DOCOMOMO I Pre Event: Concrete’s Latin American relatives

Sessions:

1.   Presentation title: Absolute limit. The Municipal Columbarium of Nelson Bayardo in Montevideo, Uruguay

Speakers:

Juan José Fontana Architect PhD Universidad de Alicante,  Professor Instituto de Tecnologias  FADU, UDELAR, Uruguay.
Jorge Gambini Architect, Professor Instituto de Tecnologias  FADU, UDELAR, Uruguay.
Mary Méndez Architect, Magister of History of architecture Universidad Torcuato Di Tella 
Professor Instituto de Historia FADU, UDELAR, Uruguay.
Fernando Tomeo Architect, Professor Instituto de Tecnologias  FADU, UDELAR, Uruguay.

Abstract:

The Municipal Urnarium in Montevideo, Uruguay, was designed in 1959 by architect Nelson Bayardo and engineer José Pedro Tizze to house funerary urns (National Historic Monument since 2014). It is one of the most significant works built in Uruguay in the second half of the twentieth century. A carefully studied implantation shows the intimate relationship of the building with the surrounding landscape. In contrast, the continuity of the building evidences the identity between reinforced concrete and a system of spatial organization proposed in dynamic terms. The Urnarium reflects the main discussions of the time, such as the sculptural valuation of the load-bearing system and the respect for the constructive qualities of the materials. It manifests the search for integration of the arts and the obsession with geometry. It even allows the exploration of problems related to symbolism; themes also present in other examples of the period.

Image rights: photo by Marco Vecchio

2.   4 x 1961(2). Vilanova Artigas & Contemporaries

Speaker: Ruth Verde Zein

Abstract:  

About four buildings designed in 1961/2, situated on the American continent, sharing similarities and differences. Almost like a family. FAU-USP Building, Artigas & Cascaldi, São Paulo, Brazil; Boston City Hall, Kallmann, McKinnell & Knowles, Boston, United States; CEPAL Building, Duhart, De Groote, Goycolea, Santelices, Santiago, Chile; National Library, Testa, Bullrich, Cazzaniga, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Rereading them in the light of the disciplinary culture, activating the possibility of understanding them through the complex relationships they establish with their predecessors and contemporaries. 

Image rights: photo by Nelson Kon

YouTube: AQUÍ.