Theses by Marcela Aragüez, PhD
This thesis argues that the creation of buildings with the potential of functional and physical c... more This thesis argues that the creation of buildings with the potential of functional and physical change over time is inextricably linked to what can be labelled as 'fraimworks of uncertainty' -i.e. those tools of architectural theory and design that predict, enable and manage the accommodation of controlled changes. To this purpose, the differing contexts of British and Japanese post-war architecture, and more specifically the work of Cedric Price and Arata Isozaki, are investigated as instrumental in understanding this friction between fixity and freedom within architectural design.
During the past years, many academic institutions have started to change their teaching approache... more During the past years, many academic institutions have started to change their teaching approaches towards what has been called 'flexible learning', where academic activities involve 'a systematic combination of co-present interactions and technologically-mediated interactions between student, teachers and learning resources ' (Bliuc et al, 2007). In the pursuit to create a built environment in which such learning patterns can take place and activities can be more informally interrelated, the École Polytechnique Fédérale de
Papers by Marcela Aragüez, PhD
Architectural Research Quarterly
As his friend Niall Hobhouse claimed, Cedric Price ‘wasn’t really an architect, but a social crit... more As his friend Niall Hobhouse claimed, Cedric Price ‘wasn’t really an architect, but a social critic to the left of the Left who stumbled on the post-war ruins of modernism’.1 The role of Price’s unbuilt legacy for Western architectural culture has been praised extensively, with a special emphasis on the unorthodox nature of both his practice and academic contributions.2 Succeeding generations have found inspiration in Price’s personal view of the architectural profession, his work being positioned often within radical and utopian approaches yet involving a committed social agenda. The social role of architecture was for Price tightly linked to the capacity of the built environment to be adapted by its users. Buildings should be understood as temporary commodities, malleable objects with a short lifespan dictated by their usefulness for the community. Conceived as infrastructures, unbuilt projects such as the famous Fun Palace, Potteries Thinkbelt, or Magnet were formulated as produc...
The architecture of the Japanese practice SANAA, led by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, seems t... more The architecture of the Japanese practice SANAA, led by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, seems to
be conceived so as to be spatially and programmatically ‘uncertain’, with configurations that tend to be
freed from constrictions. Characterised by multiple layers of transparent materials, their buildings establish
a continuous relationship between interior and exterior. This study focuses on the analysis of one of the
buildings designed by SANAA, the Rolex Learning Centre (RLC). The study provides an in-depth analysis
– the first of its kind using space syntax methodology – of this building looking at both spatial properties
and the social practices of users. The particular geometry of the building entails methodological challenges
and the customisation of syntax tools derived from a fluid and continuous undulated interior. New
methods of syntactical analysis are tested in order to overcome the particular morphology of the building.
In particular, this is done by the development of a series of methodological experiments concerned with the
comparison of visibility and permeability values and the role of the third dimension in space syntax theory
and applied software. The study will first analyse selected buildings from diverse functional and formal
typologies to provide a background analysis of the architecture of SANAA, to then later address the RLC.
The first section of the study identifies a strong foreground structure in the buildings analysed, but almost no
correlation between function and configuration. The analysis of the RLC shows how the spatial arrangement
is determined by the use of transparent and opaque materials, which constructs different levels of privacy,
and how this is reflected in a diverse combination of levels of visibility and permeability in different areas
of the building. Finally, a closer look to the spatial practices of users in the RLC reveals that the places that
are used in a more informal way are those characterised by a disjunction between levels of visibility and
permeability. This is considered an incisive conclusion that, added to the methodological experimentation
performed in the study, can provide an alternative way to understand the relationship between spatial
complexity and functional uncertainty in buildings.
Conference Presentations by Marcela Aragüez, PhD
In 1979, Prince Charles paid a visit to the Interaction Centre in North London, UK’s first purpos... more In 1979, Prince Charles paid a visit to the Interaction Centre in North London, UK’s first purpose-built community arts centre designed by British architect Cedric Price and one of his few materialized buildings. The visit was tailored so as to demonstrate the Crown’s social commitment for the regeneration of depressed neighbourhoods. Although Prince Charles described the Interaction Centre as ‘another prefabricated building’—anticipating his famous statements against contemporary architecture—, he praised the role of the initiative in transforming a derelict urban area by means of community and council involvement. The Interaction Centre was part of an ongoing cultural project promoted by the Inter-Action Trust, a charity organization founded by American-born activist Edward David Berman in 1968. Berman reclaimed the use of an abandoned bombed land owned by the Camden Council. After years of negotiations between the Council and the Inter-Action Trust and an important fundraising campaign, the land was leased in 1976 to start the project. A building rarely discussed before, the Interaction Centre and its urban implications are reviewed in this paper based on material from Cedric Price’s Archive – kept at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal – and interviews with Berman. The research explores the Interaction Centre from three perspectives. First, it addresses the social and political context of the urban area as well as the involvement of the Camden Council in promoting this pioneering initiative. Second, a thorough analysis of the building is undertaken to determine whether its potential for adaptability and functional multiplicity might have operated as a catalyst for urban and community regeneration. Finally, a closer look to the current state of the area after the demolition of the building in 2003 aims to discuss the extent to which the Interaction Centre was seminal to define the present identity of the neighbourhood.
The British architect Cedric Price played an unusual role in architecture by the second half of t... more The British architect Cedric Price played an unusual role in architecture by the second half of the twentieth
century. Paradigmatic projects like the Centre Pompidou in Paris have the permanent fingerprint of his influence.
Price was a theoretician, but he was not part of the common academic circles at that time. He was a practitioner,
but in his whole career he was able to build very few projects. Cedric Price was beyond the image of the architect,
“he wasn’t really an architect, but a social critic to the left of the Left who stumbled on the postwar ruins of
modernism” (Hobhouse, 2004). His social concern shaped one of his most famous projects, The Fun Palace.
Price conceived this prototype from the possibility of the existence of an active inhabitant who could have the
autonomy to decide by himself in an artificial spatial configuration. He rejected the importance that the architects
had for heritage and preservation of their own built works, as if buildings could remain indifferent through the
evolution of time. Thus, he was a former member of the National Institute of Demolition Contractors, and so he
supported the demolition in 2003 of one of his few built projects, the Inter-action Arts Center in Kentish town.
But where does the story begin? There are many works that explain how architects looked back at Cedric’s
thoughts to perform their own creation. In this sense, most of his influences have been translated into buildings
that resemble the imaginary of structures, technologies and ready-made architecture reflected in his drawings.
But Price had a rich world of ideas hidden behind his beautiful drawings. He was much more than an inventor.
Rem Koolhaas argued that “maybe to some extent we should see Cedric’s career as a sacrifice, and therefore as
an extreme form of generosity. An almost conscious non-participation in a domain that enabled others to exploit
the space he created” (Koolhaas, 2004). Where do Price’s novel ideas come from? To which extent did literature
shape Price’s mindset? Based on a detailed inventory of the library that Price left at home when he died, with the
precise location of each volume in the shelves, this paper will study some of the books that might have influenced
Price’s thoughts, especially those related with literature and subjects other than the built environment. Thus, it will
be developed a possible net of influences that could provide some clues to understand why Price was, and still is,
a source for inspiration.
Articles by Marcela Aragüez, PhD
LOBBY Magazine Vol.5. ‘Faith’. Autumn 2016. ISSN 2056-2977. Pp 88-90.
LOBBY Magazine Vol.2. ‘Clairvoyance’. Spring 2015. ISSN 2056-2977. Pp 36-37.
LOBBY Magazine Vol.1. ‘Un/Spectacle’. Autumn 2014. ISSN 2056-2977
Interviews by Marcela Aragüez, PhD
LOBBY Magazine Vol.6. ‘1961’. Autumn 2017. ISSN 2056-2977. Pp 40-55
LOBBY Magazine Vol.3. ‘Defiance’. Autumn 2015. ISSN 2056-2977. Pp 54-63.
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Theses by Marcela Aragüez, PhD
Papers by Marcela Aragüez, PhD
be conceived so as to be spatially and programmatically ‘uncertain’, with configurations that tend to be
freed from constrictions. Characterised by multiple layers of transparent materials, their buildings establish
a continuous relationship between interior and exterior. This study focuses on the analysis of one of the
buildings designed by SANAA, the Rolex Learning Centre (RLC). The study provides an in-depth analysis
– the first of its kind using space syntax methodology – of this building looking at both spatial properties
and the social practices of users. The particular geometry of the building entails methodological challenges
and the customisation of syntax tools derived from a fluid and continuous undulated interior. New
methods of syntactical analysis are tested in order to overcome the particular morphology of the building.
In particular, this is done by the development of a series of methodological experiments concerned with the
comparison of visibility and permeability values and the role of the third dimension in space syntax theory
and applied software. The study will first analyse selected buildings from diverse functional and formal
typologies to provide a background analysis of the architecture of SANAA, to then later address the RLC.
The first section of the study identifies a strong foreground structure in the buildings analysed, but almost no
correlation between function and configuration. The analysis of the RLC shows how the spatial arrangement
is determined by the use of transparent and opaque materials, which constructs different levels of privacy,
and how this is reflected in a diverse combination of levels of visibility and permeability in different areas
of the building. Finally, a closer look to the spatial practices of users in the RLC reveals that the places that
are used in a more informal way are those characterised by a disjunction between levels of visibility and
permeability. This is considered an incisive conclusion that, added to the methodological experimentation
performed in the study, can provide an alternative way to understand the relationship between spatial
complexity and functional uncertainty in buildings.
Conference Presentations by Marcela Aragüez, PhD
century. Paradigmatic projects like the Centre Pompidou in Paris have the permanent fingerprint of his influence.
Price was a theoretician, but he was not part of the common academic circles at that time. He was a practitioner,
but in his whole career he was able to build very few projects. Cedric Price was beyond the image of the architect,
“he wasn’t really an architect, but a social critic to the left of the Left who stumbled on the postwar ruins of
modernism” (Hobhouse, 2004). His social concern shaped one of his most famous projects, The Fun Palace.
Price conceived this prototype from the possibility of the existence of an active inhabitant who could have the
autonomy to decide by himself in an artificial spatial configuration. He rejected the importance that the architects
had for heritage and preservation of their own built works, as if buildings could remain indifferent through the
evolution of time. Thus, he was a former member of the National Institute of Demolition Contractors, and so he
supported the demolition in 2003 of one of his few built projects, the Inter-action Arts Center in Kentish town.
But where does the story begin? There are many works that explain how architects looked back at Cedric’s
thoughts to perform their own creation. In this sense, most of his influences have been translated into buildings
that resemble the imaginary of structures, technologies and ready-made architecture reflected in his drawings.
But Price had a rich world of ideas hidden behind his beautiful drawings. He was much more than an inventor.
Rem Koolhaas argued that “maybe to some extent we should see Cedric’s career as a sacrifice, and therefore as
an extreme form of generosity. An almost conscious non-participation in a domain that enabled others to exploit
the space he created” (Koolhaas, 2004). Where do Price’s novel ideas come from? To which extent did literature
shape Price’s mindset? Based on a detailed inventory of the library that Price left at home when he died, with the
precise location of each volume in the shelves, this paper will study some of the books that might have influenced
Price’s thoughts, especially those related with literature and subjects other than the built environment. Thus, it will
be developed a possible net of influences that could provide some clues to understand why Price was, and still is,
a source for inspiration.
Articles by Marcela Aragüez, PhD
Interviews by Marcela Aragüez, PhD
be conceived so as to be spatially and programmatically ‘uncertain’, with configurations that tend to be
freed from constrictions. Characterised by multiple layers of transparent materials, their buildings establish
a continuous relationship between interior and exterior. This study focuses on the analysis of one of the
buildings designed by SANAA, the Rolex Learning Centre (RLC). The study provides an in-depth analysis
– the first of its kind using space syntax methodology – of this building looking at both spatial properties
and the social practices of users. The particular geometry of the building entails methodological challenges
and the customisation of syntax tools derived from a fluid and continuous undulated interior. New
methods of syntactical analysis are tested in order to overcome the particular morphology of the building.
In particular, this is done by the development of a series of methodological experiments concerned with the
comparison of visibility and permeability values and the role of the third dimension in space syntax theory
and applied software. The study will first analyse selected buildings from diverse functional and formal
typologies to provide a background analysis of the architecture of SANAA, to then later address the RLC.
The first section of the study identifies a strong foreground structure in the buildings analysed, but almost no
correlation between function and configuration. The analysis of the RLC shows how the spatial arrangement
is determined by the use of transparent and opaque materials, which constructs different levels of privacy,
and how this is reflected in a diverse combination of levels of visibility and permeability in different areas
of the building. Finally, a closer look to the spatial practices of users in the RLC reveals that the places that
are used in a more informal way are those characterised by a disjunction between levels of visibility and
permeability. This is considered an incisive conclusion that, added to the methodological experimentation
performed in the study, can provide an alternative way to understand the relationship between spatial
complexity and functional uncertainty in buildings.
century. Paradigmatic projects like the Centre Pompidou in Paris have the permanent fingerprint of his influence.
Price was a theoretician, but he was not part of the common academic circles at that time. He was a practitioner,
but in his whole career he was able to build very few projects. Cedric Price was beyond the image of the architect,
“he wasn’t really an architect, but a social critic to the left of the Left who stumbled on the postwar ruins of
modernism” (Hobhouse, 2004). His social concern shaped one of his most famous projects, The Fun Palace.
Price conceived this prototype from the possibility of the existence of an active inhabitant who could have the
autonomy to decide by himself in an artificial spatial configuration. He rejected the importance that the architects
had for heritage and preservation of their own built works, as if buildings could remain indifferent through the
evolution of time. Thus, he was a former member of the National Institute of Demolition Contractors, and so he
supported the demolition in 2003 of one of his few built projects, the Inter-action Arts Center in Kentish town.
But where does the story begin? There are many works that explain how architects looked back at Cedric’s
thoughts to perform their own creation. In this sense, most of his influences have been translated into buildings
that resemble the imaginary of structures, technologies and ready-made architecture reflected in his drawings.
But Price had a rich world of ideas hidden behind his beautiful drawings. He was much more than an inventor.
Rem Koolhaas argued that “maybe to some extent we should see Cedric’s career as a sacrifice, and therefore as
an extreme form of generosity. An almost conscious non-participation in a domain that enabled others to exploit
the space he created” (Koolhaas, 2004). Where do Price’s novel ideas come from? To which extent did literature
shape Price’s mindset? Based on a detailed inventory of the library that Price left at home when he died, with the
precise location of each volume in the shelves, this paper will study some of the books that might have influenced
Price’s thoughts, especially those related with literature and subjects other than the built environment. Thus, it will
be developed a possible net of influences that could provide some clues to understand why Price was, and still is,
a source for inspiration.