aina santanach
editorial work and graphic design: Aina Santanach typography: Adobe Garamond Pro - text Aileron - titles paper: Bloc grand art (acrylique, pastel gras et huile) - 240g Kraft - 320g website: www.ainasantanach.com with thanks to: Marta Serra, Cristina Garcia and Eudald Santanach
Hey! My name is Aina and I was born in Barcelona back in the early 90s. I am currently finishing my studies in Architecture in the Escola Superior d Arquitectura del Vallès (ETSAV-UPC), having also participated in a one-year long exchange program at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. I believe in architecture as a whole; an overlay of elements that allow the user, to take ownership of what we, as professionals, have acknowledge that will improve his lifestyle. The exchange program in Belgium has allowed me to discover new approaches and perceptions towards architecture. Working in different studios (CAVAA arquitectes, Forgas Arquitectes) and participating in an international competition has helped me improve my technique and my understanding of space, place and habitability. Since the beginning of my studies, design, art and landscape have been the main interests I have set my eye on. I am constantly seeking to interact and debate with the people I work with, generating, in common, ideas that will provide us ways to have efficient and practical approaches. ainasantanach@gmail.com
a(rt)bbey. 1215 olot. 0616 nursery + music. 1213 urban planning. 0613 sas bxl. 1214 paintings
a(rt)bbey. 1215 international competition website. Opengap. Inspirational Hotel 2015 project location. Ripon, United Kingdom team. Meri Mensa + Aina Santanach finalists. 1st Mention Abbeys have been meditation places for centuries and were strategically designed with the intention of seeking spirituality. The Fountains Abbey, located in the United Kingdom, fulfils the ideas that we tried to achieve for an inspirational hotel. The proposal includes a series of specific interventions that recover the original usages of its spaces and that merge with the existing structure while respecting the abbey building itself. In line with the variety of artists the hotel can host, we looked for versatility spaces and uses. Common spaces with light structures join the ancient walls organised around a court.
...life emerges again at the abbey
...the abbey is surrounded by nature
...studios are separated into small communities
December, 2015
olot. 0616 project design - construction location. ETSAV-UPC. Spain project location. Olot, Spain team. Aina Santanach The volcano s research centre is located along a path connecting the city with the landscape. The positioning of the compact brick building follows an internal corridor parallel to the pathway that crosses the site. In each volume has a different usage and is connected to the building by this internal corridor. The lower separated volume can have multiple usages and is designed in such a way that it is autonomous and independent from the main building. The way the party walls and ramps are treated allows pedestrians to walk through the building while maintaining a visual line with the volcano and the bullring. A long porch that covers the walkway protects the visitors from the rain.
...the outdoor passage connects the volcano with the city
...different heights allowing the entrance of light
...with second floor terraces orientated to the volcano
June, 2016
nursery + music. 1213 project design location. ETSAV-UPC. Spain project location. Valldoreix, Spain team. Aina Santanach The building is used as a connection between the square and the main roads surrounding the site. It seeks a constant porosity allowing pedestrians to cross through it. By mixing both activities (music school and kindergarden) the building achieves a complete usage of all its parts during day-time. Its wooden façade mixed with concrete creates a differentiation between the common areas and the schools. The site has been analysed and the modified looking for natural ventilation, small interior courts and multiple links that connect the main square with the street located a few meters above.
...an open space welcomes the pedestrian in front of the building
...two big volumes organise both school areas
...natural ventilation through the semi-open basement
December, 2013
urban planning. 0613 landscape and urban planning location. ETSAV- UPC. Spain project location. Sant Cugat del Vallès, Spain team. Aina Santanach Urban orchards taken as the basis for a mesh neighbourhood. After a previous study of people s way of living, it is proposed to maintain the essence of that community while improving their lifestyle, their services and their daylight activities. The new master plan presents green corridors, outdoor carparks and public facilities that regenerate a self-sufficient community. Dwellings and houses of no more than 3 floors are organised following the reorganisation of both old and new urban orchards.
...each house is organised around an orchard
...green corriders through the landscape open new pedestrian roadss
...small different communities are settled on each area
June, 2013
sas bxl. 1214 construction location. LOCI-UCL. Belgium project location. Brussels, Belgium team. Aina Santanach The SAS BXL is a youth cultural centre with activities such as art, dance and theatre for children under social exclusion. The flexibility of its indoor spaces allows multiple and different uses on its future. The building consists of a big multifunctional space that can be divided into multiple rooms depending each time on the different needs. The building is almost opaque seen from the outside, with perforated steel panels allowing the entrance of light in order to keep privacy inside.
...a compact form that contains a variety of activities
...an open space with mobile walls
...steel perforated panels allow privacy inside
December, 2014
paintings
Aina Santanach Garcia September 2010- June 2016