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Best European City for Architecture Students

Best European City for Architecture Students

Old Jan 27th, 2016, 06:00 PM
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Best European City for Architecture Students

Hi, I am going to Barcelona for study abroad this Fall 2016, so I am preparing for it, and I have never been to Europe before. I have already had two of my study abroad meetings, and they give us a Fall Break of about 9 days. The school wants us to plan ahead and recommend we leave Spain for the week, so I am thinking of places to go. We also have three day weekends, so I can always do weekend excursions as well. The study abroad program includes a field trip to South and North Spain, including Madrid, so I would want to go somewhere out of Spain. What would be a good city for an architecture student to go to for a week or even a weekend that is relatively cheap to stay and get to from Barcelona? I won't have a whole lot of money, and I am really interested in New Urbanism, preservation, and history, so I would prefer a city with a compact urban structure and with layers of varying historic architecture that is somewhat cheap. I know the typical cities are Rome, Paris, London, and Berlin and I want to see the main architecture sights, but I am open to other options as well that are less known and cheaper. I have thought of Istanbul (if safe), Budapest, Athens, Krakow/Warsaw, Prague, Munich, Brussels, Morocco (even though no Europe), Lisbon, Edinburgh. Professors have also suggested that I could stay in Europe after my program and backpack with my fellow students, but it would require a Visa. Right now the program is exactly 90 days, allowing me to stay without a Visa, but any longer would require me to pay for one. I am open to anything and I appreciate any advice. Thanks.
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Old Jan 27th, 2016, 06:45 PM
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I'd look at Amsterdam. Lots of historic and conservation buildings, lots of amazing modern design, compact and easy to get around, no language barriers.
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Old Jan 27th, 2016, 06:48 PM
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Disclaimer: I am not an architect.

The modernisme of Gaudi and Puig will captivate you. It infuses the entire city.

To me the reconstruction of Rotterdam, which was destroyed during WWII by Allied and Nazi bombing is extremely interesting in terms of modern urban design.

Krakow and Prague were spared bombing during WWII and they have layers of styles. Not necessarily cohesive but interesting.

Brussels is a bore.

What is interesting in Paris the uniformity of style and the absolutely brilliant use of light to highlight the city. I for one, think the I.M. Pei pyramid is an intrusive horror. I think they could have done something in the style of Louvre and create huge stained glass windows that would allow light into the common areas and bathe the museum goers in blues and red from the windows.

Madrid is a real meh for architecture. But the Belle Epoque style in parts of San Sebastian/Donostia and interesting.

The Alhmabra is a spectacular example of Moorish design with the simplistic exterior and elaborate and ornate interior, to reflect how humans should be.

Istanbul is a most unusual city.

Florence just for Brunelleschi's Dome is worth it.
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Old Jan 27th, 2016, 09:37 PM
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Vienna, would be a great choice too. Its city-centre is very compact, if you look a map you will easily distinct the old walled city (walls are gone now, replaced by a glitzy boulevard the Ringstraße). As the imperial capital of the Austrian Empire (one of the major powers of European History) the city is home to some spectacular architectural masterpieces, and the old city as a whole is a UNESCO site. You will see many layers of architecture. From the Gothic "Stephansdom", to Neo-Gothic "Rathaus", to Neo-Renaissance "Staatsoper", to Baroque "Belvedere", to Secessionist "Vienna Seccesion". I can literally go on forever.

Definitely give it a look, it's worth it.
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 01:12 AM
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Rotterdam, as mentioned, is very interesting for an architecture student.

Antwerp is worth a visit too. Some notable new buildings (the new Port of Antwerp building by Zaha Hadid, the justice palace, the MAS museum. And Park Spoor Noord for a good example of urban regeneration.
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 01:22 AM
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To keep costs down, I think Poland might be your best bet. I also think the modern architecture of Portugal is some of the very nicest in Europe (Lisbon also has some hideous clunkers) and important to include Porto in the mix.
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 01:39 AM
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Another vote for Rotterdam.
One amazing showcase for anyone even remotely interested in architecture - from historic Delfshaven and 1950s central shopping street to amazing skyscrapers.
Plus you find some nice cafes and pubs for the younger clientele - along Witte de With straat.

You can combine it with nearby Delft - the historic town centre is the total opposite to the mix of styles in Rotterdam.


The most interesting items (from an architectural perspective) in Berlin are that you get post-war 'capitalist and communist' modern architecture in one city.
Furthermore, you have fine examples from early 20c urban housing by famous architects like Bruno Taut - UNESCO world heritage sites, by the way.
It's also a place where architects can do pretty much what they want - as long as they don't touch the wide open spaces, some of which still the result of the separation of the city until 25 years ago.
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 01:56 AM
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Tallinn. The former port quarters as a mix of old and new, some really interesting dealings with the leftovers of old factory and storage buildings combined with modern architecture (and of course the old town and cathedral hill for the historical city). To give you an idea, the keyword is "Rotermann quarter": http://www.rotermann.eu/en/

Tallinn could easily be combined with a visit to, for example, Berlin within your timeframe.
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 02:07 AM
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Let's get a bit more systematic.

In the history of architecture, over the centuries different concepts of urban layout were realized.

In antiquity, we had three types of cities: (1) the imperial cities of the great rulers of Mesopotamia or Egypt, (2) the democratic Greek cities and (3) the Roman Colonial City.

(1) Imperial cities were dominated by magnificent buildings which symbolized the ruler's power and rather broad streets where processions happened. The best remains of imperial cities you find nowadays in Egypt, especially Luxor, but within Europe, you have a good chance to admire the magnificent Ishtar gate and procession street of ancient Babylon in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishtar_Gate

(2) The democratic Greek cities had three areas: The sacred area with the Temple, the public area with the Agora (market and political assembly) and the private residential area. There were no palaces and the residential homes were all decent, roughly of the same size, with narrow streets.

Unfortunately, of these times, not much has been left, because the Romans, after conquering Greece, turned the democratic cities into Roman Colonial cities. However, in Athens, you can still see significatn remains of the sacred and the public areas: the Acropolis with two temples, impressive enough, the Areopagus hill where the supreme court same together, the Pnyx hill where the democratic assemblies of six thousand deputies happened (even the speaker's rostrum is conserved), extensive, yet crumbled remains of the Agora and a wonderfully preserved temple, the temple of Hephaestos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_Athens

The Old Town of Athens is basically Islamic (see below) and modern Athens is architecturally not very significant.

(3) The Roman Colonial Cities. When Rome founded new cities or overtook existing ones, the made them imperial - with broad streets, a main street (cardo maximus), magnificent temples and other buildings representing the power of the Emperor and huge private mansions of rich officials and citizens. Urban layout was usually Hippodamic.

Perhaps the best remains of a Roman Colonial City you find ironically not in Rome but in Ephesus (Turkey). There are also good excavations in Southern France (Provence), especially in Vaison-la-Romaine, but also (in this order) in Nîmes, Arles (where you find many layers), Orange and near St. Remy-de-Provence (Glanum).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaison-la-Romaine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arles

In Rome, you find the remains of the Forum Romanum, the Arena (Colosseo) and of several buildings, among the Pantheon as an almost perfectly conserved example of large dome built with concrete.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,_Rome
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Forum

After the Roman Age, the age of feudalism emerged which meant that people left the cities and started rural settlements.

Meanwhile, at the edges of Europe, another type of city emerged: the Islamic City. In Islam, the private life of the family is strongly protected. The resulting architectural style are extremely compact cities with very few and small public spaces, a maze of crooked, narrow alleys, nested homes without facades and outer windows, covered markets (souk, bazaar) and mosques.

You find good examples of Islamic Cities in Morocco (Fes, Marrakech etc.), in Andalucia (Vejer de la Frontera) and Greece (e.g. Lindos on the island Rhodes).

http://www.vejerdelafrontera.co.uk/index.html

In Europe, the Medieval City gradually emerged. Like the ancient Greek city, the Medieval City was democratic. The structural elements were: a city wall, a central market square, a main church or cathedral, a city hall, the halls of the merchants guilds and narrow crooked streets.

You find examples of medieval cities in all European countries. Best-conserved are usually small towns without modern developments. Good examples are in Southern France Carcassonne and Aigues-Mortes, in Germany Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nördlingen, Dinkelsbühl, but also the City of Lübeck. In Belgium, Brugge, is a fine example of a medieval city.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aigues-Mortes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcassonne
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothenburg_ob_der_Tauber
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruges

The medieval parts of most larger European cities have been demolished when mighty kings and princes turned them into residential cities, but one capital city completely kept her medieval urban layout: Amsterdam. Amsterdam is the largest remaining example of a Medieval City in Europe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam

The middle ages ended with renaissance, a period that brought a different type of urban planning, with palaces, more social inequality, grand facades, carefully designed squares and public buildings. Of course, Florence was the birthplace of renaissance and still has finest examples of this style.

Then came the age of the great empires. Kings and princes became incresingly powerful and turned cities into their places of residence, often demolishing medieval parts of towns and replacing them with palaces, broad streets, huge squares, long vistas, parks and rows of uniform buildings. Paris, where absolutism was born, is still the main example of this architectural style, but also Berlin.

Later, this residential style should be further developed by Baron Haussmann who replaced medieval urban structures by blocks which where structured by broad boulevards. Again, Paris is the main example. But also in Barcelona, you will find the contrast of the medieval Barrio Gotic with crooked and narrow streets and the more modern Eixample district in Haussmann-style.

Then came industrialization which brought two major innovations: industrial architecture and garden cities.

In the beginning, the big factories and mines were built in romanticist style, often resembling medieval castles with many decorative elements, towers, turrets and battlements. Later, the decorative style became more abstract, over art nouveau to art deco. Today, many of these beautiful buildings have been converted into cultural centers, museums or entertainment centers. Some of them have even been acknowledges as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The best place in Europe to see how industrial architecture has been preserved is the Ruhr Valley in Germany.

Here two examples of different architectural styles of former coal mines:

http://www.lwl.org/LWL/Kultur/wim/portal/S/zollern/ort/
http://www.zollverein.de/

The big mines and mills built neighbourhoods for their workers, many of them as garden cities, decades before Ebenezer Howard wrote his book (he was in fact accused of plagiarism). If you are interested in New Urbanism you find the roots of this movement in the workers neighbourhoods in the Ruhe Valley. Many of these neighbourhoods are also fine examples of preservation. Here just three examples:

This is the oldest "garden city" neighbourhood, dating from 1847: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siedlung_Eisenheim
These two have been built inspired by Howard:
https://www.ruhrgebiet-industriekult...thenhoehe.html
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siedlung_Teutoburgia

A must-see for an architectural student is certainly the cradle of modern architecture, the Bauhaus. The main building and many realized projects of the most important architectural school of the 20th century is in Dessau:

http://www.bauhaus-dessau.de/en/index.html

You can even sleep in the Bauhaus (I have done it). Another branch of the Bauhaus was in nearby Weimar.

Another root of modern architecture was Le Corbusier. You find many buildings of him scattered mostly across France, the most impressive (or infamous) one certainly the "cité radieuse" in Marseille.

http://www.marseille-tourisme.com/en...-le-corbusier/

I will stop this brief tour d'horizon through the history of European architecture which might be superficial and over-generalizing, but I wanted to give some ideas what you can see.

Given your limited time and budget, you must make a decision what your main interest would be: Ancient cities, medieval cities or the early garden cities.

There are possilities to combine: Paris, Brugge, Amsterdam and the Ruhr Valley are easily connected by train and give you the chance to see a wide range of styles and ages.
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 02:40 AM
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I'd look at easy flight from Barcelona. Look at the skyscanner and see where they go

Interesting to me would be Lisbon (after the earthquake), Lecce and its growth over 3 periods, Glasgow for its early grid pattern, Newcastle for its river development and comparison with Bilbao (which I guess will be on your course), Leeds for the Corbuisier input.
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 02:40 AM
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It's nice that people want to show off their knowledge of architecture and history, or flag wave for their favorite city, but the OP has already said what is of most interest to the OP:

" I am really interested in New Urbanism, preservation, and history, so I would prefer a city with a compact urban structure and with layers of varying historic architecture that is somewhat cheap."

The OP mentions at least 4 or 5 times in the original post that money is a very important factor in choosing a destination. To be honest, that rules out Italy (which has very little New Urbanism anyway), the Netherlands, much of France and certainly London and much of the UK/Ireland. Berlin is one of the few capital cities of Europe that is not expensive, but it is not "compact" and, for having been bombed to smithereens in WWA2, it does not have much historic architecture preserved.

So where to go to for a week and get a good price/quiality ratio spending euros? Although much of Polish historic architecture has been reconstructed, it has been quite meticulously reconstructed, so places like Gdansk, Krakow, etc are compact and of interest from medieval times through the 20thc, and for New Urbanism, Warsaw as well. Portugal has sufferend greatly from austerity and brain drain, but there is still original new architectural talent in Portugal and a quite interesting salvaging and re-purposing of the historic cities.
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 03:00 AM
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PS: I'm not suggesting that Poland and Portugal are the only cheap destinations in Europe that feature New Urbanism movements and compact cities with multiple layers of historic architectural interest, but think it would be more helpful to the OP if people could identify other economical, compact cities in Europe like Portugal and Poland that feature these things at a good price for a student. This is a student budget, and OP wants someplace compact (meaning, not London or Berlin).
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 03:16 AM
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Rotterdam, to see how city is rebuilt after destruction. Good for domestic and civic architecture.
Almere, for a brand new city with various types of modern domestic architecture, not all good, or Amersfoort for a mix of medieval in the centre, to modern around the edges. Utrecht would also be a good one to combine with any of those, for modern and old in one city centre. Hilversum to see the architecture of Dudok.

London. Full of counterpoints and interesting buildings.
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 03:18 AM
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Urbanism

j do you need to see the link from the start of the movement in 1990s to the build or do you need to see the concept in context?

My question is that while this idea was described in 1990s in the states, it has been common practice all over Europe for hundreds of years.
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 03:47 AM
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http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_new...s_sprawl/2118/

New Urbanism in Italy is a focus in only a very few places, for several reasons, but it is worth noting that the current leader of Italy owes a good part of his political ascendency for applying New Urbanism principles to the city of Florence when he was its mayor (as opposed to Berlusconi, whose policies encouraged sprawl). New Urbanism is of great interest in places like Genova that have experienced a lot of flight of the middle class from the urban core to outlying suburbs.
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 03:51 AM
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Other articles about New Urbanism in Europe:

http://luciensteil.tripod.com/eurocouncil2003/id21.htm

https://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9781409431350

and if the UK is still in Europe (forgot to check this morning)

http://londonsquares.net/5-new-urbanist-picks/
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 05:02 AM
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a lot depends on your specific architectural interests. But Prague is almost unique among major cities in europe in that it was not significantly destroyed in wwII. (Or in the case of Paris largely destroyed in the 1870s.)

In Prague the architecture grew organically and so you will see buildings from all ages and in all styles in/near the center of the city. We took a 2 hour walking trip through the old town led by an architecture student - and it was fascinating how he related info on the different buildings and how they related to the history and culture at the time they were built, esp those n the Jewish section.
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 10:56 AM
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Of course, you should go to Valencia (cheap trip) to see the Calatrava stuff.

BTW, this morning I was reading an article in the Telegraph about the world's most visited cities with photos. You know, none of the places with all the skyscrapers interested us.E.g., we would have been interested in visiting the old Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, etc., but not the new versions of these places.
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 11:14 AM
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It's not close to Barcelona, but I don't know how cheap the flights are to this point -- I don't think Dresden has been mentioned. It has only a few authentic old structures left, but there are some old buildings, and then many modern. It is also fairly cheap compared to some big cities. The way they reconstructed that old church is rather interesting in terms of historic preservation. And it is fairly small in the center IMO, you can get around easily enough by walking in the oldest part, and the tram a bit, and there is another area on the other side of the river.

SO you definitely have history and preservation in Dresden. I think Germany is definitely interested in environmentalism and new urbanism, I visited a friend in a suburban apt around Dresden and seems that way to me. See the reconstruction of NeuMarkt, for one thing, or Neustadt. Their new garden apts are not going to be in the dead center, of course, but in the outskirts.

Of course if you have a break of 9 days, you could easily do both Prague and Dresden, they are only a few hours apart by train. There are cheap flights from BCN to Dresden, but not direct (on Germanwings), so they do take up quite a bit of a day (7 hrs+). there are definitely cheap nonstop flights between BCN and PRG, however, on Vueling and even Czech Airlines isn't bad in fares.
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Old Jan 28th, 2016, 12:02 PM
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Amsterdam is a city that is ultra-modern on the outside and neatly old in its ancient facades in the city center (facades only usually as the buildings behind them have been gutted and modernized)- but that is one city the perfectly matches your architectural interests and is also a mecca for European young folk your age (for various reasons, including legalized marijuana sold over the counter at numerous coffeeshops) and an active nightlife but architecturally the center of Amsterdam has so so many neat architecture styles - some dating from the 20s and early 30s and others from the 1600s.

Rotterdam just an hour or so by train from Amsterdam has a tonof really sweet modern architecture replacing the ancient city that got blitzed to bits during WW2 - but it also has vestpockets of old edifices in its Delftshaven area (from which the Pilgrims once set sail).

Berlin, for the same reason as Rotterdam, also is now a showcase of gleaming avant-garden architecture.
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