Submitted by David Yoncha on the 2016 spring semester program in Barcelona, Spain…
What makes this picture of an intersection in Eixample so remarkable is the fact that it is so unremarkable. The neighborhood is blessed with a staggering amount of amazing buildings. The template for the neighborhood is a strict grid pattern designed by Catalan engineer Ildefons Cerda in the 19th century, but the flair is from the architects of the Modernisme. Cerda designed this area of the city with the idea of sanitation and equality. The streets of this neighborhood form a grid pattern around octagonal blocks. The octagons are formed by “illes” the cutouts in every corner designed to improve visibility, sunlight and airflow. What seems like the makings of a clean and healthy, albeit boring, grid system was transformed by architects from the Modernisme Movement. Cerda planned for equality across the neighborhood and for every block to be effectively the same. Today, you can see the individuality of the architects in almost every building. Every street you look down and every corner you turn, holds a new surprise. Most of the buildings are so unremarkable to the locals they hardly give a second look. For me, they are all still pretty amazing.