El Croquis

Taller Héctor Barroso was founded by Héctor Barroso in 2011 in Mexico City, Mexico. The office strives to generate architectural proposals that sink their roots in the local environment and make the most of the natural resources in each place: the incidence of light and shadows, the surrounding vegetation, the geographical features and the local materials and construction techniques. The studio’s architecture thus emerges in harmony with the site. It generates spaces with an emotional content that evoke memories and highlight the habitable quality of the architectural exercise.

A special hardcover edition examines more than two decades of practice by Swiss architect Christian Kerez. Presented are 26 varied projects, including education, housing, and commercial and public functions. The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, the Flemish Radio and Television Headquarters (VRT), the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Muttenz, and Werkbund Wiesenfeld Residential Estate are among the notable works. Essays, the architect’s own photographs, and two conversations (with Georg Franck and with Catherine Dumont D’Ayot, Anh-Linh Ngo, and Nikolai von Rosen) add critical depth to this ysis of one who sees his work as an “adventure”.

Palinda Kannangara (born 1970, Kolonnawa, Sri Lanka) has a background in mathematics and architecture. He majored in mathematics for his BSc (1996), however his primary calling was elsewhere. In 1994, he joined a study course conducted by the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects. As a student, he trained under Sri Lankan modernist architect Anura Rathnavibushana, who had worked with Geoffrey Bawa for 16 years. He established an independent practice in 2005, a year after receiving his Charter. His studio is now located in Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka. Palinda Kannangara Architects is an award-winning Sri Lankan architecture firm known for its experiential architecture that hinges on simplicity and connection with the natural environment. The firm's work has been recognized for its contextual sensitivity, experimental use of materials and a minimalism that reflects the Sri Lankan ethos. The practice, now more than 15 years year old, has deliberately remained small and personalized. Its design and work process is always deeply connected to the site. The firm has worked across the island of Sri Lanka on a wide range of projects, often small in scale. With its personalized approach, the studio imbues each project with a sense of connectedness to the context, region, climate and landscape using locally-available materials and technology to provide a rich spatial experience. The studio’s architecture essentially focuses on capturing and expressing the spirit/magic of the place, whether it is a marsh, a cliff or an urbanscape. The site is the generator of all its ideas, and lies at the heart of the design process. Its architecture is always an intuitive reading of the site and aims to combine both the visceral and the pragmatic. The process is manual, employing a series of detailed drawings and sketches done on-site for working purposes and also physical models built in the office. Palinda Kannangara Architects’ designs are never frozen: they continue to evolve 'on site'.

Gion Caminada was born in Vrin, Switzerland, in 1957. After working as an apprentice carpenter in Vrin, he attended a school of applied arts in Zurich and an art school in Florence prior to completing his postgraduate studies in architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. He has had his own architectural practice in Vrin since 1986. In 1998 he was appointed Assistant Professor at the ETH Zurich, where he was Associate Professor of Architecture and Design from 2008 to 2020. Since 2020 he has been a Full Professor of Architecture and Design at ETH Zurich.

Roger Boltshauser (Zurich, Switzerland, 1964) graduated at ETH Zurich in 1995. One year later he founded his office Boltshauser Architekten, and started working as Research Associate at the Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture (gta), and as Design Assistant for Peter Märkli visiting professorship, both at ETH Zurich. He has also taught at EPFL Lausanne, the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Dessau and the University of Technology Munich.  He was the initiator and founding member of the architect group Krokodil in 2008. He was a member of the city planning commission of the City of Lucerne, of the Schweizer Baumuster-Centrale Zürich and, since 2018, he is a member of the building committee of the City of Zurich.

Il team di architetti Anne Lacaton & Jean-Philippe Vassal da oltre trent'anni sostiene con entusiasmo la filosofia dell'"abita

Dogma was founded in 2002 by Pier Vittorio Aureli and Martino Tattara. From the beginning of its activities, Dogma has worked on the relationship between architecture and the city by focusing mostly on urban design and large-scale projects. In the last years, Dogma has been working on a research by design trajectory that focuses on domestic space and its potential for transformation. This work, made of studies and projects, has been exhibited at different venues among which the Tallinn Architectural Biennale (2014), the HKW Berlin (2015), the Biennale di Venezia (2012, 2016 and 2021), the Chicago Architectural Biennial (2017), the London Design Museum (2018), the Sharjah Architecture Triennial, the Flemish Architecture Institute VAi and the Seoul Architecture Biennial (2019). Dogma’s work has been widely published and is part of the permanent collection at the FRAC Centre, Orleans (France).

This hardback reprint combines two El Croquis issues dedicated to the Indian architecture firm founded by Bijoy Jain. It takes stock of Studio Mumbai’s most recognised works spanning 2003-2019.The monograph features the Studio Mumbai Work-Place in Nagaon, the Casa Tara in Kashid, the Leti 360 Resort in Leti, and the Palmyra House in Nandgaon. It then revisits more recent works such as Copper House II, the Ahmedabad Residence, and the Ganga Maki Textile Studio in the Himalayan foothills.Jain and his team of architects, engineers, carpenters, and masons excel in blending Indian and Western cultures, as seen in the thatched MPavilion 2016 in Melbourne.

Anne Holtrop (1977, Netherlands) started his own practice in 2009. Currently his studios are based in Amsterdam (NL) and Muharraq (BH). In 2015, he completed his first two major buildings, Museum Fort Vechten and the National Pavilion of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Recently realizations include the Manama Central Post Office and the Qaysariya Suq and Green Corner Building in Muharraq. The studio is working on new stores worldwide for Maison Margiela, with flagship stores in London, Paris, Osaka and NYC, and several Unesco-listed heritage buildings in Bahrain: Murad Boutique Hotel and Siyadi Pearl Museum. The work of the studio, as well as teaching and research outcomes, are compiled and presented internationally at biennales and institutions. Recent exhibits include the first Sharjah Architecture Triennial, the Seoul Architecture Biennial, Frac Le Plateau and an upcoming presentation at the Carnegie Museum of Art.

This monograph focuses on the work accomplished by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, between 2015 and 2020, both in the office founded by them, SANAA, and individually. SANAA, founded in 1995 by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, has been awarded numerous prestigious international prizes, such as the Golden Lion Prize at the 9th Biennale di Venezia (2004), the Prize of the Architectural Institute of Japan (2006), the Pritzker Prize (2010) and the Mies Crown Hall American Prize (2016). Kazuyo Sejima (Ibaraki, Japan. 1956) graduated at the Japan Women's University in 1981, and afterwards joined the office of Toyo Ito & Associates. In 1987 she founded her own office, and in 1992 she was awarded Young Architect of the Year. She has received the Award for Art from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. Currently, she is a professor at the Polytechnic University of Milan and at the Yokohama Graduate School of Architecture, and she is teaching at Japan Women’s University and Osaka University of Arts as a visiting professor. Ryue Nishizawa (Tokyo, Japan. 1966) graduated at Yokohama National University in 1990 and began working for Kazuyo Sejima & Associates in the same year. In 1997 he established his independent office. Currently, he is Professor at Yokohama Graduate School of Architecture.

This monograph focuses on the work accomplished by Xaveer De Geyter Architects between 2005 and 2020, office founded by this Belgian architect in 1991. Xaveer de Geyter (Doornik - Belgium, 1957) graduated at the Architecture Institute St. Lucas in Ghent in 1981. After that, he started working at Rem Koolhaas' office (OMA) in Rotterdam, until 1991, when he founded his own office. At the same time, he has been working as a teacher in the school where he obtained his degree. He has also worked as visiting and guest professor at the Berlage Institute, Delft, Netherlands (1993-2003), the EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland (2004) and the ETH, Zurich, Switzerland (2016). The office Xaveer De Geyter Architects has won several international competitions, as well as numerous awards throughout its trajectory, including the Flemish Culture Award for Architecture in 2014, the Mies van der Rohe award in 2003 and the Charles Wilford Prize in the years 1993 and 1992.

Smiljan Radić Clarke (Santiago de Chile, 1965) graduated from the Catholic University of Chile's School of Architecture in 1989 and undertook further studies at the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia, Italy. He opened his own architecture firm in Santiago de Chile in 1995.  He was selected as the best architect under 35 by the College of Architects of Chile in 2001; he was given the Architectural Record’s Design Vanguard award in 2008; named honorary member of the American Institute of Architects, USA, in 2009; in 2013, 2015 and 2018 he obtained the award for best Chilean Building, by Universidad Mayor, Chile; in 2015, the Oris Award, Croatia; in 2018 the Theater Bio Bio was nominated as one of the best building by Architectural Record´s Design Vanguard and in 2018 he obtained he Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, USA. Smiljan Radić is the president of Fundación de Arquitectura Frágil. The aim of the foundation is to promote the study and dissemination of experimental architecture or that of an improbable reality, where the boundaries of architecture are blurred.He currently lives and works in Chile, always in close collaboration with the sculptor Marcela Correa.

Enric Miralles è stato un architetto spagnolo, tra i più noti sulla scena internazionale. Dopo aver lavorato per un lungo periodo con Carme Pinós, nel 1991 incontra l'architetto italiano Benedetta Tagliabue con il quale fonderà lo studio EMBT. Lo studio raggiunge la notorietà internazionale nel 1999 con il progetto per la sede del Parlamento Scozzese, ancora incompleto al momento della morte prematura di Miralles. Contenuti : ENRIC MIRALLES BiographyLa Llauna SchoolRoofs for Town Square in Parets del VallésIgualada Cemetery ParkArchery RangeHostalets Civic CenterLa Mina Civic CenterGarau Agustí HouseBoarding School in MorellaPaseo Icaria RoofingRiumors HouseEditorial Headquarters BuildingEurhythmics Sports CenterSports Center in HuescaAirport control tower in AlicanteIndustrial bridge for Camy-NestléUniversity classroom building in ValenciaEnlargement of Royal Museum in CopenhagenModern Art Museum in ZaragozaRosenmuseum extensions in SteinfurthModern Art Museum in HelsinkiGeriatric hospital in PalamósNew entrance to Takaoka StationMeditation pavilion in UnazukiAuditorium in CopenhaguenChurch and parish centre in RomeExtension to Seele glass factoryNew centre in Bremerhaven PortSmall wooden houses in GermanyConcept for a car showroom ENRIC MIRALLES + BENEDETTA TAGLIABUE BiographyRenovations to an apartment in calle MercadersRenovations to a house in La ClotaPier in ThessalonicaVenice School of ArchitectureDamge HouseChemnitz Sports StadiumLeipzig Sports HallUniversity Laboratories in DresdenKolonihaven [Small wooden house]Fontanals Club Golf HouseExtension of the Cemetery of San Michele in IsolaMaretas Museum in LanzaroteSanta Rosa Park in MolletJapan National LibrarySix dwellings in Borneo Eiland Dancing School for the Laban CentreHamburg Music SchoolSalerno Court of JusticeMoore FarmRenovations to Utrecht Town HallDiagonal Mar ParkVigo University CampusRenovations to Santa Caterina MarketScottish ParliamentNew Head Office for Gas NaturalPalafolls Public Library

Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee founded the architecture firm Johnston Marklee in 1998, in Los Angeles.They served as Artistic Directors for the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial. In 2018 they were named Professors in Practice at Harvard Graduate School of Design, and Mark Lee was appointed Chair of the Architecture Department. They have also taught at major universities including Princeton University, the University of California, Los Angeles, the Technical University of Berlin, and ETH Zurich and have held the Cullinan Chair at Rice University and the Frank Gehry Chair at the University of Toronto.Johnston Marklee’s work has been exhibited internationally and is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Menil Collection, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Carnegie Museum of Art, and the Architecture Museum of TU Munich.

This monograph is dedicated to the work of Adam Caruso and Peter St John, Caruso St John, between 2013 and 2019.

El Croquis 196 [I] presents the work of Karamuk Kuo, office based in Zurich founded in 2009 by Jeannette Kuo and Ünal Karamuk.

This issue of El Croquis is dedicated to  Carmody Groarke and presents their most relevant projects carried out between 2009 and 2018. After working on David Chipperfield Architects,  Kevin Carmody y Andy Groarke established their own studio in 2006.The book includes an outstanding selection of temporary projects such as the  Studio East Dining , a restaurant set up for three weeks on the occasion of the 2010 Olympic Games, or The Filling Station , a remodeling of a disused gas station in King's Cross.