New Architects in Latin America

Sunday, 8 March 2009

VOLT

The new Volt bar opened on 2 March, designed with neon artist Kleber Matheus.

Kleber (centre) with video artist Ed Andrade (left) and Yassin Lahmar

The best possible introduction to Sao Paulo, Brazil and South America's largest city, is a visit to the home of architect Rodrigo Cervino in Oscar Niemeyer's Edificio Copan, the largest structure built in Brazil with apparently the largest floor area of any residential building in the world.

Rodrigo's office is in the adjacent Edificio Itália, Sao Paulo's second tallest building.

Rodrigo's portfolio includes the recent Galeria Adriana Varejão at the Inhotim sculpture park.

Thursday, 5 March 2009

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)

Tuesday, 3 March 2009

CHAU, ARGENTINA

It was a pleasure.

A TIGRE SPA

Ana Rascovsky designed the spa extension to this Tigre summer house.

The local flora

ON THE RIVER IN TIGRE

Boat trip out to Ana Rascovsky's Tigre retreat.

Max Zolkwer

Max showed me the extension and refurb of his small, but perfectly formed, PH house, 2009.

SUPERSUDACA

Supersudaca is a pan-Latin American collective of architects that met while studying at the Berlage Institute in 2001. While in Europe they realised there was a common bond between Latin American countries that was not being explored so started a think tank for architectural and urban investigation. Their moto is: "We don't want to change the world with architecture, we want to change architecture with the world."

Projects include built work, workshops, and a design competition for tourist resorts in the Caribbean. They have also conducted installations at Witte de With gallery in Rotterdam and won an award for best entry at the Rotterdam Architecture Biennale in 2005.

I met with Ana Rascovsky and Max Zolkwer (below), both based in Buenos Aires. Other members are currently in Talca, Lima, Curaçao, Montevideo and Rotterdam. The team is led by a taskforce, Supersudaka, in Talca.

WHAT MAKES A HOTEL GAY?

A new hotel has opened in Buenos Aires that caters for gays and lesbians. Here are a few of the design features that distinguish it from its hetero counterparts. It starts with a swimming pool, viewed from below from the lobby and central stairwell...