The digital platform rocagallery.com, a project from Roca, aims to be a reference point for design and architecture to news and thought, with more than 30 international writers and content updated every week.
A committee of experts decided the editorial direction of the website at the first annual meeting. Committee members included Jane Duncan (former president of the Royal Institute of British Architects); Jonathan Bell (writer and editor at Wallpaper*); and Raya Ani (former president of the American Institute of Architects, Middle East chapter). Thirty international contributors, such as Benjamin Prosky (American Institute of Architects-New York); Lucy Bullivant (director of Urbanista.org); Cecilia Tham (founder of Makers of Barcelona; MOB) will contribute essays on a monthly basis.
This new web platform aims to be a meeting point between architecture and design professionals. Twelve people and over 30 international writers are involved in the project, which will generate updated weekly content. The website is published in two languages: English and Spanish.
Each month it will focus on a different theme. The first month's theme is "Urban Versus Rural."
Megacities, garden communities, repopulated villages, urban landscapes, animal kingdoms; for the first edition of the website, we explore the shifting divide between the urban and rural environments, and how architects, designers, and artists are responding.
The themes in the coming months are:
- Connection in a Material World
- The Afterlife of Architecture.
- One Ocean.
- Want more, Use Less
“This platform is Roca’s intent to contribute to the global debate on subjects that affect all of us,” says Xavier Torras, Director of Roca’s Communication and Corporate Branding.
For the launch, authors of the exclusive content include Benjamin Prosky, executive director of the American Institute of Architects-New York (AIANY); Martín Azúa, designer and founder of Numbered Store; and Patricia Espinosa, a journalist specialized in design who writes for XL Semanal and ABC, among others.
The content is divided into four categories: 'Views on Architecture,' 'Eye on Design,' 'The Future,' and 'Sustainable World.'
Featured Articles in the First Issue: #Urban Versus Rural
New York Takes Up The Green Challenge by Benjamin Prosky
Architects recognize that New York buildings have a large carbon footprint. Prosky suggests what can be done about it.
Beautiful Ruins by Stefan Baumann
Within the discipline of ‘urban exploration,’ Stefan Baumann photographs abandoned homes, palaces, hotels and hospitals, capturing nature’s return into the built environment.
Daan Roosegaarde: The Great Innovator by Giovanna Dunmall
Illuminating the Landscape Without Energy
At One With Nature - Architecture That Morphs Into the Landscape by Suzanne Wales
Recent architecture projects where conservation, ecological concerns, sustainability, and the beauty and fragility of Mother Nature steer construction and design.
The Greening of Mumbai by Saket Sethi
How can you make India’s industrial powerhouse more Eco-Friendly? Fill the balconies with plants or vertical forests, for a start.
The New Garden City by Jonathan Bell
Beyond the green roof; architects treating the urban structure as landscape.
Updated Inspiration
Updated inspiration is a section that publishes recommendations and news items connected to the theme of the month and invite the user to go deeper into the subject, be it an event, book, or film.
The monthly themes have been decided upon by an editorial committee of experts during a meeting that took place in Roca Gallery London (a work of Zaha Hadid Architects) in January 2018. The seven members of the committee are Raya Ani and Jane Duncan (architects); writer Jonathan Bell; architect and urbanist John Palmesino; journalist and consultant Pati Nuñez; along with the head of Roca brand communication Núria Vall-llovera; and the director of communication at Roca, Xavier Torras.
Expert Committee
Raya Ani - Architect, Dubai and New York
Former president of the American Institute of Architects, Middle East Chapter (2017) and director of RAW Architects
Jonathan Bell - Writer, London
Contributing Editor for Wallpaper* and editor of the Aston Martin magazine
Jane Duncan - Architect, London
Former president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA, 2015-2017) and founder of Jane Duncan Architects + Interiors
Pati Nuñez - Journalist, Madrid and Barcelona
Director of the Pati Núñez Agency, a strategy and communication consultant specialized in architecture
John Palmesino - Architect and urbanist, London and Switzerland
Founder of the Territorial Agency and professor at the Architectural Association School of Architecture
Xavier Torras - Communication Director, Barcelona
Director of Communication and Corporate Branding at Roca and director of the We Are Water Foundation
Nuria Vall-Llovera - Communication Executive, Barcelona.
Head of communication for the Roca brand and director of the jumpthegap® International Design Contest
Contributors of the First Issue
Martín Azúa - Designer, Barcelona
Founder of Numbered Store and winner of the Premio Delta de Plata 2011
Ethel Baraona - Architect and Architecture Critic, Barcelona
Founder of dpr-barcelona
Stefan Baumann - Photographer, Vienna
Photographed abandoned spaces in 14 countries
Jonathan Bell - Writer, London
Contributing Editor for Wallpaper* and editor of the Aston Martin magazine
Lucy Bullivant - Curator and Author, London
PhD Hon. FRIBA and director of Urbanista.org
Karen Burshtein - Photographer, Translator, and Journalist, Winnipeg, Canada
Collaborator in various leading publications including Dwell, Conde Nast Traveller, and The Guardian
Giovanna Dunmall - Writer and Editor, London
Writer for leading publications including The Guardian and Frame
Patricia Espinosa - Design Journalist, Madrid
Writer for numerous publications including El Dominical, XL Semanal, Mujer Hoy, Estilo, and ABC
Ben Morgan - Architecture and Design Journalist, Melbourne
Co-founder of Bower Bird, a digital platform that connects architects and designers with writers and the specialised press
Benjamin Prosky - Architect, New York
Executive director of the American Institute of Architects-New York (AIANY)
Carles Sala - Architect, Barcelona
Founder of the SalaFerusic studio
Saket Sethi - Architect, Mumbai and Barcelona
Founder of the Archilogics Studio
Cecilia Tham - Entrepreneur, Barcelona
Founder of the creative community Makers of Barcelona (MOB)
The new Roca Gallery website, under the motto “Sharing Knowledge on Architecture and Design” aspires, above all, to become a reference point within the sector.
Contact architecture@
