Six creative minds rowing in the same direction: Interview with Cierto Estudio
As far as architecture is concerned, there is nothing they cannot handle: detached houses, apartment blocks, interior renovations, and even temporary architecture projects.
Marta, Ivet, Carlota, Anna, Lucia and Clara are the six female architects leading Some study, but looking at their work and extensive CV, one might think there are many more. In this group interview, they tell us how they manage to carry out large projects thanks to good organisation and sharing the same creative vision of architecture.
Tell us about yourselves and your work. Where did your vocation originate? Any early memories?
Cierto Estudio is a team of 6 female architects based in Barcelona. We studied at the same university, the ETSAB, where we became good friends and discovered our great vocation. During our final degree project, we rented a small studio to help each other and make it more manageable. A very special team dynamic was created which pushed us to enter our first architectural competitions after finishing our degree. In one of the first ones we did together we were awarded an honourable mention. That gave us confidence and hope during a moment of crisis in the sector and pushed us to form Some study.
What is it that satisfies you most about your work? Are there any [projects/cases] that you are especially proud of?
We are pleased to be able to combine more theoretical research with the projects we undertake. Especially in our housing projects, both in renovations and new builds, in which we always seek to innovate and break with the established norm.
Part of our dedication focuses on housing competitions, which allow us to experiment with new models. We won first prize to build 50 social housing units in Plaza de las Glorias, a highly innovative project that we are finally going to build this year. It is a building made up of four blocks designed by four teams of architects. We designed one of them and are coordinating the whole project.
We recently won another competition, “Kitchroom”, to build 70 social housing units in El Masnou. In this project we wanted to emphasise the importance of the kitchen, which we have placed in the centre of the home, where it acts as a major hallway.
In the field of renovations, we are very proud to Casa Cruce, selected in the FAD Awards in the interior design category and which will be exhibited in the 2020 edition of 48h Open House Barcelona. This refurbishment of a flat in a Modernist building in Barcelona had the aim of organising and connecting five spaces: kitchen, dining room, living room, study and gallery. The strategy is to align these rooms in a grid-like fashion, creating a cross at their intersection. At this cross, it was decided to place a circular piece of furniture that wraps around it and serves all the adjoining spaces. Each room has sufficient dimensions to be versatile and ambiguous, allowing users to easily change its use. Structural work is carried out on the load-bearing walls to widen existing openings and create a new one between the kitchen and the dining room, opening the kitchen up to the adjoining rooms and allowing the light from the gallery to reach further in. The project includes bespoke furniture for every room. A single design addresses all the bespoke furniture in the house, both in the kitchen and the shelving for books and vinyl records. This consists of a painted metal structure with white melamine shelves and doors.
What is your creative process like?
Within the creative process, we place great importance on collective workshops, where we put a project on the table and everyone participates. Almost all the projects share a meticulous approach starting from the floor plan, experimenting with geometric relationships that add value to the space. At the same time, we usually make working models and collages to decide on issues of materiality and spatial relationships.
What are your sources of inspiration?
Our sources of inspiration are very varied; we consult references from books or the internet. We also like attending talks by other architects or designers we admire.
Any special music while you work?
The music playing in the studio is very varied, it depends on the mood of the moment. It can range from Nicola Cruz to the latest from Rosalía.
Favourite colour, book, film and record - in that order!
Green.
Casa Collage, by Xavier Monteys (Editorial Gustavo Gili).
The Great Beauty, by Paolo Sorrentino.
Future Islands singles.
Are your homes a reflection of who you are? Tell us about your favourite corner, decorative item or must-have piece of furniture, whether you treasure any collections...
Our homes are clearly a reflection of who we are. In fact, we have created bespoke designs for some of our homes with the desire to personalise them. Two examples are Marta's kitchen, which we named “Galaxy Island”, and “X.O.XO”, the dining room furniture pieces for Anna.
Something we have in common is a passion for lamps. We used the year we all celebrated turning 30 to gift each other designer lamps like La Pedrera, the Babel or the Frisbi.
If you could buy anything right now and take it home with you, what would it be? Anything at all!
The Flamingo lamp by Antoni Arola.
A great plan at home always includes...
A good meal and getting together all around a table.
Do you have any star dishes?
A good curry.
What is your favourite place in your city? And abroad?
The Fishermen's housing by the architect Coderch in Barceloneta. We not only like the building but also the community space it has managed to create.
Back home, we have very fond memories of our trip to Lisbon.
Anything you want to tell us that we haven't asked you - speak now or forever hold your peace!
Many people ask us if we view being a team of six female partners as a positive thing and how we organise ourselves. We have a completely horizontal structure, we work in teams of two per project, and we try to rotate to create different synergies among us. We hold weekly workshops to discuss specific projects; it is a lovely time when we all chip in and, in a way, it ensures that all projects are under the Cierto Estudio umbrella. We are six creative minds pulling in the same direction.
