Architecture in the Landscape

Abstract

After having analysed buildings and public spaces embedded in the fabric of Latin American cities, and reviewing the imaginative ways in which architects tackle poverty and overcrowding, as well as opulence, I would like to focus on the relationship between buildings and their natural surroundings in various parts of the continent. The previous chapter already underlined the diversity of environments that exist in such a vast and geographically imprecise region that is Latin America. It included houses on the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans, on the banks of rivers and the edges of lakes, in cities as well as in the country. This chapter reinforces the notion of environmental diversity but focuses particularly on the way in which architects respond to the challenges presented by such a diverse landscapes. It reveals the strategies employed by architects to juggle environmental concerns with their own architectural agendas, and the way in which they engage with issues relating to history, technology, economics and social politics.