The Granada Faculty of Architecture is located in a former military hospital. The conversion was awarded the Arquitectura Española 2015 prize.

Granada is characterized by two poles: The architecture bears stucco from the Muslim-Moorish dynasty, but the life of the inhabitants is typically Spanish. The narrow alleyways smell of cheap leather and oriental spices – in between tapas, Andalusian wine and the sounds of swallowed consonants.

Granada also developed from two urban cores. Albaicín, the Moorish quarter, winds its way up the hill north of the Alhambra. Gypsies built cave dwellings here from the 19th century onwards and brought flamenco to the city. The second historical core is the Realejo district, originally the Jewish quarter.

Granada, a city of education

Today, Granada is above all a university city – with 60,000 students, it is one of the largest educational institutions in Spain. The Escuela Técnica Superior Arquitectura, or ETS for short, was founded in 1994. For this purpose, the University of Granada acquired the building complex of a former military hospital located at the foot of the Alhambra – in the Realejo district.

In front of the campus is the oversized square “Campo del Principe”, which was created during the drastic urban planning changes of the Renaissance. From here, you can see the elongated façade of the ETS, which looks homogeneous with its white paint. In fact, behind it is an almost 14,000 square meter, historically grown network of buildings. At the end of the 1990s, this was to be made suitable for future architects to study. An international competition was held, which was won by Spanish architect Víctor López Cotelo.

The most important feature of the ensemble is the three inner courtyards: two of them are directly adjacent to each other and date back to the Renaissance, while the third and largest courtyard is located in the south-west of the complex and has been redesigned. These outdoor spaces provide orientation, not least because López Cotelo repeatedly creates visual connections to them and also to the surrounding alleyways. Despite the complexity of the building, it is therefore impossible to get lost. In order to create a system of paths without dead ends, it was necessary, among other things, to make openings – for example to the independent building of a former officers’ clinic, which was integrated into the complex in 1909 – which can still be seen today in the lower building height to the Campo del Principe.

You can find out more in Baumeister 1/2016

It’s been 40 years since the Empire Strikes Back: On May 17, 1980, the second Star Wars episode “The Empire Strikes Back”, the fifth by today’s count, premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.. The global fan base of the mighty space opera saga is huge and the portfolio of merchandise seems endless. A very special personal tribute to his heroes from […]

It’s been 40 years since the Empire Strikes Back: On May 17, 1980, the second Star Wars episode “The Empire Strikes Back”, the fifth by today’s count, premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.. The global fan base of the mighty space opera saga is huge and the portfolio of merchandise seems endless. Homeowner Rob Equi from Sacramento has created a very special personal tribute to his heroes from a galaxy far, far away a long time ago – with light and dark coverings from Neolith.

He felt the Force for the first time on his sixth birthday: it was May 25, 1977, the day the first Star Wars film “A New Hope” was released in cinemas, and as Rob Equi recalls, it was accompanied by a family outing. Since then, Star Wars has been an integral part of his life. The little boy from back then is now a doctor and retinal specialist, which – like his Jedi role models – allows him to use lasers professionally.

When he and his family renovated their home, he decided to give his home office and the adjoining lounge area a special touch: “I wanted to have a Star Wars-themed room. I had a whole range of high quality memorabilia that I wanted to showcase in a cool, fun and memorable way and I wanted to have a place where I could go after work and immerse myself in my childhood.”

The designer strikes back

Having already worked with Miche Victoria, Senior Designer at Benning Design Construction, during the first three phases of construction, Equi trusted her unreservedly to realize his very special request. “I told her in broad strokes what I wanted. It had to be a livable office space, so it couldn’t look like a movie set, but at the same time I wanted some design elements that reminded me of that universe. For example, lighting is a very important motif in these movies.” In her search for iconic scenes, Victoria found inspiration in the original trilogy.

The return of the holo chessboard

The flooring is often the first step in Miche Victoria’s design process because it is the foundation for everything else – as is the case here. The flooring in Equi’s home office, for example, appears to unknowing eyes as a circular, modern-looking black and white pattern. For Star Wars fans, it pays homage to the board on which Chewbacca and C-3PO play holo-chess in Han Solo’s spaceship, the Millennium Falcon.
Designer Victoria wanted a material that would fit in with the other design elements and that she was very keen on: Neolith coverings, called sintered stone by the manufacturer, she had used several times before in other projects and is convinced by these porcelain ceramics. She even goes so far as to say: “No other materials are an option for me. For a custom design like this, Neolith was a no-brainer. You can do so much with it. The customization possibilities are incredible. It really stands out from its competitors thanks to its many strengths and finishes. I love those seamless transitions.” To capture the aesthetic of the spaceship from the movie, she avoided the clean contrast of a traditional checkerboard and instead opted to combine the two Neolith variants “Basalt Black Satin” and the industrial-chic “Cement Satin”.
The designer was supported by sales partners Evolv Surfaces and Natural Stone Design Fabrication in the implementation of the customized motif. Client Rob Equi is very happy with the result: “The Neolith materials are simply fantastic. The matt finish fits perfectly with the inhabited universe of Star Wars. It’s not the typical sci-fi design where everything is polished, new and utopian.”

Jedi design tricks

In addition to the flooring, the lighting is also important for the right flair: behind Equi’s desk, two large backlit wall panels are reminiscent of the set of the battle scene between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader from the first part “A New Hope”, while the rest of the illuminated wall coverings in the office rotunda are inspired by the “I am your father” scene. Other lovely details and exhibits: on the wall of the lounge area next door is a life-size replica of Han Solo in carbonite. Here you are surrounded by Star Wars memorabilia of the host, such as costumes, an X-Wing pilot’s helmet and a blaster replica. Even though he himself is the biggest fan of the film series in the house, Rob Equi’s wife and children share his love of the heroic epic from a galaxy far, far away: they share their home with Boba Fett, an Imperial Death Trooper and Han Solo – as well as Chewie, of course, who in this case is not the Wookie and Solo’s best friend, but the family’s Labradoodle.