I am going to do my best to pick up where Andrew left off yesterday and bring you the key highlights from the past days at our Quality of Life Conference (QOL) in Barcelona. As he had to file at midday on Friday, much has happened since. I’m picking up the thread from a sprawling terrace in the Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor very late on Saturday afternoon. Here goes.
1.
We ain’t getting any younger
It’s always interesting to see how themes emerge off script, how thought streams that were not part of the overall plan for the conference take shape. After the session on walking sticks, there was an afternoon talk on longevity, a short update on The Embassies project in Hamburg (a new concept that blends community with good design and architecture for those in their silver years) and countless conversations offstage about the needs and opportunities to cater to the ageing segment of society. While this has certainly been a topic at other conferences, there seemed to be a greater sense of urgency around developing better quality housing, care concepts and products for those north of 70.
2.
Sharp staff
If you’re running a hospitality business and need a smarter looking crew both front and back of house, the duo behind Barcelona-based Bastida for Work will ensure there’s no confusion between who’s a guest and who’s a duty manager at your hotel. Just as the Catalans are doing amazing things in the kitchen, they’re also coming up with functional yet modern tailoring to ensure that businesses can express their brands far beyond good cuisine, graphics and interiors.
3.
Cape Town, here we come?
Maybe! The mayor of Cape Town did a very persuasive job of making a case for his city as a place to invest – a sure way to bolster visitor numbers. He wasn’t having any of that overtourism guff as South Africa’s “Mother City” gets about as many visitors in a year as Barcelona hosts in a busy month. As for the next city to host our QOL Conference, let’s see if 2026 is the year when we not only venture outside Europe but even jump south of the equator.
4.
Not a dry eye in the house
You might have caught our recent feature on the Catalan tradition of castells (human towers). To call the participating groups “clubs” undersells the spirit of trust, athleticism, bravery and tradition that goes into the choreography required to get 80 people to anchor themselves and erect a human structure 20 metres off the ground. To conclude our conference we welcomed a troupe into the theatre to build not one but two towers. As they set about rising from the floor, scaling atop one another, something powerful happened: 200 people witnessed what trust across multiple generations looks like as a five-year-old raced to the top (no nets or wires) to unfurl a banner. The crowd was moved to tears.
5.
Keep it cramped
After ten editions of these conferences we know how to do an afterparty – travel with a deejay (our very own Herr Pitsch), keep the dance floor compact and ensure that there’s an adjacent smoking lounge to keep everyone reasonably tight-knit.
Part two is now about to get under way and I’m heading off from these fine digs to meet up with Monocle’s Patrons, who are doing a two-day tour with Andrew at the helm. I’m sure that he’ll have much to report shortly.
I am racing to write this in the lunch break of Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference in Barcelona. And I’ll have you know that my commitment to never missing a deadline is keeping me away from some very nice chilled local wine and some tasty croquettes – I am hoping some gently fried balls of delight will roll my way of their own volition. Well, you always have to live in hope. Or at least one of the little cheese platters that my colleagues have been unhelpfully rhapsodising about.
The conference is taking place in the Petit Palau at the Palau de la Música Catalana, one of the great examples of Catalan modernisme – the region’s take on art nouveau. The auditorium is embracing, cool (it’s still steamy summer here in the city) and I am sure that the space has already helped to make the day a joyful success. People have spoken onstage with passion about their various disciplines, encouraged delegates to look at their worlds anew and raised a few smiles too.
I am also struck by how many people just want to be part of a dignified conversation. Over the coming weeks and months, many of these interviews will be aired on Monocle Radio and will also play out across the pages of the magazine. But here are five takeaways.
1.
There’s a generation of young architects who are determined to raise the bar by going back to their industry’s craft roots, insisting on processes that are gentle on the planet. Fergus Feilden of London-based practice Feilden Fowles explained that this means rejecting clients who lack ambition. They don’t want to be a mere service provider but rather a partner for change.
2.
Diplomats can be eloquent, open and engaging while also holding onto their principles and having clear red lines. HE Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, minister of state at the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held the room as she talked about the country’s formation in 1971, the nation’s belief in diversity and why it takes a stand against racism and hate speech. She had people queueing up to meet her as she came offstage.
3.
Props are good. I got to interview the celebrated designer Keiji Takeuchi about his project and exhibition celebrating the humble walking stick. He brought five examples to the stage, including one with a woven basket wrapped around the cane by Hugo Passos. We had a lot of fun trying them out and, somehow, I agreed to kneel onstage and test one of Keiji’s designs that’s supposed to help elderly Japanese people get up from low-level seating. I placed an order.
4.
The Barcelona-based graphic designer Jordi Labanda was a delight as he told the story of the city in 10 drawings. He added that Barcelona was like a lover and every now and then you had to have a word about what they were doing, where they were heading. But you always agreed in the end to keep sharing a bed.
5.
I have also been reminded yet again of what a talented group of people that I get to work with.
