Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Spot the Difference.

OK, first I'd like to apologise for the quality of the image, but this was literally something that I came across this morning and thought it would be interesting to add - but the pic was taken really quickly. However, you should get the idea. First click on the image below to see a bigger version.

There are two buildings in the photo which are undergoing work on the facade. At first glance you can easily see the huge promotional canvas that is covering the building on the right with the car ad. So, where's the other?

No, it's not a trick.

Many blocks of Barcelona Apartments in the city have the scaffolding covered in a replica image of the building itself. I have no idea if this is some kind of rule by the council that certain buildings are not allowed to have ads , or if they want to put a cap on how many ads a street can have, or if it's something to do with too much distraction for drivers (this pic was taken at the intersection of Diagonal and Paseo de Gracia) - so please feel free to comment if you know.

Many of the buidlings receive help from the local council, subsidising the costs of the works on facades, as they do with the installation of elevators, for example. These buildings also have a banner/advert with "Barcelona posa't guapa" to show the support given by the council(literal translation is Barcelona, "get yourself pretty") and I think it's a good idea. Often some streets, especially in the Old Town of Barcelona are spoiled by derelict, imposing edifices abandoned and in ruin. That the council wants to help in renovation plans, can only be a good thing. I remember when I first arrived here, though, that I thought it was so funny replacing the building's facade with a cover....of the building's facade! I'm encouraging comments here as to your opinions and thoughts, so feel free to add something!

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

The buildings in Barcelona are all wonderful. Best architecture in Europe.
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Plymouth Hoe

 
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