Gal·la Alías Botifoll is a Artés-based architect whose main interests focus on ecological buildings, renewable resources, and the restoration of cultural heritage. With over 5 years of experience while working for 3 well-recognized Architect Signature Companies, Gal·la has worked on private and public buildings and spaces, with the goal of creating spaces where people can interact and live experiences while respecting natural habitats and resources.
4. How do you think your work and Aketekete’s story resonate?
Aketekete creates unique pieces that invite you to touch them, and to look at them. You are captivated by how the light passes through the different materials, textures, and objects, staining the wall with different shadows. I think that's what my architecture is about. To reinterpret the space and create experiences in it.
5. Tell us about your Aketekete choices for a day.
I would start with a comfortable basket, like a Bolo Basket with Black Diamond Pattern to go shopping for fruits and vegetables. Before coming home, for sure, I’d stop to drink coffee on the terrace. Then I would choose some of my very favorites, the Wenne Necklace in Peacock to go out with my friends, and the Butterfly Small in Natural, to carry the essentials.
6. Tips to live more responsibly within your environment?
Think about everything you need for each day. What consumes the most? It's probably food. Go out with your basket to buy them in bulk and locally. On the other hand, the space we live in, the air we breathe, is essential. Surround yourself with natural materials without chemical treatments, and ventilate the spaces. illuminate them with the color and intensity of the sunlight according to the time of day and thus bring the space closer to your biorhythm.
7. Personal achievements this year.
I moved and listened to my body when it asked me to. I also incorporated more vegetation into the house, and my latest purchases have been repurposed wood furniture.
8. Favorite city and favorite architectural infrastructure?
My favorite city is Girona. It preserves its old town between the river and the wall, it is ideal for walking. I couldn't choose one but I'm fascinated by the cover of Mercat de Santa Catarina in Barcelona. I think it is a very good intervention that promotes local life.
9. Where do you see yourself in the future?
I don't know what awaits me in the future. I am clear that I want to be ready to face the new challenges that are proposed to me. So it is necessary to reinvent the profession towards sustainability, people's health, and their needs.