A GAGGLE OF ARCHITECTS

I have been meeting some incredible architects but, in the words of Roisin Murphy, it's never enough. Inevitably some slip through the net. So here's a round up of architects from different countries that I have not had a chance to meet in person for whatever reason.

Argentina
Lucio Morini, based in Cordoba. (new studios, below)


Chile
Beals Lyon
Grupo Talca

Colombia
Paisajes Emergentes
A landscape and architecture office working from Medellin. (new project, top)
plan b Arquitectos
Orquideorama project (below) by plan B and JPRCR (J. Paul Restrepo and Camilo Restrepo), also based in Medellin.

Grenada
COCOA - Caribbean Office of Co-Operative Architecture

Mexico
Tatiana Bilbao
Great portfolio of work including Estudio Explanada, 2008 (below)

PEZO VON ELLRICHSHAUSEN: ONE NIGHT IN CASA POLI

Casa Poli, 2005. The happiest concrete cube in the world. Photos by Jaffer Kolb.

DRIVING TO CASA POLI

Jaffer and I have been invited to stay for one night at Casa Poli, Pezo von Ellrichshausen's first building used for artist residencies. As we leave Concepcion early in the morning, the sky is full of smoke. The trees are burning all around. Apparently this happens ever summer, and no one seems too concerned.

PEZO VON ELLRICHSHAUSEN ARCHITECTS

Pezo von Ellrichshausen is undoubtedly one of the best architects working in Chile today. The practice, based in Concepcion, has been designing buildings and art-based installation since 2001. Mauricio and Sofía are currently teaching at Cornell, so we were hosted by Leona Schäfer.

The office and home
The office dog
Model of Chilean installation, curated by Pezo von Ellrichshausen at Venice Architecture Biennale 2008

The recently completed Parr House
Pael House

GOODBYE SANTIAGO

You were wonderful.

PUBLICATIONS

SPAM is an art / architecture fanzine published in Santiago by Pablo Brugnoli, Kathryn Gillmore and Gregorio Brugnoli.

PULSO: New Architecture in Chile by Jeannette Plaut was published in January 2009.

CARRENO SARTORI

Mario Carreño Zunino showed me around the female-dominated studio he runs with his landscape architect wife, Piera. They have established themselves with several projects at Santiago Zoo (for people and animals), and larger public projects inluding a new gymnasium and masterplanning a 50 hectares park in a run down part of town.

The first project was a house in a woods for their parents in 2000
Early models for a new reptile house at Santiago Zoo. They have already constructed the chimpanzee enclosure

The Zoo director's house and work spaces
A new gymnasium

PANORAMA

Panorama is a new practice launching in 2009 by Nicolás Valdés and Constanza Hagemann. They have both returned to Santiago from London following periods of working on large scale projects (Nicolás at KPF) and further studies (Constanza at the AA's DRL). Their ambition is to now bring research-based practice, along with a knowledge of large projects, to urban and public projects in South America. Their HQ is a Japanese-inspired Carlos Alberto Cruz house in El Golf.








A previous project with FG Arquitectos

PLATAFORMA URBANA / PLATAFORMA ARQUITECTURA / ARCHDAILY

Plataforma Urbana was launched in November 2005 as a forum to discuss urban issues. This was followed in February 2006 with Plataforma Arquitectura, now the most popular Spanish-language website about architecture. An English version, Archdaily, was launched in February 2008 and is now in the top 5 most visited architecture websites. The websites are open to contributions internationally and also publish international competitions and interviews. Founders David Assael & David Basulto will be taking part in Storefront's LA edition of Postopolis.
David Basulto (left) and David Assael

The web HQ

0300TV

0300TV was launched by Sebastián Paredes (24), Diego Grass (24) and Felipe De Ferrari (25), three current students at the Universidad Catolica de Chile. It started with short films made on digital cameras while exchange students in Barcelona. They aim to show a more real depiction of architectural projects internationally than is possible in photography and magazine formats. They intitiate all their own content including a critque on public space in Chile and upcoming specials on Japanese and Chinese architects.
Diego Grass (above) and Sebastián Paredes