In New York, until the 1st of May, you can enjoy the exhibition of the New Architecture in Spain which is realized by the MoMa. In the exposition you can see extraordinary projects which mix traditional and ritual elements with perspective and creativity, and with remarkable contributions of very popular architects who came from Spain and from other countries.

There are very important works such as the Barajas Airport (realized by Richard Rogers) or the Vallearceron Chapel, realized by Sancho Madrilejos; both works are in Madrid. Nevertheless, the project which impressed me is the railway station developed by Herzog & De Meuron some years before they won the Pritzker. It is a small project with a poor budget, but it also is a creative idea with an enormous personality and with a big worth. This allowed a practical element to become a symbol.

other information | and pictures of the project
credits for the image | El Mundo
description |and interview

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Whereas others areas in Costa Blanca, such as Benidorm, are well-known for their massive nightlife, Altea offers a tidy environment, a village in the coast with a wonderful weather during the whole year, where you can see some of the most exclusive buildings. While walking in Altea it’s easy to find a Ferrari or a Porsche, because it is the place where English and German people go to relax.

There are all kind of people: politicians, actors and millionaires that prefer the relax and anonymity to the noise and wildness that they find in otras areas of Costa Blanca. In Altea the urbanization has been respected and every detail has been carefully considered; at the same time, a lot of exclusive villas and a port where luxury yachts can moor has been built. A perfect environment to enjoy good weather in Spain.

official website | Commune of Altea
official website | nautical club of Altea

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Buying a house in Spain allows you to enjoy a life in a sunny landscape with every comfort and next to the main European cities. But in the last ten years it is not so cheap as before. The price had an annual growth of 15%, and even if the coast area still has good prices for English, French, German and northern European tourists, it is not so cheap as before. Currently, the latest statistics show that the prices are increasing slower. Why are this changes happening?
There are many reasons for the growth of the prices for Spanish buyers:

1. The children of the Baby Boom generation are 30 years old now, and they are buying a house for starting a family.
2. People can have a higher income than the older generations because of the low unemployment and because women have accessed to the qualified work.
3. The decrease of interest rates and the extension of the terms for paying a loan allowed people to access to a cheap financing which adapts itself to the growth of the prices.

All these elements produced a growth of the prices in the whole Spain, which also affected the touristic residential areas. But there is another important element: the growth of the places in which these area are caused an increase of the number of Spanish people who choose to live in villages in the coast, where in the past only the inhabitants of these villages and the residencial tourists used to live in. So, with the growth of the demand, prices also grew.

Nevertheless, this process is getting slower, without any decrease of prices but with a moderation of increase (now it is about the 7%). We could say that prices of houses in Spain will not grow anymore and that Spain is the ideal place to live in the sunny beach. It is not so cheap as in the past, but it still is a cheap wonderful place.

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