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Gordon Swapp

Architect
g.swapp@btinternet.com

Placement organisation: Diputación de Córdoba (Cordoba)

My office placement at the Diputación Provincial de Córdoba involved working on the design development of a small public realm project in Belalcázar, which is 90 kilometers north of Córdoba. This included designing a bus shelter and slip road for a budget of €150,000. I presented a variety of options to the Major of Belalcázar with the aid of models, drawings, and photographs. In addition I also liaised with a local metal fabricator to develop construction details. Invariably this sort of interaction with local expertise helped to improve the overall design. I also had ample opportunities to speak Spanish, especially as my work colleagues responded generously with their time, ensuring that I was included in their conversations. As a consequence I was able to gain a deeper insight into the local culture, which enriched the whole experience.    
Picture
This shows a card model of the proposed bus shelter, with a photo of a conical granite stone (formerly used for crushing olives in the production of olive oil), and a cylindrical announcement post, both of which inspired / informed the design of the bus shelter.  
    
Picture
This shows a view inside a metalwork fabrication workshop close to the site, where the local father and son team welded up pieces of metal to show how the shelter could be constructed. 
Picture
General view of a variety of models built at different scales.      
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