URBAN LAYERS
Caroline Anderson - Bachelor of Architecture - Graduating May 2022 Anusha Khansaheb - Bachelor of Architecture - Graduating May 2022
Architecture and Identity Production in Latin America “The city, however, does not tell its past, but contains it like the lines of a hand.”- Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities Introduction
Following the American and French Revolutions, growing resentment of colonial control resulted in independence movements all over Latin America. This tumultuous period, known as the Latin American Wars of Independence, lasted through the 18th and early 19th centuries and resulted in the creation of sovereign countries including Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, and Argentina. The United Stated expressed solidarity with these new republics, issuing the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, and independence was cemented without further European interference. This post-colonial era left Latin American countries to define their identities and establish authority of their new governments on a global stage.1 During this time, architecture became a powerful tool for the ruling class to assert its ideologies and establish identities for these newly independent nations. Urban centers, particularly capital cities, were the focal points for culture and identity production. With changes in political power came changes in architecture – leading to layers of complexity in the urban fabric of these cities today.
Research Questions
By studying the architecture of the past in these cities, we can begin to ask the questions: What has been preserved and why? What narratives or identities do these acts of preservation serve? How does this play into collective memory? Likewise, by studying contemporary architecture in these cities we can begin to ask: What has changed and why? Who does the architecture serve? Who does it not? What identity is being created and what does that say about the cultural and political climate of today?
Proposal
We are proposing to study the architecture and urban environments of several cities in Latin America to gain an understanding of how architecture has been used to create identities and claim power. We have identified five cities with unique political and historic circumstances that have resulted in rich architectural conditions. Outlined below are the five proposed cities and their relevance to our proposal. Mexico City: A City with many Historical Identities With often conflicting preservation and modernization efforts, Mexico City has a long history around questions of architecture and identity. Tenochtitlán, now present-day Mexico City, was the capital of the Aztec Empire. The Aztecs expressed their technological innovations and religious ideologies through constructed waterways and grand temples. During Spanish colonization, Spanish Colonial architecture asserted Christianity and European modes of living. In the 19th and 20th centuries, as industrialization became a global force, many architects in Mexico City readily adopted new technology to allow buildings to be built more quickly in an effort to house and feed a growing population.2 The International Style and Modernism spread among the Mexican elite and was quickly adapted to put forth a uniquely Mexican modern identity that referenced the nation’s indigenous roots. Today, the urban fabric contains layers of these histories. We hope to visit sites from each of these different periods and explore what has been preserved, what has changed, and what identity is being given a voice.
Medellín: A City with an Evolving Identity In the early 1990s, Medellín was the most dangerous city in the world. Since the early 2000s, Medellín has undergone a huge transformation which is sometimes called “The Medellín Miracle.” 3 The city is now known as a world-renowned example of how urban planning, public infrastructure, architecture, and transit can work together to lift people out of poverty and reshape a city. When Colombia launched a new National Constitution in 1991, public space was recognized as a constitutional right -- leading to decades of re-imagining the city’s public realm. While much of the pre-1990s infrastructure still exists, contemporary architecture and urbanism projects have created a new identity for the city. In the creation of this new identity, some of the history has been lost while other parts have been memorialized. By exploring what has been left behind and what has changed, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of how rapid, systematic alterations to the built environment shape the character of a city and the lives of its inhabitants. Brasília: A City with a Strategic Identity Founded by President Juscelino Kubitschek in 1960, Brasília was a planned city designed by Lucio Costa, Oscar Neimeyer, and Joaquim Cardoza as a way to envision the country as part of the newly globalized post-WWII world. Brasília was planned from the ground up in one fell swoop – a stark contrast to the layers of growth and change that evolved over time in most Latin American cities. Once built, it quickly gained a reputation as an eerie, utopian city due to the designers’ choice to ignore the historical and cultural context of the country. In the years following its construction, significant critical literature was published in response to a “modernism that forecloses or is hostile to change - or, rather, a modernism that seeks one great change, and then no more.” 4 We are interested in studying the architecture that was built during this time and how it asserted Brazil’s identity as a modern country in a globalized world. We would also like to explore more informal architecture that has come into being since Brasília was established and how it has, if at all, tried to reestablish a new identity for the city.5 Quito: A City with a Preserved Identity Quito, the capital of Ecuador, is located on the equator at an elevation of 2,850m above sea level and is east of the active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains. Quito was settled as early as 8000 BC with many prehistoric sites continuing to be discovered today. Prehistoric villages were composed of different peoples and cultures that had developed sophisticated agricultural methods such as irrigation and advanced building techniques. By the 15th century the Inca took over and shortly after the area was colonized by the Spanish. The historic center of Quito is now one of the largest and best preserved historic areas in the world and in 1978 it was declared as one of the first UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites.6 While Quito’s rich history remains, demand for an urbanized city has led to some of the most interesting contemporary architecture in South America. With the construction of a new airport, bus lines, and subway system, Quito has become a hub for economic development. We want to explore Quito to begin to understand how the historic center has blended in with contemporary architecture and how they draw inspiration from each other. Buenos Aires: A City Where Immigrants Shaped its Identity Buenos Aires, both the capital and largest city in Argentina, is located on the western shore of the Rio de la Plata on the southeastern coast of South America. The indigenous populations of Argentina were historically more nomadic - resulting in fewer larger-scale constructions that have been preserved. This unique condition set the stage for wide-scale European
influence in architecture. 7 The city has become an international hub attracting immigrants from all over the world. Unlike other South American cities, Buenos Aires rejected modernist architecture and focused instead on neoclassical, art nouveau, and art deco styles. As in the other cities we propose visiting, we are interested in understanding the balance between built heritage preservation, new development, and changing priorities within historic urban centers.
Impact Through our experiences and studies at the College of Design, we have both developed a keen interest in architecture not as free-standing buildings, but as built manifestations of culture woven into the complexities of place and time. Our coursework in studios and architecture seminars has sparked our interest in the topic of architecture as an identitymaking tool for groups in power in Latin America. Burak Erdim’s Methods of Interpretation course helped us to understand how to read and study architecture through narrative lenses and the relationships between architecture, modernity, and globalization. Patricia Morgado’s seminars on Luis Barragán and the city of Cuzco have led us to want to explore more about the pre and post-colonial architecture of Latin America. Bryan Bell’s Public Interest Design Studio shaped our understanding of how architecture can be an act of public service and place-making, while his Triangle Modern Architecture seminar explored how to analyze a building’s unique connection to its place. During Anusha’s time at NCSU, she received her BEDA from the College of Design as well as her BA History from College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Anusha plans on graduating in May with her B. Arch and LAR Minor and will attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall of 2022 to pursue a Master of Science in Historic Preservation at the Weitzman School of Design. She hopes to use her design background to think critically about the integration as well as the reinterpretation of historic sites in urban fabrics internationally. Caroline received her BEDA in the spring of 2021 and will be graduating in May from the B. Arch program. She plans on gaining experience working in architecture offices and applying her Spanish language skills before returning to school for a Master of Architecture. She is interested in the notion of architecture as a tool to uplift and dignify communities that have been under-served – particularly in urban contexts. Anusha’s ability to read architecture and urban environments through a historical lens would compliment Caroline’s interests in how the profession is engaging with the conditions of modernity today. Our combined skills would allow for more in-depth understanding of the cities we propose visiting. We would like to document our travels and findings in the form of a blog - which would include writings, photographs, and sketches of the sites we visit - that would be accessible to NC State students and faculty. Our collection of research and data would culminate into a series of written essays for publication as well as a presentation to the School of Architecture. By the end of our travels, we would gain an understanding of how the built layers of Latin American cities, from indigenous constructions through contemporary urbanization, reveal cultural attitudes and changing identities. We hope to shine a light on the extraordinary history and architecture of this region of the world and inspire future NCSU designers to think critically about the subtext of the built environment around them.
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Proposed Travel Budget
*Lodging, food, transportation and additional expenses account for two people
Daily Expense Breakdown Mexico City Medellín Quito Brasília Buenos Aires
Flights Raleigh to Mexico City Mexico City to Medellín Medellín to Quito Quito to Brasília Brasília to Buenos Aires Buenos Aires to Raleigh
Days 5 5 5 4 4
$500 $150 $275 $250 $100 $1000
Lodging $75 $60 $65 $80 $70 (x2) $1000 $300 $550 $500 $400 $2000 $4550
Caroline Anderson - Bachelor of Architecture - Graduating May 2022 Anusha Khansaheb - Bachelor of Architecture - Graduating May 2022
Food + Transportation $80 $75 $90 $100 $75 $3345 Additional Expenses Admissions + Tickets International data plan Covid tests
START: Mexico Mexico City
$200 $200 $300 $700
Total Minimum Contingency Rate (%15)
$8595 $1289
Total Expenditure
$9884
Colombia Medellín
Travel Plan 1. Mexico City, Mexico - 5 Days
Begin by exploring the historic city center by walking around and visiting: Plaza de las Tres Culturas, Museum of Anthropology, and Centro Cultural de España. Explore contemporary Mexico City by visiting: Barragán houses, UNAM University Campus (UNESCO Site), Frida Kahlo + Diego Rivera Studio, Capilla de las Capuchinas, and Museo Experimental el Eco. Connect with UNAM architecture professor through NCSU professor Dr. Nicholas Robins and NCSU graduate Dillon Impink.
2. Medellín, Colombia - 5 days
Start by experiencing the oldest parts of town including Carabobo street and Botero Square. Transition into the economic center with the Museo del Arte Moderno which connects the old part of the city with the contemporary area. Visit socially and economically empowering projects such as El Edificio Inteligente, Unidades de Vida Articulada, Biblioteca España, and Orquideorama that uplifted the population out of crime and poverty and created a safe and thriving urban city.
3. Quito, Ecuador - 5 days
Immerse ourselves in the UNESCO site of Historic Quito by visiting the many plazas (Plaza del Teatro, Plaza de la Independencia, Plaza de San Francisco, Plaza Santa Domingo, and Plaza Huerto San Agustín), religious sites (Basilica del Vota Nacional and La Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus), and museums (Museo de la Cuidad) that make up the area. Shift to the recently developed Gonzalez Suarez area, where Quito airport used to be located, to visit contemporary structures such as Yoo Quito, Unique Tower, IQON Tower, EPIQ Tower Complex, and Qorner Tower designed by influential firms such as BIG, Arquitectonica, Safdie Architects, and Carlos Zapata Architecture. Begin to understand how Historic Quito has informed the design of contemporary towers creating an economic hub in the capital of Ecuador. Sources:
1. Arnold, Dana. 2002. Reading architectural history. London: Routledge. 2. Lara, Fernando. “Modern Architecture in Mexico City: History, Representation, and the Shaping of a Capital by Kathryn E. O’Rourke (Review).” Journal of Social History 52, no. 3 (2019): 969-970. 3. Maclean, Kate. “Social Urbanism and the Politics of Violence: The medellín Miracle.” Palgrave Macmillan, 2015 4. Berman, Marshall. “All That Is Solid Melts into Air: The Experience of Modernity,” Viking Penguin, 1988, p. 7.
4. Brazil - 4 days
Ecuador Quito
São Paulo (Fly into) In preparation for Brasília, spend the day walking around São Paulo, the most populous city in the Americas, a city known for its strong international influences in commerce, finance, arts and entertainment. Can be used as a comparison when studying Brasília, the capital of Brazil, which was planned unlike São Paulo which organically grew. Brazil Brasília
Brasília Fly into Brasília and immediately begin to walk around the city to understand the layout as well as visit modernist buildings such as the National Congress Building, Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, National Theatre Claudio Santoro, Supreme Federal Court, Santuario Dom Bosco, and Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida. Use Brasília as a comparison to previously visited cities such as Mexico City, Medellín, Quito, and Brazilian city São Paulo to see the benefits and downfalls of a planned city.
5. Buenos Aires, Argentina - 4 days
In our final city, often called the ‘Paris of South America,’ we will experience a place where the ruling elite rejected modernist principles and preferred classical styles. Beginning with the oldest parts of the city, such as Plaza Dorrego and Plaza De Mayo, we will work our way through layers of colonial, neoclassical, art deco, and art nouveau styles. Some of these buildings include: Museo Historico Nacional, Manzana de las Luces, Avenido de Mayo, and Cementerio de la Recooleta.
END Argentina Buenos Aires
As we reach the outer suburbs of Buenos Aires we will begin to experience the transition to contemporary structures such as Kavanagh Building, Floralis Generica, Bank of London and South America, Puente de la Mujer Bridge, MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires), and Centro Cultural Néstor Kirchner.
5. Spencer, Annalisa. “The Informal Architecture of Brasilia: An Analysis of the Contemporary Urban Role of its Satellite Settlements.” In Rethinking the Informal City, edited by Felipe Hernandez. 6. Webster, Susan Verdi. “The Secret Lives of Buildings in Colonial Quito.” Construction History: Journal of the Construction History Group 28, no. 3 (2013): 21-46. 7. Hite, K. “Review: Memorials in Berlin and Buenos Aires: Balancing Memory, Architecture, and Tourism by Brigitte Sion.” The Public Historian 38, no. 3 (2016): 184-186.
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