Dr Carmen Fiol-Costa, of Arriola & Fiol Arquitectes Barcelona.
Barcelona-based architect and urban designer, Dr Carmen Fiol-Costa, will be the first Droga Architect in Residence, arriving in Sydney to take up her three-month residency in early March 2014.
The Droga residency program is a cultural exchange initiative of the Australian Institute of Architects, fostering international collaboration and connections.
Dr Fiol-Costa is an architect, urban designer and landscape architect, the co-founder of Arriola & Fiol Arquitectes in Barcelona. An advocate for urban regeneration and the importance of the public realm in all architectural projects, her portfolio ranges from urban developments and housing projects to public furniture and lighting. A signature project of the practice is the 2007 Parc Central de Nou Barris (pictured) in Barcelona, for which a series of ‘outdoor rooms’ was creatd within a desolate leftover space in between massive housing blocks built in the 1960s and 70s.
Specifically, the aims of her Droga Residency will be to:
- Examine the Australian landscape and its artistic production in relation to the architectural design of city communities.
- Develop case studies for enhancing urban spaces through architecture, in collaboration with The University of Sydney, City of Sydney, the NSW Government Architect and the new Australian Institute of Architects Foundation.
- Enhance international exchange about dysfunctional urban environments and professional issues common to Australia and Spain.
- Take part in public and private events engaging students, architects, design enthusiasts and the wider community.
The rooftop Droga Apartment in Surry Hills, by Durbach Block.
Image: Michael Wee
In Sydney, Dr Fiol-Costa will stay at the award-winning Droga Apartment in Surry Hills. Refreshed for the residency, this seminal first project of Camilla Block and Neil Durbach (of Durbach Block Jaggers) has been generously gifted for use as the base for the residency by its owner, philanthropist Daniel Droga.
Dr Fiol-Costa will also be presenting lectures and seminars for a number of programs including the Thursday Night Lecture Series at the University of Sydney, the Bruny Island Utzon Series with the University of Tasmania, and the lecture series at the University of Canberra.
More about the Droga Architect in Residence program.
