Necessary Architecture: Mundaneum 2013 in Nicaragua
In her 1983 novel The Mind-Body Problem, Rebecca Goldstein introduced the notion of “mattering maps,” those mental constructs that all of us create to identify who is important, who “matters.” As her characters explain in the book, who matters depends on what matters. In architecture today, mattering maps are changing. Architects working on affordable housing, social problems, and environmental strategies seem to matter more now. Those who are known mostly for their trademark styles seem to matter less. The changing landscape of architectural importance could be seen at this year’s Mundaneum, a periodic conference organized by Alvaro Rojas and Guillermo Honles, two architects and educators with strong roots in Latin America.
Rojas and Honles have always made sustainability an important part of their agenda, but this year’s conference brought social issues to the forefront with its theme: Necessary Architecture. Instead of splashy designs for office towers or museums, the speakers showed projects that engaged local communities, many of them poor or “informal.” And one speaker, Spanish journalist Llátzer Moix took sharp aim at celebrity architects designing enormous cultural complexes that many cities could ill afford.
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