spain, where we were both producing work and gathering information. The premise of our studio is to convert abandoned warehouses from the 2007 America's Cup on the harbor of the city into innovation hubs. That week we produced and presented renderings for the urban economist named Ramon Marrades hired by the city to repurpose the warehouses. We were asked to reimagine them as business centers through rendering techniques. Our mornings were spent hard at work, and they presented the renderings to the Strategic Director on the last day of the trip.

In the afternoons and evenings, we got to see architecture I have been fangirling since high school, like Santiago Calatrava's City of Arts and Sciences. My favorite architectural piece there was Francisco Mangado's Auditorium of Teulada -- it was a beautiful play light on form, and the windows do the landscape a justice by framing it elegantly. One of the highlights of the trip was a bike tour through the city with Chema Segovia, during which he explained how the urban fabric has changed over the past few centuries and recently, with events such as Formula One and the America’s Cup. Another great time was our boat ride at twilight in a lake close to the city.

I have a few key takeaways from the trip: (1) Spanish food is not my favorite, but Spanish beverages are definitely my favorite. (2) A city's urban fabric is constantly being shaped by power and events. Holistic design is somewhat impossible (and undesirable) to achieve. (3) I am undeniably lucky to be at the Rice School of Architecture, with amazing professors and friends.

Bike tour through Valencia, a city of patches

Francisco Mangado's beautiful Auditorium of Teulada bends the Alicante morning light

Rendering I produced to transform the base into a gathering space for people to watch past events and current events in Valencia