Carlos Martí Arí passes away at 71, from COVID-19 (1948-2020)
02/05/2020.
[BCN] Spain
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
On Friday, May 1, the coronavirus marked a new disappearance. Carlos Martí died in his hometown at age 71 (he would have turned 72 on June 10). He was architect and master known-anonymously for all his writings and recognized in the teaching field.
Author of basic books on architectural culture, his main initial contribution would be built as a founding member of Group 2C, promoted by Salvador Tarragó, group responsible for the 22 published issues of the magazine "2c Construcción de la ciudad".
They positioned themselves in favor of a certain critical regionalism by recognizing architectures of the Mediterranean environment from the Sevillian house to the Veneto territory, supporting figures such as Aldo Rossi and recovering others such as that of Ildenfons Cerdá, Torres Clavé or Josep M. Sostres. The last issue was published with the title "the hard line", a clear plea against stylistic postmodernism that was then making its way triumphantly in the world of architecture.
Author of basic books on architectural culture, his main initial contribution would be built as a founding member of Group 2C, promoted by Salvador Tarragó, group responsible for the 22 published issues of the magazine "2c Construcción de la ciudad".
They positioned themselves in favor of a certain critical regionalism by recognizing architectures of the Mediterranean environment from the Sevillian house to the Veneto territory, supporting figures such as Aldo Rossi and recovering others such as that of Ildenfons Cerdá, Torres Clavé or Josep M. Sostres. The last issue was published with the title "the hard line", a clear plea against stylistic postmodernism that was then making its way triumphantly in the world of architecture.
Carlos Martí and Jaume Rossell. Potograph by Víctor Brosa.
arquia/temas 36. La variaciones de la identidad. Ensayo sobre el tipo en arquitectura by Carlos Martí Aris
Scheme of the historical framework of the Spanish Gothic. Details original publication: MARTÍ ARÍS, Carlos (2014): "A response to the tradeoff between historicism and experimentalism" in Variations of identity. Essay on type in architecture. Barcelona: Fundación Arquia (Collection arquia / themes No. 36).
La cimbra y el arco by Carlos Martí. Portada
2c Construction of the city. Magazine cover dedicated to Aldo Rossi
2c Construction of the city. Magazine cover dedicated to Josep M. Sostres
2c Construction of the city. Magazine cover dedicated to Torres Clavé
Consistent with this line of thought, among his best-known and most popular books in the academic world is "Variations in Identity / Las variaciones de la identidad" (1), a book that is the result of this position displayed in 2C.
The book is a development of the concept of type, and arguably a development of the text "On tipology" published by Rafael Moneo in 1978. Carlos Martí will be much more pedagogical in his approach to the concept of type, his examples and his brilliantly structured discourse will make his text more educational and accessible to future architects.
Professor at the ETSA in Barcelona, his important intellectual career also made him the author of books such as "The forms of residence in the modern city" of 1991, "Eloquent silences" of 1999, "Loose ends" of 2012 or especially significant and relevant, "La cimbra y el arco" from 2005.
Of this last book, in 2014, the then director of the ETSAB, Jordi Ros, and on the occasion of the award of the distinction of Magister Honoris Causa to Carlos Martí, in the recognition event, pointed out the following paragraph:
The book is a development of the concept of type, and arguably a development of the text "On tipology" published by Rafael Moneo in 1978. Carlos Martí will be much more pedagogical in his approach to the concept of type, his examples and his brilliantly structured discourse will make his text more educational and accessible to future architects.
Professor at the ETSA in Barcelona, his important intellectual career also made him the author of books such as "The forms of residence in the modern city" of 1991, "Eloquent silences" of 1999, "Loose ends" of 2012 or especially significant and relevant, "La cimbra y el arco" from 2005.
Of this last book, in 2014, the then director of the ETSAB, Jordi Ros, and on the occasion of the award of the distinction of Magister Honoris Causa to Carlos Martí, in the recognition event, pointed out the following paragraph:
If I have learned anything after many years of dedication to these topics, it is that every attempt at theoretical construction in our field must, from the outset, assume its auxiliary role, its secondary condition, subject to works, which are the true repositories of knowledge both in architecture as in any other artistic activity. This auxiliary character that I attribute to theory in the field of art does not diminish its importance in any way, nor does it deny its decisive value. It is like the falsework that makes the construction of the arch possible: once its mission is completed, it disappears and, therefore, it is not part of the perception that we have of the finished work, but we know that it has been an obligatory and essential step, a necessary element to erect what we now see and admire.
2014 was a tough year, in which a parkinson began to manifest itself that would make him withdraw from public life since then.
That act was also the recognition of a lifetime dedicated to architecture, teaching, publishing, culture and construction. A journey that took him from his early years collaborating with Emilio Donato, building housing settlements in Algeria, going through his study training with Antonio Armesto, being a professor at the Milan Polytechnic until being the promoter of numerous initiatives at the Arquia Foundry.
NOTES.-
(1) “Variations in identity. Essay on the type in architecture ”. Reedition of his doctoral thesis defended in 1988 and directed by Giorgio Grassi, published by the Fundación Arquia in 2014.
That act was also the recognition of a lifetime dedicated to architecture, teaching, publishing, culture and construction. A journey that took him from his early years collaborating with Emilio Donato, building housing settlements in Algeria, going through his study training with Antonio Armesto, being a professor at the Milan Polytechnic until being the promoter of numerous initiatives at the Arquia Foundry.
NOTES.-
(1) “Variations in identity. Essay on the type in architecture ”. Reedition of his doctoral thesis defended in 1988 and directed by Giorgio Grassi, published by the Fundación Arquia in 2014.
More information
Carlos Martí Arí
Carlos Martí Arí, (born June 10th, 1948 and death May, 01st, 2020, in Barcelona, Spain) is an architect and full professor at the Departamento de Proyectos Arquitectónicos of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Graduated in 1972 from the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona (ETSAB), his real school was "2c Construcción de la Ciudad", of which he was a founding member and deputy editor from 1972 to 1985. His research themes include public space and the contemporary city, the relationship between architecture and cinema, and the concept of anonymity in architecture and art in general.
In addition, Carlos Martí was the promoter of editorial initiatives such as the Arquitectura-Teoría collection by Ediciones Serbal, the Arquíthesis and La cimbra collections by the Caja de Arquitectos Foundation or the DPA magazine of the Department of UPC Architectural Projects. Between his books it is possible to emphasize the variations on the identity. Essay on the type in architecture (1990) —which will be reissued soon—, Eloquent Silences (1999), The forms of residence in the modern city (1991) and Santiago de Compostela. La ciudad histórica como presente (1996), La arquitectura del cine. Studies on Dreyer, Hitchcock, Ford and Ozu (2008), The Arch and the Arch (2005) and Loose Capes (2012).
In addition, Carlos Martí was the promoter of editorial initiatives such as the Arquitectura-Teoría collection by Ediciones Serbal, the Arquíthesis and La cimbra collections by the Caja de Arquitectos Foundation or the DPA magazine of the Department of UPC Architectural Projects. Between his books it is possible to emphasize the variations on the identity. Essay on the type in architecture (1990) —which will be reissued soon—, Eloquent Silences (1999), The forms of residence in the modern city (1991) and Santiago de Compostela. La ciudad histórica como presente (1996), La arquitectura del cine. Studies on Dreyer, Hitchcock, Ford and Ozu (2008), The Arch and the Arch (2005) and Loose Capes (2012).
