Advertising photographers | Madrid, Barcelona, Pamplona, Spain | Mikel Muruzabal Studio
Advertising and comercial photography (food, still life, fashion, architecture…) plus high-end retouching and CGI. Based in Madrid, Barcelona and Pamplona, Spain.
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 30.jpg

Benidorm, Architectural Landscapes

fine art, photography

 

"Benidorm might not please everybody but, by God, it pleases a lot." — Pauline Snowden

City portrait/ This is the portrait of an atypical city, especially for it's architecture. Considered as one of the european cities with more skyscrapers (more that 20 buildings exceeding 100m), Benidorm leaves no one indifferent. It's loved and hated in equal part, although in recent years it has opened an interesting debate regarding the benefits on environmental sustainability issues that achieve this type of cities, especially on the coast.

Sustainability/ Contrary to what happens in housing complexes and isolated or detached houses, in which a large expense and energy is needed to meet the demand of a few (plus a lot of ground), in skyscrapers everything is centralized for a large population, so the energy and resources consumption per head is much lower.

Expansion/ With relative low budgets and the desire to accommodate as many tourists as possible, this city grew very fast since the 50's and 60's, when there was only small and well-kept hotels called "trams". Since the expansion, the results in the constructions were highly variable, usually bad but with honorable exceptions.

Personal view/ Benidorm is very interesting for me because its architectural diversity. It has crappy buildings and very interesting buildings, at least from a architectural or photographic point of view. In the series I try to show the spatiality of the city, some contrasts, the relationship with its inhabitants, and of course the feelings I had while touring the city for several weeks on different times over three years.

The project has been awarded with the Lux Oro Award in Architecture & Design.

 
 
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 03.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 05.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 01.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 09.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 04.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 06.jpg

Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 08.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 10.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 11.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 12.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 13.jpg
Sustainability /

Sustainability /

Contrary to what happens in housing complexes and isolated or detached houses, in which a large expense and energy is needed to meet the demand of a few (plus a lot of ground), in skyscrapers everything is centralized for a large population, so the energy and resources consumption per head is much lower.

Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 15.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 16.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 17.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 18.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 19.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 20.jpg
Expansion /

Expansion /

With relative low budgets and the desire to accommodate as many tourists as possible, this city grew very fast since the 50's and 60's, when there was only small and well-kept hotels called "trams". Since the expansion, the results in the constructions were highly variable, usually bad but with honorable exceptions.

Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 22.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 23.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 24.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 25.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 26.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 27.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 28.jpg
Architecture /

Architecture /

Benidorm is very interesting for me because its architectural diversity. It has crappy buildings and very interesting buildings, at least from a architectural or photographic point of view. In the series I try to show the spatiality of the city, some contrasts, the relationship with its inhabitants, and of course the feelings I had while touring the city for several weeks on different times over three years.

Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 30.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 32.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 33.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 34.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 35.jpg
Heavy Atmosphere /

Heavy Atmosphere /

The light is everywhere in Benidorm. I had a leaden and alienating feeling caused by the stifling heat when I walked the streets with my camera. The sky seemed to descend to my eyes, motionless, as if it had been sewn to the skyscrapers around the city.

Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 36.jpg
Mikel Muruzabal - Benidorm 37.jpg
Top