Daily Summer Dose
My name is Beatriz Alés. I am an architect, urban designer and educator. I graduated in 2014 from ETSA Barcelona. One year later I founded Beatriz Alés Atelier in Berlin, where I live and work since then. Since 2017 I hold a teaching and research position at the Institute of Urbanism and Urban Planning at the TU Dresden.
Beatriz Alés Atelier is an architecture and urban design studio which provides design-based solutions to today’s complex spatial challenges — from conception through to construction. Our mission is to design the change. Our goal is to do it with maximum impact and minimum resources.
I have presented my work at ETSA Madrid and the Young European Architects Festival and was invited as a guest critic to universities such as CTU Prague and Berlin International. El País Semanal, Arquitectura Viva, Domus Magazine Web, Bauwelt, and Neo2 among others have published my projects. The Spanish Architecture and Urbanism Bienal, the Fad Awards and Arquia Próxima have distinguished my work.
"Daily Summer Dose" seeks to address the climate emergency while exploring the concept of domesticity in second homes and bringing the holiday experience into our everyday lives.
The project originated from research conducted in Benicàssim, a small city on the Mediterranean shores of Spain, as part of the Rotondes i Taronges (roundabouts and oranges) program curated by Maria Aucejo and commissioned by Espai d'Art Contemporani de Castelló in June 2023. During the summer, Benicàssim's population quadruples due to the influx of tourists, many of whom own second homes in the city. Surprisingly, 80% of these second home owners have their primary residence less than 15km away from Benicàssim. However, despite the short distance, their behavior and lifestyle in these second homes are significantly different - the construction quality is lower, they store different types of clothes in the closets, choose different furniture styles, socialize with other people, and adopt a slower pace of life.
The project seeks to explore the concept of domesticity in second homes and understand why our behavior changes in such spaces. It identifies the elements that contribute to this domesticity and endeavors to transfer them to daily situations, removing them from their original context and scale. As a result, three artifacts have been created: the Cocodira chair, the Turnosol umbrella, and the Taulaustre table, all designed to bring the essence of summer into our daily lives.
The fundamental question of this project revolves around whether architecture and design elements can alter our mood and behavior, allowing us to embrace the leisurely pace of vacations in our daily lives.
By incorporating elements of the vacation lifestyle into our routines and making holidays at home, the project aims to explore how this approach could enhance our well-being and contribute to environmental consciousness and sustainability.