The most incredible staircase of this century

Nothing like traveling to London to do business and (at the same time) enjoy of the holidays, especially in a spiral staircase.

(Edición en Español)

Hi, do you know this time of the year that you want to take a break but, by the contrary, you have to manage more business? I, Rodolfo, I don't know, of course, but as I have many friends that have experienced it, I venture to give you a little advice: mounted an office in London, you'll discover the two things. If you have already decided to mount an office, I recommend a great place, whose idea is the fusion of the art and the commerce, as well, and also has the most incredible staircase that has been created in this century.

But, as usual, an interlude. When we speak of rehabilitation or reform, I remember a story that I heard long ago (or read), from the first light bulb created. Thomas Alva Edison completed his first bulb and he put it in the hands of his assistant, Jimmy Price, he has to move the bulb to the second floor. The guy broke it, but Edison, circumspect (I imagine), not chastised at the assistant, on the contrary, when he finished his second bulb, he returned to hand over to his assistant, had a second chance. The same thing happens when we reform a building: we give a second chance.

London is the city of the international business, but is also a cosmopolitan city that wears its charm with pride. In the Soho, specifically in the number 178 of Wardour Street, corner with Hollen Street, was inaugurated in the last April, one of those obsolete buildings, which have been given a second chance. This opportunity were gave by the Resolution Property real estate team, whose area of activity is the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, and whose vision of the sector is very different from the classic, and now more that have been associated with the Peterson HK Group, with they will reach Canada and Hong Kong. They saw the potential of this building and wanted to give it an added value.

They counted with a large group of professionals of different branches and different international experiences (of course), I will not tell you which of them have work thanks to my (you know my eternal humility). The building, renamed to Ampersand Building, or simply Ampersand, has been remodelled to include the luxury residences and offices of high level, which will accommodate professional applications, telecommunications, corporate, technological applications and everything you can imagine, in total, 6.169 square meters of floor space.

They called to the Darling Associates architecture Studio (lovers of its work, clear), with offices in London, Poland and the United Arab Emirates, who knew how to anticipate its customer's needs. His work has been to improve the facades and redistribute the inside, giving a new entrance at the corner of Wardour Street and Hollen Street, and enhancing the figure of reception areas, both for the users of the residential area as for the shopping areas. A huge skylight has become in the main focus of lighting in the interior of the building, whose effect has been multiplied by converting all the walls of the courtyard to transparent (using the glass, of course).

In the top floor, a roof gable covers the 10 new luxury duplex (can you imagine working and living in this building? No? Read on...). The building has four floors of offices accompanied by a terrace of 195 square meters, with a few vertical gardens that give a welcoming atmosphere. Outside, a huge glass panel covers the corner chamfer, coated with copper fins (this will like to my cousin), as well as the windows, and with a game of volumes that gives life to the facade.

Another of the architects of this wonder is Tom Hingston, graphic designer, he has worked to brands such as Dior, McQueen or Lancome, or groups such as The Rolling Stone, U2 and Robbie Williams. He was the creator of the (fantastic) logo, which you'll see developed when you enter in the lobby: in the centre, a sculpture of seven meters long, built with brass and wood, is will extending, being inscribed on it the reception, and even in the concrete on the floor and the walls, these "threads" or recesses and projections created in different materials , make up the logo of the building.

But not content with this, the good Tom had designed a giant canvas, 115 by 15 meters, which is equivalent to four courts of basketball (NBA) and it took seven days in to place in front of the old façade (has a perimeter of 316 meters, is sectioned into two parts and weighs in total 850 kilos), to cover the works of remodelling, at the same time giving publicity in a dark background... that ready! The company that built it and installed, Embrace Building Wraps, tells us which was the wrap most important in the United Kingdom in the time to do so.

If you are not convinced of invest in this building, now yes, we got to the best (at least for me), and it's the collaboration of Paul Cocksedge, a designer of international renown, which has worked for Swarovski, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Hermes or Sony. He had to make the staircase, and put hands to work, thinking and designing 984 hours of his life (someday I will know as counted the hours), as he says in his video, soon knew that he wanted a staircase live (he called the living staircase), and he designed it so that it could enjoy it during the journey and after of the journey. To achieve this he did three things: the stair shaft was eliminated and introduced a recreation areas, placed a large number of plants around the perimeter, and reduced the width of the staircase to the minimum.

The numbers are the following: the staircase covers four floors of the building, with a total of 87 steps, has a diameter of 5.5 meters and a height of 12.5; the main structure is made of steel in different sections (to be able to introduce it out of the window) and welded on-site, its weight total is 12.4 tons; the planters of the balustrade are designed to withstand 593 plants; total weight, including the balustrade, is 15.8 tons, to this should add 3.2 tons of white oak paneling, I love the wood!.

Paul was helped by another acquaintance, the Arup engineering company (already know, that of the infinity edge pool), they were responsible of the calculation and dimensioning, the construction had another great professional, Peter Dann. As I have already said, all the staircase is covered with white oak, brought directly from New York, a very good wood with quality for our coatings since it has an excellent hardness and durability. In addition, in this case, has the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification, with it is controlled that the forest from which is extracted is managed with environmental, social and economic standards. Using this certification we avoid the illegal logging, the violation of human rights, the use of child labour, and other unpleasant elements.

The detail is in the design, so finally, I must do mention of the lamp that hangs on the first floor of the staircase, the creation of another famous artist: Ingo Maurer, who shows us with an exclusive design of its signature, the lamp Zettelz-6, a new way to give light to our lives. As you can see, I not lied when I said that Ampersand had gathered a large group of professionals... and artists! Bye bye.

Crazy by Gehry

The singular envelope of this building teaches us the twisted and the spectacular which the mind can be.
(Edición en Español)

Hi, is difficult that in a family so extensive in the time and the space (I talk about mine, of course) do not appear cases of neurodegenerative diseases, like the Alzheimer or the Parkinson, to give just two examples, this generate a special sensitivity to these diseases and becomes of vitally important help to other families to cope this hard trance. I, Rodolfo, I have no magic formula, but I believe in the research as a fundamental tool for the progress in the diagnosis and treatment.

Our lineage has always walked in this direction, helps the surname (I do not deny) but there are more people who are moved by empathy, that those that do for interest, this has generated a strong synergy, resulting in spectacular advances that were unthinkable (never better said) a few decades ago. There are many associations and centres that allocated resources and time in the search for solutions, and the best, are few that are disconnected from the rest, so today I present you here, with proudly, one of those pioneers centres, designed by the most peculiar architect of the world.

It's the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Centre, a new clinical centre highly specialized in the research, the detection and the treatment of neurological diseases, you know, Alzheimer, Huntington, Parkinson or the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (or ALS) with headquartered in Las Vegas since 2010. The installation cost some 100 million dollars (92 million euros), and has a diagnostic centre, rooms of neuro-imaging, medical clinics and laboratories devoted to clinical research, as well as other trifles which I will introduce more forward.

Before, I will talk about Larry Ruvo, a businessman who had lost his father (Lou Ruvo) because of Alzheimer's disease and who had the initiative to create this Centre. He called the most popular architect the world (perhaps), Frank Gehry, who has among other awards the Pritzker Architecture of 1989 or the Principe de Asturias of the arts 2014, very meritorious awards that speak for themselves of his professional career. He refused to hear the offer, had never done any work in the city of Las Vegas, and wasn't going to start doing it now. But nothing is forever, so they will came to an agreement: Larry would include the disease of Hurrington on the list of research and Gehry would put his best intention in the project.

The reasons for the request of Gehry were personal, like everything in the life, one of his best friends, Milto Wexler, his woman had suffered such illness, and the architect was affected by the fate of his friend and family. Milto Wexler was psychoanalyst and overturned part of his life in the pursuit of treatments for the Hurrington, until he was the forerunner of the hereditary diseases Foundation, now is his daughter, Nancy, who has taken the reins of the Foundation. At two years of starting the project in 2009, Larry Ruvo had already a renowned partner: the Cleveland Clinic, I call this synergy, without a doubt.

For this visit I told my engineer cousin, you know, the helicopter pilot. Fly over the building is something that exceeds any carousel or attraction in the city of Las Vegas, I assure you that it is incredible to see the  stainless steel cover vast and amorphous, a bunch of inscrutable metal from the sky and from the ground. We were on the verge of running out without fuel, less evil than my cousin is a professional of first and he is not carried away by the emotions.

The complex consists of two buildings, as if it were the two hemispheres of the brain, the rational, where are carried out the medical functions and of research and the emotional hemisphere, where are developed the public events. Between both a transition zone, a park from which you can observe the building and take pictures to upload to twitter or instagram. Aesthetically the rational hemisphere consists of a series of volumes of glass and white stucco, a series of very well organized parallelepipeds that give us some security and peace for the mind.

The second hemisphere, the emotional, is wrapped in a bizarre and enormous curtain wall of stainless steel, with folds and angles without apparent connection (Froid would say: like our dreams). This spectacular wall is anchored to the main facade of the building by 544 elements of steel that weigh between 900 and 4,500 kilograms each, and is subject between 60 and 100 bolts, 18,000 shingles of the same material are joined by 30,000 stainless steel screws for give it its final appearance. But that is not all, 199 windows of the building are different between yea, and 18,000 shingles also (even have 875 different tones), of course, it required a special method to identify and place each of these shingles, so, great evils, great remedies. Thanks to the technology BIM was established a barcode for each of stainless steel plates, of this form, they  analyze individually the parts before its final placement... exciting!

The complex includes the Museum of the mind (a centre of interactive learning that focuses on the mind and the brain), a public Cafe and a catering kitchen for those operated of the Wolfgang Puck organization, conference rooms, office spaces; and an auditorium for events, seminars, conferences and forums. Inside the Auditorium, with 13,000 cubic meters of internal volume and a capacity of 400 seated people or 700 people in foot, you can start to tremble, admiring the sinuous cover, which becomes a wall completely drilled by irregular shape windows. All in a pristine white.

The material that covers a large part of the building is the stucco, a stucco of pristine white. This material has its birth in Venice, with the famous Venetian stucco, it is a mixture of natural elements: slaked lime, powdered marble, plaster and pigments of different colours; it blend until it form a paste that lining the walls. Are used both indoors and outdoors, according to its composition, and allows different finishes: rough, smooth, polished, even you can model giving it different shapes. It is flame retardant, antibacterial (you remember the lime?), and breathable (with what we avoid humidity by condensation).

Its thickness ranges between 2 and 4 mm, always giving it a minimum in two hands, unless the manufacturer indicate another form of use. It is essential that the walls on which we are going to paint with stucco are completely flat, the final visual quality depends of this. I love the idea of using this material in my future building, above all because it is durable, and boasts a wide range of colors and finishes. Bye bye.

The incredible route of the Dragon

The imagination is only limited by our intellect and our reasoning, not by the materials that we use.
(Edición en Español)

Hi, I love the legends, when I was small I was very fan of Bruce Lee, as you know, the most famous fighter of martial arts of the history written and televised. But, outside of the legend, there was an inspiring, honest man and who loved martial arts, to such an extent that he created one, the Jeet Kune Do. In his honor, and recalling that he was born in the year of the Dragon and the Dragon hour (between 5 and 8 in the morning) I decided to put on my list to build my future (and fabulous) building, the Komodo Island (or island of the Dragon).

When I was in the Hotel Komodo, a resort whose specialty is the cruises of diving, on the terrace of the bungalow where I staying, I remembered that I had heard one thing, in the present century, have built two bridges of the Dragon, "with than I like the bridges and I haven't crossed these, one failure for me, Rodolfo!", I thought and, a few hours after, I was already heading to my first destination: the Dragon bridge of Alcalá de Guadaira (you know that I don't like very much to wait).

Always is a pleasure visit Andalusia, I still remember the last time that I was by the matter of the Almohad plaster, was a pleasant surprise to discover that, to some extent, the bridge had a lot to do with the Almohad style. They built it to cross the Guadaira River and they called it "The Guardian of the Castle", obviously because it is in the foothills of the Castle Hill, whose visit is indispensable if you travel to the place.

It's the first figurative bridge in Spain and also in Europe. It was designed and built by the engineers José Luis Manzanares Japón and Iñigo Barahona Fernández, which they presented their design to a competition organised by the Government of Andalusia, but whose final election was passed by the hands of the citizens of the population, a kind of voting convened by the council of Alcala de Guadaira which obtained (nothing more and nothing less than) 95% of the votes: they won.

Its inauguration occurred on March 28 in 2007. The bridge has a length of 123 meters and a width of 22.6 meters where you will find four roads (two of exit and two back) and two sidewalks. The beauty of the construction is indisputable, as well as its simplicity in what refers to structural performance, of course, a central beam supported on three pillars and two extreme which have the walkways in cantilevered.

All the arches are clad of trencadis of ceramic with multiple colors, simulating the skin of the Dragon, as had the own Gaudí, in Barcelona, in total they covered a surface of 4,500 square meters by this system. By the way, without the Gaudí master, it may not be understood the architecture current, this man was so important. The Dragon looks with hate who dares to cross the River in direction to the Castle, his open mouth threatens with devour you, and if you manage to escape, the queue wait for you on the other side of the bridge. Maybe don't believe me, but I almost weep of emotion while I contemplated this beautiful work.

The distance between the supports of the Central arches is 43 meters each, the end support is only 18 m. For the stability of slabs, the pressurising system was used which ensures the enough tension at the ends that flying, this reduces their singing to 21 centimetres, being the width in its axis of 1.21 meters, as if they were wings of a "mythological animal". The body of the dragon have two meters wide transmitting the loads to the ground with 12 piles of reinforced concrete of 1,500 mm of diameter and 20 meters deep, which are anchored to one pile of great thick (this pile is a foundation whose function is to pass the burden of the structural element to the micro piles).

The Ulma company was contracted to carry out the scaffolding on which carry out the construction process, and the Valero Group was responsible for the creation of the mould of EPS (expanded polystyrene) for concreting the central structure of the dragon, as well as the specials parts for their ends (head and tail). The concrete poured, because of the shape of the structure had to be self-consolidating, this concrete does not need vibrated and not is segregated, so we can pour into the interior of a formwork with security of that  the mass will be well distributed, I do not know how we have been able to build without it until today.

Now we let Seville to go to Viet Nam, whose region is not unknown, do you remember when we were in a bar of bamboo? I called it "The path of the Dragon" and you can walk its 14.764 kilometres of separation in 180 hours if you go by car (a little more if you decide to rest) or take a plane and save 160 hours. The second bridge of the Dragon lies on the river Han, in the city of Da Nang, and it has been baptized with the name of Rong.

Some persons says that its designers, Amman and Whitney Consulting Engineers of Louis Berger Group, were based on "the Guardian of the Castle" for the project, personally, I don't think so, even though of the parallelism must be taken into account that the Vietnamese culture is very attached to this mythological animal, in fact, the bridge has shape of Shenglong , a dragon of the Ly dynasty. In addition, the city (one of the most prosperous of the country) is called the "city of bridges". Its construction began in 2009 and opened on 5 April of 2013.

It is a cable-stayed bridge, which simulates (obviously) a dragon, it meanders in such a way that the lower part becomes the bridge columns and the upper part serves for the structure of cable-stayed. Its main body is constructed in steel and weighs 9,000 tons. Crosses a distance of 666 metres, has 36 meters wide and houses six lanes and two walkways.

The budget was of 85 million dollars (76 million euros) and pays homage to the 38 anniversary of the liberation of the city. It has installed 2,500 Led (always led) lights that illuminate the bridge with different colours. But the biggest attraction that I have found is in its powerful mouth of Dragon, which is able to eject (normally Saturdays and Sundays at 21:00) jets of fire and water, impressive.

I don't have to explain that the two bridges have become, for different reasons, in two spectacular rides and tourist reclamations for their respective localities, it is commendable that the administration use the theatrics or the figuration to make fantastic works of engineering. For my part, I have decided that, in my building, I will include a swimming pool with a bridge, you not need that I tell the form of my bridge. Bye bye.

The venetian dream of Angelina and Johnny Depp

Visiting Venice is a pleasure for the senses, is the city of the luxury for excellence, also, has one of the best hotels of the world.
(Edición en español)

Hi, when the mankind put the hands to work is capable of the best and the worst, at this time, we already have it rather than assumed. But, if you're like me, Rodolfo, will understand that you don't have to conform to discover what is able to make mankind, the important is to discover what is able to improve, and in this direction we still have road for grow, but time to time.

One of the best examples of what our species is capable of achieving when it elevates the art to priority, is the city of Venice, you know, canals and gondolas. This city is so rich in detail that I advise to my accompanying that (never travelled only to Venice) several weeks before they try to improve their visual memory, in this way, may withhold in its retina the spectacular places that the camera can only display in two dimensions. In my last trip, I stayed at one of the best hotels in the world: the Hotel Danieli (yes, yes, Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp used it in their film "The tourist") a Venetian dream.

The dream begins when you've not yet set foot in the city, but the nerves have already penetrated deep into you, you know that you're going to a special place, a region steeped of history, with many legends to tell and with much to teach you. The building in which engages the Hotel exudes tradition by the four pores, exudes experiences in spectacular details, not in vain, was built by one of the most traditional families of the region, before nation. This family gave to Venice four Doges, one of whom was Enrico Dandolo, which conquered Constantinople (almost nothing). This building is the Palace Dandolo (Did you had never imagined?).

The construction dates back to the 14th century and exhibits a marked Venetian Gothic style, with its pointed arches (a arc than is cut by two lines parallel to the sides of his shaft and is join thus forming an arc with tip termination) and its windows with form of clover, something that is repeated in the interior, also has a characteristic pink colour in its facade. For several centuries it belonged to different families: Gritti, Bernardo, Mocegino or Nani, were holders of the property until 1822 when Giuseppe Dal Niel bought the second floor and turned it into a hotel, years more late his daughter Alfonsina Muzzarelli, ended up of buying the rest, appropriating of the building.

Over time it changed of owners, Genovesi and Campi Bozzi & C. invested a small fortune in 1895 to introduce the electricity, lifts and steam radiators, a luxury at that time. In 1945 it completed what is now the hotel, demolishing the buildings between the Palazzo Dandolo and the Palazzo delle Prigioni, and building the Palazzo Danieli Excelsior. This last building was redesigned by the famous French architect Jacques Garcia in 2008, giving it the appearance that today have proud.

The dream continues when you arrive at the hotel, and discover that it is located a few meters from St. Mark's square, from which you can explore the Centre of the city and its most emblematic buildings, such as the Basilica of San Marcos, the bridge of Sighs, or the Doge's Palace. There is no better place for you, especially if you let yourself guided by its Consierge Luxury Collection, he knows and he show you the city in all its aspects: sport, fun, art or culture. The Hotel is included within "The Luxury Collection", a wide range of high quality spaces in more than 20 countries that carry the Starwood Hotels brand, a guarantee.

When you enter the Gothic portal of the Calle delle Razze you feel that you invades you the relief, you're there, it is real, a unique decoration in pink marble and a staircase where you will want to stay. The spaces are divided by columns with elegant fracture, floral motifs adorn each corner, busts of marble receive you with joy, without a doubt, the place wait some time by you. The majority of guests at this hotel stand out, first of all, the feeling of home that was feeling in their stay, in my case, of course, more than a feeling is a reality.

Crystal lamps of Murano adorn the living room of the Suite Dandolo, marble coverings are everywhere, in the bathrooms are transformed into bathtubs or walls. One of the outstanding successes of the owners of the place has been give personality their space. Thus, Marco Polo lends its name to a receiver, in that the rest is insured and several Renaissance-style rooms located in the Palazzo Danieli Excelsior, with silk curtains and ceilings with cream moulding and golden. I have also heard the name of Bond, but, frankly, I do not know to who refer.

The three Signatures Suites are inspired in three celebrities: Greta Garbo, diva of cinema in the 1930s, in Maria Callas, great diva of the opera and the last, but not least inspiring in her Royal Highness Princess Grace of Monaco. These suites have antique furniture, parquet flooring and spectacular ceilings, woven soft of bronze colour, and a bed that will make you do not want to get out of there (if you're in good company, I don't know if I explain me). All decorated by the French designer of interior Pierre Yves-Rochon.

You will want to travel throughout the hotel, visit the bar Dandolo, which is located in a corner of the Gothic Hall of the Palazzo, you'll want to memorize rich tapestries that evoke the legacy of the Pearl of the Adriatic, you soak of the smell of the Acqua di Parma with which you feast in the bathrooms, you will want to spend more time at its bar terrace, with its unparalleled views of St. Mark's basin , or its restaurant from which you'll see the unparalleled Santa Maria della Salute and the Palazzo Ducale.

If you have lucky enough to stay in one of our Executive suites, you'll see how pays homage to the Gothic grandeur in its main lobby, and, in its marble bathrooms, you will become in fan of the fragrances of Laura Tonatto, you will enjoy of the earliest childhood with its comfortable bathrobes and slippers, all unique elements, as befits a Hotel five stars. Speaking of stars, the Royal suite Doge Dandolo overlooks 180 ° of the lagoon with the San Giorgio Maggiore island as a backdrop, a real portrait of the 19th century, baroque armchairs and marble tables (again, yes) carrara, has an original fresco of 18th-century of Jacobo Guarana and carpets on the venetian terrazzo floor.

The terrazzo is a floor of origin venetian carried out with a mass of clay with pieces of marble scattered, with the time realized that adding sealants and polishing it turned into a beautiful surfaces. Today instead of clay, it using cement (normally white) and dyes to mingle with marbles or stones of easily polished, don't usually add granite because it hinder the polished. Of course sold in tiles and decorative elements, they can be also manufactured on-site, becoming a surface without joints, in this case, you have to calculate well the expansion joints so that cracks do not occur.

Of course, its facilities have fitness, Spa, TV, you can savour the delicacies of the region, wines and cocktails of first (the bar Dandolo has recently received the award Gambaro Rosso), and much more to discover. Anyway, once inside, you run the risk of not wanting to leave the Hotel, the last person who was there with me said to me: "If I take piece-to-piece, the Danieli hotel would have the best place to live, only would fail Venice". Bye bye.