El dibujo del Arquitecto

El dibujo se presenta en este escrito como una de las principales herramientas del arquitecto para hacer frente a la delicada situación en la que se encuentra actualmente su oficio, ya que es el medio por el que encauzar las propias inquietudes y trascender el pragmatismo que domina en la profesión. Se trata de la lanza y el escudo con los que defender los valores de la Arquitectura, con los que custodiar la fortaleza del propio trabajo, del propio modo de entender y sentir el oficio, además de la forma de mantener un vínculo de continuidad con todos aquellos antiguos maestros sobre los que descansa inevitablemente nuestra labor.

The Reconstruction of Aleppo

Human history is marked by a dramatic dialectic of “destruction” and “reconstruction”, the record of which has itself often been lost. Yet memories of tragic destructions and often heroic reconstructions remain ingrained in the history, archaeology, and myths of all civilizations. Whereas the predominant contemporary ideology of architecture seems to prefer “deconstruction” and the consecration of an imagery of fragmentation and desolation, the Reconstruction of Aleppo project proposes a traditional strategy of material and moral reconstruction. Such reconstruction seeks not only to repair and recompose the form and meaning of homes and places but also to allow for reconciliation and healing, as well as confidence and identity.

The Architectural Tradition of Ponnani, Kerala: A Historic Malabar Port Town

Ponnani, a historic port town located at the mouth of the Bharathappuzha River on the Arabian Sea, was a prominent trading center on the Malabar coast of Kerala, India, in the 15th and 16th centuries. It is one of Malabar’s few surviving historic towns, with its heritage sites intact along with its building types, historic streets and alleys, local culture, and traditions. But some of its historic buildings are on the verge of dereliction and need immediate attention. This study attempts to convey an understanding of Ponnani, with an analysis based on field visits and existing literature. The relationship between the region’s architecture and landscape and current threats to its heritage is explored. Its vanishing traditional knowledge systems and vernacular architectural types are also discussed, in what may serve as a reference for adaptive use by future generations.

La restauración y la construcción de Can Ferrereta, Mallorca

El actual hotel Can Ferrereta fue desde el siglo XVIII una de las grandes casas señoriales del pueblo. La familia Soldevila-Ferrer, responsable del hotel Sant Francesc en el casco antiguo de Palma, buscaba un lugar en la isla donde poder recrear en un entorno rural su modelo de negocio. El objetivo era crear una gran casa que mantuviera el carácter rural de la edificación original y que incorporara al aspecto general del edificio algunos de los elementos del campo cercano. Las premisas eran fundir en una mezcla homogénea las partes originales del edificio y las nuevas construcciones, y utilizar materiales naturales y artesanales de gran calidad, en algunos casos recuperados de otros edificios.

Translation and Continuity of Tradition: An Ongoing Dialogue in Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Though short, Aotearoa/New Zealand’s history is rich and holds an abundance of knowledge preserved in the form of songs, beliefs, practices, and narratives that inform this country’s unique place in the world as well as the identity of its people. This paper observes that with migratory history and a heritage of colonization, the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand express three identities: indigenous, colonial and migrant, all with a claim to appropriate representation in the country’s built fabric. It discusses the current state of knowledge by looking at the history and architectural tradition manifested in Auckland, the largest and fastest-growing city in Aotearoa. It adds that further research is required to understand and develop an appropriate methodology to address Auckland’s growing multiculturalism, which lacks adequate expression.

La Casa Selas en la isla de Lamu, Kenia

A través de mi experiencia como arquitecto en la isla de Lamu, Kenia, se explica el proceso constructivo empleado en la arquitectura tradicional de la cultura suajili. Este tipo de arquitectura es un reflejo de la mezcla de influencias que componen dicha cultura: bantú, árabe, persa e india, todo ello adaptado a su vez a los materiales y técnicas disponibles, así como al clima de la zona. La narración personal de la construcción de la Casa Selas sirve como hilo conductor para explicar los diferentes elementos y métodos constructivos empleados desde hace siglos en la arquitectura de la isla.

25 años del Centro de Investigación de Arquitectura Tradicional

El Centro de Investigación de Arquitectura Tradicional (CIAT) es un centro científico-tecnológico fruto del convenio suscrito en 1996 entre la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid y el Ayuntamiento de Boceguillas (Segovia, España) para el desarrollo de actividades de investigación, formación y difusión de los valores de la arquitectura y la construcción tradicionales, la ciudad histórica, el paisaje cultural y el patrimonio edificado. La excelente disposición del Ayuntamiento de Boceguillas, la ayuda recibida de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid y de su Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, y la financiación recibida de la Consejería de Fomento de la Junta de Castilla y León y del Programa Leader II de la Unión Europea (gestionado en la comarca nordeste de Segovia por CODINSE) hicieron posible la rehabilitación del edificio que alberga su sede y el inicio de su programa de actividades, que celebra en 2021 su veinticinco aniversario.

Engagement of Contemporary Communities with the Shared Heritage Resources of the Dwindling Minorities of Central Calcutta

The accelerated growth of Calcutta as a trading center under the British between the mid-18th and early 20th centuries brought an influx of diverse trading communities, including Armenians, Baghdadi Jews, Parsis, and Chinese, who settled in the historic bazaar nucleus of the city known today as Central Calcutta. These ethnoreligious communities erected significant heritage buildings reflecting their cultures. But with large-scale emigration and a rapidly dwindling local population, this shared built heritage is in neglect and has little or no relevance for Central Calcutta’s contemporary communities. This paper discusses the issues faced by these heritage resources and offers recommendations for enhancing community engagement, initiating co-management and developing common goals amongst contemporary communities so as to effectively safeguard this built heritage of dwindling minorities.

Classicisms of Color: Transatlantic Exchanges in African and American Traditional Architecture

The beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina, was built by enslaved Africans, and the painful historical connections between classical architecture and slavery have encouraged some critics to see classicism as racist. Contemporary black artist Jonathan Green, however, proposed a new way of viewing Charleston’s buildings: as a testament to black creativity and resilience that fused African architectural traditions, such as colonnaded porches and metalwork, with European ones. Following Green, this essay traces a number of trans-Atlantic architectural connections forged during the age of empires. Many different African nations, from Ethiopia to Ghana, developed great classical architectures that traveled to Europe and America through the migration of people or the publication of books. African-American designs also returned to Africa, sometimes with European accents, and found compatibility with indigenous traditions. As Green asserted, a beautiful truth emerges from this study: traditional architecture is bigger than racism. It is African, American, and human.

Why Are You Not Using Computers? A Case for Drawing Vernacular Architecture by Hand

In the increasingly digitized profession of architecture, opportunities to draw by hand decline constantly. The thorough shift from traditional to digital tools is rarely questioned and commonly justified by the demands of the trade. Cognitive, pedagogic and economic values of traditional documentation methods are easily overlooked, while the craft of hand drawing is under increasing threat of extinction. Taking part in vernacular heritage documentation adventures from China and eastern Serbia to Thailand and northern Pakistan, I witnessed how humble pencils and inking pens enrich human lives. These experiences have transformed me and expanded my own view of the world.