Workshop: A nocturnal edition of El Croquis magazine
February 17-28, 2020
Workshop Leader: Richard Levene
HEAD – Genève, Geneva
A virtual edition of El Croquis magazine, directed by Richard Levene, the co-founder of the magazine, in collaboration with students at HEAD – Genève, combines archive documentation and night photography showcasing contemporary buildings in Geneva.
Download El Croquis Night (PDF)
El Croquis, established in 1982 by Richard Levene and Fernando Márquez, stands as one of the most prestigious architectural magazines globally. It annually publishes five monographs. The volumes dedicated to established Pritzker Prize laureates like OMA Rem Koolhaas, SANAA Sejima & Nishizawa, Herzog & de Meuron, Alvaro Siza, or Rafael Moneo are considered their respective œuvres complètes.
Noteworthy is the magazine's rarity in featuring nocturnal photographs of buildings, a characteristic shared with other major architecture publications. During a workshop in 2020, HEAD – Genève invited Richard Levene to design a "night edition" of El Croquis. The workshop aimed to emphasize the often-overlooked role of the night as a paradigm in the construction of modern and contemporary architectural discourse.
To address this gap, students from various departments spent two weeks under Levene’s supervision, photographing prominent contemporary buildings in Geneva from the blue hour to sunset. The captured material was later meticulously laid out and edited in a virtual edition of the journal. This process, incorporating photographic portrayal, plan and text selection, allowed students to grasp El Croquis’ working methods.
HEAD – Genève, Department of Interior Architecture
Head of Department : Javier Fernández Contreras
Scientific Deputy: Valentina de Luigi
Workshop Leader: Richard Levene, co-founder of El Croquis
Concept: Javier Fernández Contreras
Assistant: Sven Högger
Students: Mélissa Ferrara,Marie Lesley Schild, Bénédict Jordan, Etienne Poncet, Natacha Todeschini, Bushra Fatima, Lydia Campana, Mélina Laville, Leelou Mathey-Doret Dit Doret, Jinuk Hong, Timéa Schmidt, Charlotte Roux, Sonia Vetsch, Maud Pomorski, Coline Schmaltzried, Emma Birbaud, Audrey Besanceney, Camille Maingret, Astrid Mayer, Geneviève Lynn Fejer
Photos: © HEAD – Genève, Michel Giesbrecht
