Public Spaces as Contact Zones

Abstract

I have used the concept of the contact zone in order to describe one aspect that appears to be central in the agenda of many contemporary architects in Latin America: people. Interestingly, the foregrounding of the social dimension of architecture, as seen in the projects examined so far, has not prevented architects from carrying out intriguing formal explorations. On the contrary, careful analysis of the complicated socio- cultural and political conditions, as well as the difficult economic environment within which Latin American architects work, has prompted a multiplicity of themes which, in turn, stimulate a diversity of formal searches. More important, however, is the fact that, while formally appealing, the projects examined in the previous chapter were conceived deliberately in order to be subverted by users. The three architects (or practices) whose work was documented are at pains to underline that they inevitably design buildings on the basis of certain prevalent ideologies — mostly aesthetic but, also, technical, functional, etc. — which are not necessarily significant or intelligible for the user. Hence, by encouraging users to appropriate their buildings, they expect their very architectural aspirations to be challenged.