The pandemic has marked a global turning point. Architecture, which belongs to both the world of action and the world of reflection, has entered a complex period. This 26 May, Josep Lluís Mateo will be reflecting on the practice of architecture in the present times in a talk organized by the ETSALS (La Salle School of Architecture) as part of the Culture Talks programme: “Present Times. Practising Architecture during COVID”.

By means of his professional practice, the architect will be reflecting on three general themes to have emerged with COVID-19:

1. The importance of dialogue between digital environment and physical world
   Architecture is an intellectual activity. The project begins with an idea, a dream, which architects have to reinterpret. However, architects are also the builders of these ideas, and therefore have direct contact with matter, space and physical reality.
   The relationship between the two worlds is complex and interesting; rather than one cancelling out the other, they enhance each other.
2. The dwelling
   This period has seen a reencounter with the dwelling, giving rise to new paradigms in relation to living conditions. The importance of the inner domestic world has increased. Some ideas about housing, such as the concepts of shelter or bedroom, need to be rethought.
3. Urban design
   The relationship between the city as a built-up place and the country must also be reconsidered. During this period we have experienced the need to combine outside and inside, to generate an encounter between the landscape and the city in a more interactive way than has hitherto been offered by more rigid urban practices.

Date: 26 May 2021

Where: Streaming
Time: 13:00 CET
Language: English