Full Description
Not a typical overview of Latin American Architecture, the book uncovers a series of lineages, often hidden or overlooked by international critics.
In each chapter, prominent contemporary architects across Puerto Rico, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Argentina, position their work within both historical and contemporary local and international traditions, revealing the often unconscious lineages, influences, and affinities that shape the contemporary Hispanic American architectural scene. Contributing architects and firms include AToT Architects, Plan:b Architects, Al Borde, UZ:AA, and Grupo Culata-Jovai among others. They position their work within the context of lesser internationally celebrated historic architects such as Ana Elvira Vélez, Felipe Uribe, Jorge Mario Gómez, Ítala Fulvia Villa, Juan Ángel Casasco, Román Fresnedo Siri, Gustavo Scheps, Juvenal Baracco, Emilio Soyer, Miguel Rodrigo Mazuré, and more. This strategy produces a decentering of the internationally established Latin American canon and reveals cross-pollinations among different Latin American countries, offering a dynamic, intergenerational view of architectural evolution that contrasts with typical static and monolithic perspectives.
This will be a crucial read for all researchers and students of Latin American architecture, history, and cultural heritage, as well as all those interested in exploring non-western, Global South, and non-canonical architectural traditions.
Contents
INTRODUCTION. Other Traditions PART 1. RADICAL URBANITY 1. TO DO A LOT WITH VERY LITTLE. Revisiting the work of Juan Ángel Casasco and its influence on the production of AToT. 2. BACKGROUND NOISE. Colombian Architecture of the 20th Century Related to The Work of Plan:b Architects. 3. SHARED TIME. Gustavo Scheps, a Travel Companion. 4. COLOR COREOGRAPHY. Matter, Light, and Transit in Mexican Architecture. PART 2. FRAGILE INFORMALITY 5. ECOSYSTEMS OF PROXIMITY. Taller E and Its Influence Over Paraguayan Contemporary Architecture. 6. ROOTED IN CLIMATE, GUIDED BY NATURE. Bioclimatic Traditional and Contemporary Practices in Costa Rica 7. INTERWOVEN TRADITIONS. The Legacy of Rother, Castro, and Martínez Sanabria. PART 3. SOCIAL PARTICIPATION 8.THOUGHT CONSTRUCTION. Carlos Mijares Bracho: Architect of Foundational Principles. 9. MEMORY EXERCISES. From a phenomenological approach to cultural imaginaries. 10. TALES OUT OF THE UNCONSCIOUS. Pedagogy, Methodology, and Participation in Ecuadorian Architecture Since the 1980s 11. ARCHITECTURE AS A COLLECTIVE ACT. Memory, Territory, and Public Life in the Work of Colectivo C733 PART 4. CULTURAL CANNIBALISM 12. TRANSITION ARCHITECTURE. A Local Interpretation of the Modern Material Legacy. 13. THREE INFLUENTIAL PERUVIAN MASTERS. Juvenal Baracco, Emilio Soyer, and Miguel Rodrigo Mazuré. 14. FRAGMENTS, CYCLES AND LEARNINGS. Shared works between Julio Vilamajó, Román Fresnedo Siri, and UZ:AA Architects. 15.TROPICAL MEDITATIONS. Hybrid Propositions between the Spanish Grid and the American Highway.
