CALL FOR PAPERS; Nº 33- JOURNAL "PROYECTO, PROGRESO, ARQUITECTURA"
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CALL FOR PAPERS PpA ISSUE 32: FLEXIBLE ARCHITECTURE
Publication "Call for papers issued on": DECEMBER 6th, 2024
Dead Line: MARCH 16th, 2024
Publication nº 33 PpA: NOVEMBER, 2025
Arkhé, or the principle of all things for the Ionian school, the essential fluid for life, water holds the primary place in many and diverse realities. As the substance that occupies three-quarters of the Earth's surface, as the main compound of all living organisms, and as the most commonly used material in construction.
In more qualitative realms, water has originated, structured, and shaped landscapes, cities, and architecture. In any territory, the abundance or scarcity of water has led to specific uses, industries, and infrastructures that have left —what should be— indelible marks that speak of thoughtful and compelling interpretations of the natural support, its rhythms, and possibilities, and that tell the history of the societies that have inhabited them. This primordial anthropic layer of historical networks for water supply, use, and drainage seems to have been overlooked in the formation of the recent technosphere, a concept developed by American geologist Peter Haff, which refers to the last ‘layer’ of Earth created by humans, and which we might call the urbanized or paved layer. The uncontrolled growth of cities leads to excessive land consumption, disregarding the natural water systems that show feasible positions and outline the possibilities for sustainable development. The devastating consequences that can arise from the disruption between poorly planned urbanism and natural support have been evidenced in the terrible damage caused by the DANA (isolated depression at high levels) that struck the eastern Spanish coast at the end of October. It would be unwise not to refer to this situation in this issue, one that has put us on alert and urges us to reflect on the flagrant responsibility that we, as a society, have in reducing global warming, decarbonizing the planet, managing water responsibly, and implementing rational urbanism that respects and engages the natural stratum that sustains us.
Descending to another scale, a symbiotic and respectful relationship with water can be seen in architectural design, which is necessary in the current landscape. Architecture has used and continues to use water not only as a functional-energetic-productive resource or as an aesthetic-spiritual element but also as a source of ethical and ecological power. Numerous examples illustrate these ideas throughout history, some of them well known, such as the water channels of the Alhambra in Granada, Le Corbusier's interest in hydroelectric power, the influence of Venice on Carlo Scarpa and his architecture, the work with water in the projects of Luis Barragán or Juan Navarro Baldeweg's House of Rain, as well as more recent ones, such as Andrés Jaque's discussions around the politicization of water or some of the pavilions that Denmark has built in the lasts Venice Biennale, like the one from the 17th edition titled Con-nect-ed-ness, which consisted of a giant cyclic water collection system, or the most recent one in 2024, under the theme 'Coastal Imaginaries,' to raise awareness about the dilemma of building near the coast.
The next issue of PpA will unfold through this more tangible approach focused on the control, management, and utilization that the architectural discipline makes of this primordial natural resource.. The goal is to encourage reflection on the structuring role that water has played in our cities and architectures, without spatial or temporal limits —from the study of pre-industrial hydraulic artefacts or historical infrastructures to the cities of canals or significant projects from the 20th and 21st centuries— aiming to create a synopsis that showcases the inseparable connection between architecture, city, and water, and soothes two realities that should only strengthen each other.
As our discipline's main methodological instrument, the drawing must be a fundamental part of the research, producing and gathering plans, maps, and photographs that support arguments and conclusions.
Author of the call for papers:Gloria Rivero Lamela, dra. en Arquitectura, profesora de la ETS de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla.
Email de consulta sobre la convocatoria: grivero@us.es
