Craftsmanship Portfolio 2023

CRAFTSMANSHIP

PEPE SOLER CARRERAS

CURRICULUM VITAE

FORMATION

CRAterre Festival Grains d’Isère. Formation workshop on raw earth construction techniques

Arquitectes de Capçalera Formation workshop at the Barcelona school of architecture (ETSAB)

W.A.V.e International workshop at the Venice school of architecture (IUAV)

IUAV Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia | Erasmus Program

ETSAB Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona | Architecture Degree (3+2)

WORK EXPERIENCE

Freelance architect and craftsman based in Barcelona and Milan, combining architecture projects, interior design, earth-related construction works.

BCmaterials (Brussels) Collaborator in charge of the production of sustainable construction materials, R+D, communication and formation.

Joly&Loiret (Paris) Architect and earth specialist collaborating in urban settlements, architectural projects, model making, graphic design and building materials research.

Mediaurban (Barcelona) Architect and urban planner specialised in cohousing, Smart Cities and sustainability. Works of architecture, graphic design and consultancy for housing projects, urban planning and museology.

RZM Collective Organizer and head of logistics at multidisciplinar event Rizoma Festival (Girona) for the 2018, 2019 and 2023 editions.

TAMassociati (Venice) Architect on internship performing works of architectural conception and graphic design for housing projects in Italy and cooperation projects in Sudan, Afghanistan and Senegal for the NGO Emergency.

Betezé - Open Architecture Systems Co-founder of the online platform for sustainable building techniques on open source.

Base-A Architect and mason for a Public Library in the Middle School of M’Lomp (Senegal) Bellastock Festival (Paris) Counselor on raw earth construction techniques at Festival “La Ville des Terres”

LANGUAGES SKILLS

Catalan mother tongue

Spanish mother tongue

English very high level

French very high level

Italian very high level

German basic level

Portuguese basic level

Informatics Autodesk Autocad & Revit; Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign and Premiere; SketchUp, Rhinoceros, VRay. Communication advanced language skills and easy-going on human and professional relationships. Music piano, guitar, ukulele, singing, harmonica, synth and computer musical production (ProTools). Studies in solfège, guitar and piano. Experience in live events, concerts and street performances.

Visual arts photography and video (making and editing), graphic design and web and applications design.

For the last few years I have been getting involved in many clay plaster construction works, either in collaboration with other clay craftswomen and men, or on my own. Plastering is a quite meditative activity that allows oneself to focus solely on the matter he is working with, in a more honest and straightforward way than other conventional building techniques would allow.

Clay plasters are probably the most ecological way of finishing walls. Since clay is a natural resource and it is endlessly reusable (you just need to crush it and add more water) it closes up the circular cycle making them carbon-zero all throughout their life. No additives are needed -although many professionals choose to use them to make them more waterproof and resistant. This material also improves the space quality by absorbing sound and humidity, and reflecting light in a much more poetic approach.

(1)AsmallstudioinParisdesignedbyStudioSolidagoandplasteredbymyselfandearthplasterexpertVictoriaCaubet(2)Myownlivingroom,wallsbrownand ceilingred(3)KarperstraatbyHé!ArchitectuurplasteredasacollaboratorofBCmaterialsandLemniscaat(4)AplasteredbathroomonthesameprojectbyHé! Architectuurfeaturingalsoarammedearthsinkstructure(5)Aclient’sbedroomfeaturingafullwallonredplaster

Rammed Earth is one of humans’ most ancient ways of building. Consisting of compressing humid clayey earth inside of a mould and leaving it to dry after removing its cast, it is a simple yet labour intensive work, resulting in rough surfaces, inspiring colours and textures and of course, a fully natural earthen structure. This technique can be used for architectural purposes such as building walls or partitions. Fully raw we can build up to two-storey buildings, but if reinforced it can bear way heavier loads. But rammed earth can also be applied to industrial design for unique furniture or crafted pieces of art, with the only limitation being its formwork and with infinite finishing possibilities.

(1)Atabletopwithawhiterammedearthstructure,designedbyHé!ArchitectuurandexecutedbyBCmaterials(2)AprototypeforHermèsParisfeaturingagradientof rammedearthcolourings,executedasacollaboratoratBCmaterials(3)DetailofarammedearthstooldesignedanddevelopedbyBCmaterialsandexecutedastheir collaborator(4)TekesrestaurantinParisfeaturingrammedearthpodiumsandstructuresexecutedasacollaboratorofBCmaterialsandGolem(5)Somerammedearthwalls builtonaworkshopwith15+architecturestudentsorganizedbyBetezé.orgplatform

Workshops are not just a way of teaching a specific technique to a bunch of interested people: they are, most of all, a way of expanding the practice of these methods and creating an ecosystem of craftspeople, architects and designers who will embrace these as their own. This way, we are helping bioconstruction to expand in an exponential way, other than by just doing it ourselves. Far from creating competitors, workshops are meant to promote collective work and cooperation values, which are probably the most important skills of them all.

(1)Myself,plasteringawallofHorstFestivalmainmusichallduringaworkshopasacollaboratorofBCmaterials(2)Commentingtheresultswithanparticipantat IsabellaBreda+BCmaterialsworkshopforHorstFestivalinAntwerpen(3)ShovelingearthonaworkshopforpeoplewithriskofsocialexclusioninBrussels,asa collaboratorofBCmaterials(4)AnassistantoftheEarthIntroductionWorkshopbyBCmaterialsmixingearthbyhand(5)PhotoFinishatBeteze.org’sworkshopof rammedearthandcompressedearthblocks(6)CheckingtheresultoftheCarazasTestduringEarthIntroductionWorkshopbyBCmaterials

Prototyping plasters for commercial use is a long term process that involves a lot of thinking, material measuring, matter gathering, data analysing, waiting, reformulating the recipes, and many more phases. But the final result is often satisfying. As a collaborator at BCmaterials, architecture studio BC Architects&Studies (BE) and the LUMA Foundation (FR) we developed a series of experimental finishing plasters using upcycled materials coming from local quarries and algae plantations, creating a wide range of colours and finishes -and even odours. Some of these samples were later part of the exhibition “TRACES OF THE FUTURE” at Valerie Traan Gallery in Antwerpen (Belgium), the “TERRA” Lisbon Architecture Triennale (Portugal), the “Same Same But Different” expo at Z33 Art Museum in Hasselt (Belgium), as well as part of the “Exploded View Beyond Building” at the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven (Netherlands).

(1)ManyclayplastersampleshungatValerieTraanGallery(2)Cookingsomeclayandalgaereceipesfordatacollecting(3)Myselfmakingsomeplasterpannels withspirulinaalgaeandlimequarrywaste(4)Thesesamepannelshangingfromthe“ExplodedViewBeyondBuilding”attheDutchDesignWeek(5)From0mto 1,60mplainwhiteplaster,1,60mup,sound-proofplaster

Five years ago, the RZM Collective was founded with the goal of finding a common ground in which to experiment on the fields on which the co-founders were into: design, architecture, music, performative arts and gastronomy. A festival (slash) arts residence was created, amidst a tree plantation that served as a starting point for all of the projects and installations to grab onto. A rhizomatic system of installations was the result, and a few events as such preceded the one. After two years of lockdown, the festival is happening again this next June with its expectations higher than ever.

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