Spain (1987.09-1996.10): Chemical Reactions

I start by mentioning an effect of architecture, which may surprise you.

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We all drink a lot of coffee in my family. My mother, for example, even liked to have a small glass before going to bed at night.

In my case, it was during my studies at the School of Architecture (ETSAM) of the Polytechnics University in Madrid (UPM) that I got used to drinking coffee. A lot.

The goal was to stay reasonably awake and functioning during those long nights before the submission of a project. If you are, or you know an architecture student, you know what I′m talking about. Nothing to object.

On the contrary, I keep very good memories from those years. Especially when I was a student of Prof. Alberto Campo Baeza, one of the best contemporary architects worldwide and a reference for anyone who knows him.

However, the situation gets insane during the development of the graduation project, because you don′t do anything else and it can last (in our School) more than a year…

One day, right after I graduated, I had some boring paperwork to do very early and left without having my morning cup of coffee.

After a while, I started to see everything around me in slow motion, I felt like my neurons were boxing against each other, and I was losing track of what I had to do next (perhaps this is why most architects always carry a small notebook…).

I entered the first bar I saw, and asked for “?un café con leche, rápido, por favor!”.

I was suffering withdrawal symptoms and had to drink coffee, right there. I swallowed it, paid, and left. I never felt that addiction before or the thrill when a waterfall of dopamine floods your brain. Quite impressive… I have to say.

I didn’t stop drinking coffee, but I quit my continuous refill protocol.

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Did you know that the architectural experience can change the hormonal state of the user, for better or worse?

If you want to discover more of what I learned during this time in Madrid, and much more importantly, how good buildings stimulate good emotions, visit my website and subscribe to my newsletter:

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arroyoalba.world

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P.S.: All my past could be part of your future… after you click the link above.

Be careful. You may like it too much and always want more.