Treinta textos de Antonio Fernández Alba para treinta años de Astrágalo.

Abstract

Antonio Fernández Alba contributed thirty texts to Astrágalo magazine between 1994 and 2001, during a period when he co-directed it alongside Roberto Fernández and Eduardo Subirats. His writings, rich in critical reflection, draw parallels between his life, work, and the architectural and urban context of the time, offering profound diagnoses of the contemporary city and its cultural and human deterioration. In his inaugural article, Locus universitas: The city as a space that builds culture, he denounces the disconnection between urbanisation driven by economic interests and the need to conceive the city as a social service. He critiques real estate speculation, the dehumanisation of urban space, and the subordination of architecture to consumerism, highlighting how these dynamics have fragmented and stripped the city of its symbolic and emotional value. Fernández Alba asserts that architecture transcends its time, demanding a holistic commitment to culture and the human environment. Although his writings appear to engage with another era, their relevance underscores issues still unresolved today. The magazine and his work reflect a struggle to preserve living memory and foster critical thought, challenging the unchecked, mercantilist evolution of the city and striving to restore its human and transcendental dimension.