How does the old meet the new? Architecturally speaking...

How do you put a new building next to an existing building that has been the dominating structure in that area for so many years? It's a question that I always ask myself, especially because I, myself, have a strong passion for historical buildings and their preservation. I know that in my archiectectural future much of the structures I will be designing will be either editions or be a structure that is next to a pre-existing structure. The last thing I would want to do is take away the old buildings dominance though.

To me, a beautiful new building that sits next to an existing old building is one that does not take away anything from the old building, it blends in and lets the building still have its signifigance. The new building must have respect for the old building.

In studying this concept at the Santa Caterina Market next to the Cathedral of Barcelona, I studied how the next edition of the market literally and conceptually touched the existing part of the market. In this case, the new edition did not touch the existing! It held so much respect for the old that the edition literally had hanging panels closely floated overtop of the existing walls. Even the funky curvacious roof of the structure hovered overtop with great respect.

This building really inspired me to engage in this concept even more. I went to the Cathedral of Barcelona the next day and studied how the surrounding buildings next to the Cathedral sat next to the old, beautiful structure that dominated that space. The architects of these three different buildings from three different time periods used datum lines from the previous buildings next to it. I will be posting sketches soon, and I will be talking more about this topic upon my return from Greece in 10 days! Can't wait to see what kind of "old meets new" I can find there!