C2 · 50 words
Architectural theory in Spanish
Type, space, place and design attitude — the words in which built space is argued about.
El partido arquitectónico is the parti, the one decision a design then follows from — and el partido is a word an English reader meets in four disguises. It is the political party. It is the football match: el partido del domingo. It is the good got out of something — sacar partido de, to make the most of. And in a studio it is this: the position taken. English borrowed the architectural sense from French and left the other three behind, so the same word means party, match, advantage and parti depending on the room it is spoken in.
The words
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Phrase (46)
la teoría de la arquitecturathe asking why buildings are built the way they arePhraseC2
La teoría de la arquitectura pregunta por qué se construye así.Architectural theory asks why we build like this.
el tipo arquitectónicothe inner rule of a kind of building, which is varied and not copiedPhraseC2
El tipo arquitectónico se varía, no se copia.The architectural type is varied, not copied.
la tipología edificatoriathe sorting of buildings by that rule, block by blockPhraseC2
La tipología edificatoria de la manzana determina la calle.The building typology of the block determines the street.
el programa funcionalthe list of what the building has to hold, agreed before any drawingPhraseC2
El programa funcional se negocia antes de dibujar.The brief is negotiated before anyone draws.
el partido arquitectónicothe one decision the whole design then follows fromPhraseC2
El partido arquitectónico se toma en la primera semana.The parti is settled in the first week.
el esquema de organizaciónthe diagram that separates the rooms that serve from the rooms that are servedPhraseC2
El esquema de organización separa servido de servidor.The organising diagram separates served from servant.
la planta librethe floor freed of walls once the structure carries everythingPhraseC2
La planta libre nace al separar estructura y tabique.The free plan is born by separating structure and partition.
la trama estructuralthe grid those supports stand onPhraseC2
La trama estructural es de siete por siete.The structural grid is seven by seven.
el recorrido arquitectónicothe path a person is made to take through a buildingPhraseC2
El recorrido arquitectónico obliga a rodear el patio.The architectural route forces you round the courtyard.
la secuencia espacialthe order in which the rooms are metPhraseC2
La secuencia espacial va de lo oscuro a lo luminoso.The spatial sequence runs from the dark to the light.
el umbral construidothe built place where outside becomes insidePhraseC2
El umbral construido marca el paso de lo público a lo privado.The built threshold marks the passage from public to private.
el espacio intermediothe place that is neither one nor the otherPhraseC2
El espacio intermedio no es ni dentro ni fuera.The in-between space is neither inside nor outside.
el vacío como materiaemptiness used as a building materialPhraseC2
El vacío como materia organiza el conjunto.The void as material organises the whole.
la escala humanathe size of things measured against a personPhraseC2
La escala humana se pierde por encima de cierta altura.Human scale is lost above a certain height.
la proporción armónicaa ratio between parts defended as beautifulPhraseC2
La proporción armónica se justificó con números durante siglos.Harmonic proportion was justified with numbers for centuries.
el orden clásicothe fixed set of ratios inherited from antiquityPhraseC2
El orden clásico fija la relación entre las partes.The classical order fixes the relation between the parts.
la verdad constructivathe refusal to clad a thing in what it is notPhraseC2
La verdad constructiva rechaza el revestimiento que finge.Constructional honesty rejects cladding that pretends.
el ornamento aplicadodecoration stuck on rather than grown out of the buildingPhraseC2
El ornamento aplicado fue el gran enemigo de una generación.Applied ornament was one generation's great enemy.
la textura del paramentothe grain of a surface, which changes with the angle of the lightPhraseC2
La textura del paramento cambia con la luz rasante.The texture of the surface changes in raking light.
la luz cenitallight let in from above, with no direction in itPhraseC2
La luz cenital reparte sin dirección marcada.Top light spreads with no marked direction.
el control solarthe keeping out of the sun by the building itselfPhraseC2
El control solar se resuelve con la propia fachada.Solar control is solved with the façade itself.
la inercia térmica del murothe wall's slowness, which delays the heat by half a dayPhraseC2
La inercia térmica del muro retrasa el calor medio día.The thermal mass of the wall delays the heat by half a day.
la ventilación cruzadaair that goes in one side and out the otherPhraseC2
La ventilación cruzada necesita dos orientaciones.Cross ventilation needs two orientations.
la arquitectura vernáculabuilding that answers the climate without having read anythingPhraseC2
La arquitectura vernácula responde al clima sin teoría.Vernacular architecture answers the climate without theory.
el genio del lugarwhat a place already is, which is recognised and not inventedPhraseC2
El genio del lugar no se inventa, se reconoce.The spirit of the place is not invented but recognised.
la implantación en el terrenothe setting of a building into its groundPhraseC2
La implantación en el terreno decide más que la fachada.The siting on the ground decides more than the façade.
la ruptura con el entornothe position that it should notPhraseC2
La ruptura con el entorno también es una postura.A break with the surroundings is a position too.
el movimiento modernothe movement that promised to solve housingPhraseC2
El movimiento moderno prometió resolver la vivienda.The modern movement promised to solve housing.
la vivienda mínimathe study of how little a dwelling really needsPhraseC2
La vivienda mínima estudió cuánto se necesita de verdad.The minimum dwelling studied how little is really needed.
la crítica al funcionalismothe objection that use alone does not say enoughPhraseC2
La crítica al funcionalismo señaló lo que la función no dice.The critique of functionalism named what function does not say.
la posmodernidad arquitectónicathe return of the historical quotationPhraseC2
La posmodernidad arquitectónica recuperó la cita histórica.Architectural postmodernity brought back the historical quotation.
la ciudad genéricathe city that could be standing anywherePhraseC2
La ciudad genérica podría estar en cualquier parte.The generic city could be anywhere.
el no lugarthe city space people pass through and nobody ownsPhraseC2
El no lugar es de paso y de nadie.The non-place is for passing through and belongs to nobody.
la apropiación del espaciothe taking over of a space by the people in itPhraseC2
La apropiación del espacio ocurre después de la obra.Appropriation of space happens after the building work.
el uso no previstothe use nobody drew, and usually the best praise there isPhraseC2
El uso no previsto suele ser el mejor elogio.The unforeseen use is usually the best praise.
la flexibilidad del edificiothe room a building leaves for becoming something elsePhraseC2
La flexibilidad del edificio alarga su vida útil.The flexibility of the building lengthens its useful life.
la obsolescencia del programathe ageing of what a building was for, which comes before the frame agesPhraseC2
La obsolescencia del programa llega antes que la de la estructura.The obsolescence of the brief comes before that of the structure.
la reconversión de usothe giving of an old building a new usePhraseC2
La reconversión de uso ahorra más que derribar.Conversion of use saves more than demolition.
la memoria del edificiowhat a building remembers, read in its alterationsPhraseC2
La memoria del edificio se lee en sus reformas.The memory of the building is read in its alterations.
la pátina del materialwhat time leaves on a material, either designed or enduredPhraseC2
La pátina del material se proyecta o se sufre.The patina of the material is either designed or suffered.
la intervención mínimathe rule of touching as little as possiblePhraseC2
La intervención mínima es la regla en patrimonio.Minimal intervention is the rule in heritage work.
la reversibilidad de la obrathe rule that what is done can be undone againPhraseC2
La reversibilidad de la obra permite deshacerla mañana.The reversibility of the work allows it to be undone tomorrow.
la maqueta de trabajothe model made to be broken and made againPhraseC2
La maqueta de trabajo se rompe y se rehace.The working model is broken and made again.
el concurso de proyectosthe contest in which designs are judged against each otherPhraseC2
El concurso de proyectos se falló por unanimidad.The design competition was decided unanimously.
el texto justificativo del proyectothe text that says what the drawings do notPhraseC2
El texto justificativo del proyecto explica lo que el plano no dice.The design statement explains what the drawing does not say.
la crítica arquitectónicathe writing about buildings that arrives after they are builtPhraseC2
La crítica arquitectónica llega cuando ya está construido.Architectural criticism arrives once it is already built.
Noun (f) (3)
la crujíathe depth from one line of supports to the nextNoun (f)C2
La crujía de cinco metros condiciona toda la planta.A bay of five metres conditions the whole floor.
la tectónicathe showing of how a building holds itself upNoun (f)C2
La tectónica hace visible cómo se sostiene el edificio.Tectonics makes visible how the building stands up.
la materialidadwhat a material is and shows of itselfNoun (f)C2
La materialidad del hormigón visto no admite corrección.The materiality of fair-faced concrete allows no correction.
Noun (m) (1)
el contextualismothe position that a new building should carry on what is thereNoun (m)C2
El contextualismo pide continuar lo que hay.Contextualism asks that what exists be carried on.
This list belongs to Art and culture — 29 lists and 1450 words that can also be practised as a whole.
Practise this list
From these 50 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.