Relationship between composition, emplacement and construction: the auditorium of the Labour University of Cheste

Abstract

The analysis of the regulating lines that geometrically and dimensionally determine the design of a building floor plan helps to understand the ideation and execution of buildings. However, the relationship between aesthetic value and functionality and how they were represented became more complex in the twentieth century. The Auditorium of the Labour University of Cheste is one example that demonstrates this complex relationship. This research focuses on the study of the regulating lines that determine the design of the building as well as the relationship of the construction and structural systems of the Auditorium with these design rules, the characteristics of the Modern Movement architecture, the climate, and the location. The study provides a deeper understanding of the building’s past and present, creating the basis for analysing the main durability problems of many of the buildings of this period, as well as their state of abandonment. It also allows the foundations for the future of these buildings to be laid by taking advantage of their built value, which is necessary from a functional but also sustainable point of view. The comprehension of the regulating lines and the architectural background are established as the foundation for proposing renovation solutions that restore the use of these buildings while maintaining their aesthetic and material value.

Acknowledgments

This investigation is part of the international I+D+i research project ‘For conservation planning and a new use study for Fernando Moreno Barbera’s Paraninfo at the Universidad Laboral de Cheste in Spain’ carried out at the Universitat Politècnica de València. This work was supported by the Jean Paul Getty Trust foundation under Grant R-ORG-201943181.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Adriana Rossi, ‘From Drawing to Technical Drawing’, Nexus Network Journal, 1.14 (2012), 135–49 (p. 135) <DOI: 10.1007/s00004-011-0102-4>; and Juan Carlos Navarro Fajardo, ‘Las trazas de la catedral de Valencia. Hipótesis sobre su ichnographia’ [‘The Traces of the Cathedral of Valencia: Hypothesis About Its “Ichnography”’], EGA Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica, 8 (2003), 79–82 <DOI: 10.4995/ega.2003.10354>.

2 Mark Swenarton, Tom Avermaete, and Dirk van den Heuvel, ‘Introduction’, in Architecture and the Welfare State (Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group, 2015), pp. 1–24.

3 See Georges Jouven, Rythme and Architecture: Les Traces Harmoniques [Rhythm and Architecture: Harmonic Traces] (Paris: Editions Vicent, Fréal et Cie, 1951); Marina Sender Contell and Ricardo Perelló Roso, ‘La Torre de las Palomas en el Monasterio de la Murta, estudio y análisis de sus trazas constructivas’ [‘The Tower of Pigeons in the Monastery of La Murta: Study and Analysis of Its Construction Traces’], EGA Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica, 21 (2013), 162–73 <DOI: 10.4995/ega.2013.1530>; Massimo Leserri and Gabriele Rossi, ‘La Torre del Reloj de Cartagena de Indias: Estudio sobre las transformaciones arquitectónicas por medio del levantamiento de la permanencia y la ausencia’ [‘The Clock Tower of Cartagena de Indias: Study on Architectural Transformations Through the Lifting of Permanence and Absence’], EGA Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica, 38.25 (2020), 78–89 <DOI: 10.4995/ega.2020.11888>; and Patricia de Diego Ruiz, ‘Brutalismos educativos: La arquitectura como nueva psicogeografía social’ [‘Educational Brutalisms: Architecture as a New Social Psychogeography’], Proyecto, Progreso, Arquitectura, 17 (2017), 84–9 <DOI: 10.12795/ppa2017i17.06>.

4 See Aineias Oikonomou, ‘The Use of Geometrical Tracing, Module and Proportions in Design and Construction, from Antiquity to the 18th Century’, International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 16.10 (2022), 1567–87 <DOI: 10.1080/15583058.2021.1899339>; and Rossi, ‘From Drawing to Technical Drawing’, pp. 135–49.

5 Esperanza González Redondo, ‘De la traza al detalle: analizando la construcción a través del dibujo’ [‘From Sketch to Construction Detail: Analysing Construction Through Drawings’], EGA Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica, 29.22 (2017), 108–17 (p. 109) <DOI: 10.4995/ega.2017.7347>.

6 Josep Quetglas, ‘Sobre la planta: retícula, formato, trazados’ [‘On the Ground Plan: Reticle, Format and Lines’], ARQ, 58 (2004), 13–8 <DOI: 10.4067/S0717-69962004005800002>.

7 Carlos L. Marcos, ‘Ser y devenir en los diagramas: Huellas y protoformas como subtexto arquitectónico: de Deleuze a Eisenman’ [‘Being and Becoming in Diagrams: Traces and Protoformas Architectural Subtext – from Deleuze to Eisenman’], EGA Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica, 18 (2011), 102–15 (pp. 105–8) <DOI: 10.4995/ega.2011.986>.

8 Mihai A. Brencea Caraghiosu, ‘Relaciones visuales y configuraciones exteriores en la Universidad Laboral de Cheste’ [‘Visual Relations and Exterior Configurations at the Labour University of Cheste’] (unpublished masters dissertation, Universitat Poltècnica de Catalunya, 2010), p. 5.

9 Carmen Jordá, Universidad Laboral de Cheste, 1967–1969: Fernando Moreno Barberá (Colegio de Arquitectos de Almería, 2005).

10 See Concepción López González and Rafael Marín Sánchez, ‘La escalera imperial del Real Monasterio de San Miguel de los Reyes de Valencia (1601–1603): hipótesis de traza’ [‘The Imperial Staircase of the Royal Monastery of San Miguel de los Reyes of Valencia (1601–1603): Tracing Hypothesis’], EGA Expresión Gráfica Arquitectónica, 36.24 (2019), 36–47 <DOI: 10.4995/ega.2019.10552>; Sender Contell and Perelló Roso, ‘La Torre de las Palomas', p. 168; and Leserri and Rossi, ‘La Torre', pp. 82–3.

11 María Teresa Valcarce Labrador, ‘El Nuevo Brutalismo: una aproximación y una bibliografía’ [‘The New Brutalism: An Approach and a Bibliography’], Cuaderno de notas, 7 (1999), 131–44.

12 See Oli Mould, ‘Brutalism Redux: Relational Monumentality and the Urban Politics of Brutalist Architecture’, Antipode, 49.3 (2017), 701–20 <DOI: 10.1111/anti.12306>; and Reyner Banham, ‘The New Brutalism’, October, 136 (2011), 19–28 <DOI: 10.1162/OCTO_a_00034>, reprinted from Reyner Banham, ‘The New Brutalism’, Architectural Review, 118 (1955). 354–61.

13 See Mould, ‘Brutalism Redux’, p. 707; and De Diego Ruiz, ‘Brutalismos educativos’, p. 86.

14 Barnabas Calder and G.A. Bremner, ‘Buildings and Energy: Architectural History in the Climate Emergency’, The Journal of Architecture, 26.2 (2021), 79–115 (pp. 101–2) <DOI: 10.1080/13602365.2021.1891950>.

15 David Sánchez Muñoz, ‘Los edificios universitarios de Fernando Moreno Barberá en el campus de Blasco Ibáñez en Valencia: nuevas aportaciones a su cronología y construcción’ [‘The University Buildings of Fernando Moreno Barberá in the Campus of Blasco Ibáñez (Valencia): New Contributions to Their Chronology and Construction’], Boletín de Arte-UMA, 39 (2018), 217–32 (p. 227) <DOI: 10.24310/BoLArte.2018.v0i39.4866>.

16 Sánchez Muñoz, ‘Los edificios universitarios’, p. 227; and Brencea Caraghiosu, ‘Relaciones visuales y configuraciones’, pp. 10, 19, 57.

17 See Juan Bravo Bravo, ‘Razón y modernidad de la Universidad Laboral de Cheste (1967–1969)’ [‘Reason and Modernity of the Labour University of Cheste (1967–1969)’], in Proceedings of the III Congreso Nacional Pioneros de la Arquitectura Moderna Española: Análisis crítico de una obra (Madrid: Fundación Alejandro de la Sota, 2016), pp. 131–42; and Brencea Caraghiosu, ‘Relaciones visuales y configuraciones’, pp. 53–5.

18 Brencea Caraghiosu, ‘Relaciones visuales y configuraciones’, p. 59.

19 Juan Bravo Bravo, ‘Fernando Moreno Barberá: Escuela de Maestría Industrial’ [‘Fernando Moreno Barberá: School of Industrial Mastery’], in Proceedings of the II Congreso Nacional Pioneros de la Arquitectura Moderna Española: Aprender de una obra (Madrid: Fundación Alejandro de la Sota, 2015), pp. 123–33.

20 Bravo Bravo, ‘Razón y modernidad’, p. 132.

21 See Jordá, Universidad Laboral de Cheste, pp. 22–4; Lucía Gea Tobar, ‘Análisis compositivo y constructivo de los detalles arquitectónicos empleados por Fernando Moreno Barberá en la Universidad Laboral de Cheste (1965–1967)’ [‘Compositional and Constructive Analysis of the Architectural Details Used by Fernando Moreno Barberá at the Universidad Laboral de Cheste (1965–1967)’] (unpublished bachelor’s degree final project, Universitat Politècnica de València, 2019), pp. 30–1; and Patricia Delgado Granados, ‘El franquismo y las Universidades Laborales’ [‘Francoism and the Labour Universities’], Cuestiones Pedagógicas, 17 (2005), 247–63 (p. 254).

22 See Jordá, Universidad Laboral de Cheste, pp. 15–20; Complejo Educativo de Cheste, Evolución histórica, <http://cecheste.com/evolucionhistorica/> [accessed 11 March 2022]; and Miguel Ángel Robles Cardona, ‘Proyecto y topografía. Universidad Laboral de Málaga’ Universidad Laboral de Cheste, p. 123 (unpublished masters dissertation, Universitat Poltècnica de Catalunya, 2011).

23 See Huriye Armağan Doğan, ‘Perception of the Modern Movement in Architecture as Cultural Heritage’, Art History & Criticism, 16.1 (2020), 65–78 (pp. 72–3) <DOI: 10.2478/mik-2020-0004>; Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte (Gobierno de España), ‘Identificación de riesgos’ [‘Risk Identification’] <https://www.culturaydeporte.gob.es/planes-nacionales/planes-nacionales/conservacion-patrimonio-cultural-sigloxx/identificacion-riesgos.html> [accessed 11 March 2022]; Mould, ‘Brutalism Redux’, p. 705; and Reinier de Graaf, Public Works – Architecture by Civil Servants, online lecture, 2013 <https://www.oma.com/lectures/public-works> [accessed 11 March 2022].

24 Swenarton, Avermaete, and Van den Heuvel, Architecture and the Welfare State, pp. 1–24.

25 See Jordá, Universidad Laboral de Cheste; Gea Tobar, ‘Análisis compositivo y constructivo’, pp. 36–7; and Luis V. García-Ballester, José R. Albiol-Ibáñez, Raúl Martínez Lluch, ‘Estudio previo y propuesta de actuación en el Paraninfo de la Universidad Laboral de Cheste – Parte 1’ [‘Previous Study and Proposal for Action in the Auditorium of the Labour University of Cheste: Part 1’], in Proceedings of the Research in Builgding Engineering EXCO’19 (Valencia: edita.me, 2019), pp. 536–47.

26 Jordá, Universidad Laboral de Cheste.

27 Complejo Educativo de Cheste, Evolución histórica; and García-Ballester, Albiol-Ibáñez, Martínez Lluch, ‘Estudio previo y propuesta’, p. 541.

28 See Bravo Bravo, ‘Razón y modernidad’, pp. 136–7; and Brencea Caraghiosu, ‘Relaciones visuales y configuraciones’, pp. 13–6, 19–20.

29 Bravo Bravo, ‘Razón y modernidad’, pp. 136–7.

30 Jordá, Universidad Laboral de Cheste.

31 Ibid.

32 Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid (COAM), ‘Centro de Orientación de Universidades Laborales Jesus Romeso–Cheste, Valencia’ [‘Jesus Romeso Labour University Guidance Center – Cheste, Valencia’], Arquitectura, 142 (1970), 17–24 (p. 22).

33 See Tobar, ‘Análisis compositivo y constructivo’, p. 61; and Brencea Caraghiosu, ‘Relaciones visuales y configuraciones’, p. 53.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Getty Foundation.