The Encants Barcelona market is the central element of the installation: "ENCHANTING TRACES - Reflections on b720 Architects' work", the title of the exhibition that the Aedes gallery dedicates to the b720 studio and that can be visited from December 7 to January 17, 2019 in the Berlin gallery Aedes, one of the most prestigious in the world.
b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos, founded in conjunction with Ana Bassat in 1997 and headed by Fermín Vázquez, has offices in Barcelona and Madrid. This year marks the studio’s 20th anniversary, with works ranging from the Torre Itaim (2017, São Paulo) and Lycée Français (2017, Barcelona), Hotel VP. Plaza España (2018, Madrid) to the Veles e Vent project in collaboration with David Chipperfield Architects (2007, Valencia) or the Spanish Pavilion at the Universal Expo (2015, Milan).
This exhibition is a retrospective look at 20 years|20 projects, selected to explain the approach and the working methods of the b720 team. The central element of the installation is arranged by an evocation of a stall from Encants Barcelona market, the centrepiece of the exhibition’s discourse. Here objects, materials and models of the projects can be seen and invite all visitors to approach b720’s work in multiple ways of perception and reflection.
Fragments of each project have been placed on folding panels arranged around this "market". This format inherits the materiality of the Encants Barcelona project, with the striking reflective effect of its gold background, a feature of the Mercat’s iconic canopy. The installation blends with the gallery’s day-to-day activity, inviting visitors to take a look at the work of b720. Visitors to this exhibition are able to reread the story of the b720 studio and relive a part of history, spanning the years from post-Olympic Barcelona to pre-crisis Spain, passing through the Brazilian boom and the recent evolution of world architecture.
"b720 has always been more concerned about the recipients of its work than the construction of a discourse or a calligraphy. The basis of the firm’s integrity is its consideration of architecture as a conscious tool—both technical and cultural—that is always at the service of people", says Fermín Vázquez.
Over the years, the studio has worked for public and private clients, and consolidated its position on the national and international stage thanks to its acknowledged diligence and innovation. One of the natural consequences of this duality has been its joint collaboration on projects with international architects such as Toyo Ito, Jean Nouvel and David Chipperfield.
b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos, founded in conjunction with Ana Bassat in 1997 and headed by Fermín Vázquez, has offices in Barcelona and Madrid. This year marks the studio’s 20th anniversary, with works ranging from the Torre Itaim (2017, São Paulo) and Lycée Français (2017, Barcelona), Hotel VP. Plaza España (2018, Madrid) to the Veles e Vent project in collaboration with David Chipperfield Architects (2007, Valencia) or the Spanish Pavilion at the Universal Expo (2015, Milan).
This exhibition is a retrospective look at 20 years|20 projects, selected to explain the approach and the working methods of the b720 team. The central element of the installation is arranged by an evocation of a stall from Encants Barcelona market, the centrepiece of the exhibition’s discourse. Here objects, materials and models of the projects can be seen and invite all visitors to approach b720’s work in multiple ways of perception and reflection.
Fragments of each project have been placed on folding panels arranged around this "market". This format inherits the materiality of the Encants Barcelona project, with the striking reflective effect of its gold background, a feature of the Mercat’s iconic canopy. The installation blends with the gallery’s day-to-day activity, inviting visitors to take a look at the work of b720. Visitors to this exhibition are able to reread the story of the b720 studio and relive a part of history, spanning the years from post-Olympic Barcelona to pre-crisis Spain, passing through the Brazilian boom and the recent evolution of world architecture.
"b720 has always been more concerned about the recipients of its work than the construction of a discourse or a calligraphy. The basis of the firm’s integrity is its consideration of architecture as a conscious tool—both technical and cultural—that is always at the service of people", says Fermín Vázquez.
Over the years, the studio has worked for public and private clients, and consolidated its position on the national and international stage thanks to its acknowledged diligence and innovation. One of the natural consequences of this duality has been its joint collaboration on projects with international architects such as Toyo Ito, Jean Nouvel and David Chipperfield.
