Cheste Workers University s Textures: materiality as a quality in modern design

Abstract

Moreno Barberá's built work offers the possibility of investigating to what extent materiality is fundamental to achieving the idea of integral design characteristic of modern architecture. At the Cheste Workers University is particularly perceptible the principle of material unity which is characteristic of all his work and the large scale and the functional diversity of the buildings, too. Despite this large scale, there is a unity ambiance consequence of a restricted number of materials and construction solutions that have been used there. Using only three economic materials -concrete, brick concrete, and pine wood- the ambiance is also characterized by austerity. This option offers economical and functional solutions, as is explained in the project documentation. The ensemble is also characterized by a particularly strict geometry, a functional and topographical organization, and a surface finish that synthesizes industrial material and craftsmanship. We put special attention on the modern design of the Auditorium Paraninfo building, as an icon, that has been awarded by a Getty Foundation Keeping It Modern Grant Award, awarded to a project of the Polytechnic University of Valencia.