Alberto Campo Baeza

7,777,777 visits on 07/07

SEVEN MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY SEVEN THOUSAND, SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY SEVEN VISITS to my WEBSITE

To avoid any misunderstanding,  although mental ellipses are valid in writing, I am writing the figure of 7,777,777 in full : seven million seven hundred and seventy-seven thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven is the number of visits to my website recorded on 07/07, the seventh of July, or marginally more than this rounded figure.

I’m sure that you will understand that to reach seven million seven hundred and seventy-seven thousand seven hundred and seventy visits to a website on the 7th of the seventh is something rather unusual. Firstly, in terms of volume of traffic to the simple website of an architect but also on account of the date, the 7th of July, the feast day of  San Fermín (Saint Fermin, patron saint of Pamplona), a date so familiar to us in Spain. Well, on this 7th of July 2021 (even 21 is a multiple of 7) San Fermín granted me this extraordinary favor.

Perhaps it’s a celebration of the fact that just a few days ago, on 24 June, the conferring ceremony at which I was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Rosario, Argentina, took place via Zoom. An outpouring of generosity and affection on the part of the Argentinians. Although I had been awarded the honor in December 2020, the official ceremony had been deferred until now. Everything went like clockwork: focused, to the point, simple and brief. A eulogy by Adolfo del Rio, director of the Rosario School of Architecture, and the very gracious words of the Rector, Franco Bartolacci. On the screen, behind me, the blue and white flag of Argentina presided over by a radiant golden sun. And my brief speech, “On the Need for Beauty”, seemed to convince everyone. As for my attire, having made the appropriate enquiries, instead of a cap and gown, I wore a jacket and tie.

You will doubtless understand why I am now celebrating on this 7th day of the 7th month the more than 7,777,777 visits to my website. It is more than an honor, an undeserved honor, for which I can only thank you all, and God who has given me so much!

ANALYTICS

Analytics is the tool that provides us with precise, accurate information on the number of visits to a website.

And in this month of July 2021, Analytics reports that my website, www.campobaeza.com, has received in excess of 7,777,777 million visits.

I must confess that it’s not easy for me to digest these multi-million figures because my brain was trained in other coordinates. And even less easy to take on board that we reached 7 million visits a mere 7 months ago, which means that my website has been receiving more than 100,000 visits per month. It’s simply mind-boggling!

I can only extend my grateful thanks to the many people who show their interest in my architecture and in me. And it reminds me, once again, to reflect deeply on the responsibility that is placed on my shoulders. It has a lot to do with my vocation as a teacher. At the age of 74, I have been teaching until very recently at NYIT in New York, two days a week, three hours each day, in English. An exhausting gift, but a gift nonetheless!

And all this leads me to a self-imposed maxim: to try to continue making architecture guided by reason, searching for Beauty rooted in Truth. As Plato suggested all those years ago: Beauty as the splendor of Truth.