University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture

Spring 2021

20th century latin american architecture

Instructor: Fernando Lara

Thursdays 8:15-10:45 on Zoom Platform

This course focuses on the artistic, cultural, and urbanistic

practices of modernism as it emerged south of the Rio Grande.

Starting from Garcia Canclini’s provocative definition of

modernism before modernization, the course uses modern

architecture as a departure point for investigating the political,

social and economic factors as well as the artistic expression of

what has been called "peripheral modernization" in the twentieth

century. The course included most Latin American countries:

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and

Venezuela. Organized mostly around discussions and student

presentations, the course requires students to analyze artistic and

cultural manifestations of a variety of modernist manifestations.

The first half of the course is devoted to the ideas behind the

concepts of modernity, modernization and modernism, paying

special attention to the ways ideas and periodization vary in

different national contexts. The second half of the course uses

Latin American Modern Architecture as a case study for exploring

how these concepts were expressed through specific artistic and

urbanist form. Students will then produce an original final paper

on a case study of their choice and a podcast based on our class

discussions.

fernandolara@utexas.edu

ASSIGNMENTS:

Student should read the assigned texts for each class, write a

paragraph on Blackboard before each meeting, and be prepared

to discuss the main issues when prompted. Participation on the

discussions is an integral part of the evaluation. Each student will

make at least one presentation on a topic of their choice (20% of

grade). Besides class participation, 2 short essays, one podcast,

and a final paper will be required. Before the final papers are due,

one section will be devoted to presenting the scope of their

investigations to be discussed by the whole class.

1st short paper - 15% of grade

due Feb 18

5-7 pages reflecting on the ideas of modernism, modernization and

modernity as discussed in the first 3 sections

2nd short paper - 20% of grade

due April 1

5-7 pages reflecting on the peripheral modernisms based on the

previous presentations.

final paper - 30% of grade

due May 5

10-15 pages on a theme of your choice regarding any aspect of 20th

century architecture in Latin America.

podcast – 15% of grade

due May 10

record our conversation and edit a 30 min podcast to be released

to the public at the end of the semester

Prof. Lara Office hours are Thursday 1-3pm, online by appointment.

SCHEDULE and READINGS:

jan 21 introduction and course presentation

LARA, Fernando "Towards a Theory of Space for the Americas”, Folio – Journal

of African Architecture, vol 2, 2020, pp. 232-241

JAMES-CHAKRABOTY, Kathleen, “Introduction”, Architecture since 1400, Minneapolis: U of Minnesota Press, 2014.

jan 28 the modern

QUIJANO, Anibal & WALLERSTEIN, Immanuel. “Americanity as a Concept,

or the Americas in the Modern World-System”. International social science journal 44.4 (1992): 549-557.

O’GORMAN, Edmundo. “The invention of America: an inquiry into the

historical nature of the New World and the meaning of its history”, Bloomington: U of Indiana Press, 1961.

BHABHA, Homi “Introduction: narrating the nation” in Homi Bhabha ed.

Nation and Narration (London; New York: Routledge) 1990:1-7. HABERMAS, Jungen. “Modernity’s Consciousness of Time and it’s Need for

Self-Reassurance”, The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity, (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1987), 1-11.

feb 4 peripheral modernisms

PRAKASH, Vikramâditya, “Third World Modernism or Just Modernism:

towards a cosmopolitan reading of modernism”, in Third World Modernism, New York: Routledge, 2011, pp. 255-269

LIERNUR, J.F. “Foreword”, in Modern Architecture in Latin America, Austin:

University of Texas Press, 2015, pp. xi-xiii. SAID, Edward W., Introduction to Orientalism, New York: Vintage Books,

1978, 1-28. JAMES-CHAKRABORTY, Kathleen. "Beyond postcolonialism: New

directions for the history of nonwestern architecture." Frontiers of Architectural Research 3.1 (2014): 1-9.

feb 11 Intro Latin American Modernisms

WAISMAN, Mariana “Introduction” Latin American architecture: six voices

Malcolm Quantrill, (College Station: Texas A&M University Press) 2000, pp. 3-19.

HERNANDEZ, Felipe. “Introduction” in Beyond Modernist Masters:

Contemporary architecture in Latin America, Basel: Birkhauser, 2010, pp.6-23.

EGGENER, Keith “Placing Resistance: A Critique of Critical Regionalism”,

Journal of Architectural Education 55, no. 4 (May 2002) LOPEZ-DURAN, Fabiola, “Chapter 4 – Picturing Evolution, Le Corbusier

and the Remaking of Man” in Eugenics in the Garden, Austin: University of Texas Press, 2018.

feb 18 first paper due

Mexico I CARRANZA, L & LARA, F. “1922 Vasconcellos SEP and 1933 O”Gorman

Platicas”, in Modern Architecture in Latin America, Austin: University of Texas Press, 2015, pp. 23-27 and 73-76.

EGGENER, Keith L, “The presence of the past: architecture and politics in

modern Mexico”, A + U: architecture and urbanism, 2003 Feb., n.2(389), p.[18]-29

URIBE, Cristina López. "Reflections of the “Colonial” Between Mexico and

Californiano." Latin American Modern Architectures. Routledge, 2013. 229-248.

CARRANZA, Luis. “Race and Miscegenation in Early Twentieth-Century

Mexican Architecture” in Race and Modern Architecture, Pittsburgh: Pitt University Press, 2020, pp. 156-172.

feb 25

Mexico II, Cuba CASTAÑEDA, Luis, “Beyond Tlateloco: Design, Media and Politics at Mexico

68”, Gray Room, no. 100, summer 2010, pp. 100-126. LOOMIS, John. Revolution of forms: Cuba's forgotten art schools, New York :

Princeton Architectural Press, 1999. HYDE, Timothy. “Ch 8: Cubanidad”, Constitutional modernism: architecture and civil

society in Cuba, 1933-1959. University of Minnesota Press, 2013.

CARRANZA, L & LARA, F. “1980 Barragan; 1994 NAFTA; 2000 GGG

House”, in Modern Architecture in Latin America, Austin: University of Texas Press, 2015.

mar 4 Argentina/Chile LIERNUR, Jorge Francisco, “Abstraction, Architecture and the ‘Synthesis of

the Arts’ debates in the Rio de La Plata, 1936-1956”, in Latin American Architecture 1929-1960 – contemporary reflections, New York: Monacelli Press, 2004, pp. 75-98.

CARRANZA, L & LARA, F. “1959 Clorindo Testa”, in Modern Architecture in

Latin America, Austin: University of Texas Press, 2015, pp. 64-68 and 210-213.

TORRENT, Horácio. “Abstraction and tectonics in Chilean Architecture since

1950”, in Chilean Modern Architecture, College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2010.

HERNANDEZ, Felipe. “Designing for Poverty” in Beyond Modernist Masters:

Contemporary architecture in Latin America, Basel: Birkhauser, 2010, pp.58-75.

mar 11 - Visit to Blanton museum – Schedule individual times this week mar 18 - Spring Break

mar 25 second paper due

Uruguay + Paraguay

CARRANZA, L & LARA, F. “1930 Uruguay”, in Modern Architecture in Latin America, Austin: University of Texas Press, 2015, pp. 64-68 and 210-213.

El Taller Torres-García: The School of the South and Its Legacy (Austin:

The University of Texas Press, 1992), SILVA-CONTRERAS, Mónica. “New experiences with reinforced tile for

Eladio Dieste when building the Cristo Obrero Church” Building Knowledge, Constructing Histories – Wouters, Van de Voorde, Bertels et al. (Eds)Brussels, Belgium, 2018

BUCCI, Angelo. “Two Words, Two Worlds” in O’Neil Ford Duograph # 5,

edited by Barbara Hoidn, Austin: CAAD, 2014

DIARTE, Julio & FREITAS, Claudia, ARQ-MOD-PY. San Lorenzo: FADA, 2018.

apr 1

Brazil I FORTY, Adrian + ANDREOLI, Elisabetta, “Round Trip: Europe to Brazil &

Back”, in: Brazil’s Modern Architecture, London: Phaidon, 2004. 6-19 GUERRA, Abilio, “Lucio Costa, Gregory Warchavchik and Roberto Burle

Marx”, in Architecture and Nature: Essays by Abilio Guerra (Lara & Romano, editors); São Paulo: RG + Nhamerica, 2017, pp. 34-43.

LARA, Fernando, “Vernacular Modernism: the Brazilian case”, Journal of

Architectural Education, October 2009.

LARA, Fernando. “Brazilian Architecture and the Automobile, the Marriage of

the Century”, in City and Movement: Mobility and Interactions in Urban Development (Krause, Balbin & Link, organizers), Brasília: IPEA, 2016, pp. 125-136

apr 8 Brazil II

LARA, Fernando. “A Stitch in Time” Architectural Review, v. 1465, October

2019. CARRANZA, L & LARA, F. “1956 Brasilia; 1961 Paulista school”, in Modern

Architecture in Latin America, Austin: University of Texas Press, 2015, pp. 199-205 and 218-220.

ZEIN, Ruth Verde. “Modern Tradition and Contemporary Culture: The Contribution ff The 1950s-70s Brutalism in Brazil and Elsewhere” Critical Readings, São Paulo: Romano Guerra: Nhamerica, 2019, pp. 202-235.

MARQUES, Andre. “The Monk and the Hippie: Architecture and Society”, in Lelé: Dialogues with Neutra and Prouvé, São Paulo: Romano Guerra: Nhamerica, 2021, pp. 28-77.

apr 15

Colombia + Venezuela CARRANZA, L & LARA, F. “1951 PROA; 1952 University campi; 1955

Tachira and Helicoide”; 2000 Colombian renaissence”, in Modern Architecture in Latin America, Austin: University of Texas Press, 2015, pp. 159; 162-169; 193-196; and 339-342.

HERNANDEZ, Felipe. “Building on the City’s Edge” in Beyond Modernist Masters: Contemporary architecture in Latin America, Basel: Birkhauser, 2010, pp24-41.

BLACKMORE, Lisa. “Introduction: Rethinking The Politics And Aesthetics

Of Modernity”, Spectacular Modernity: Dictatorship, Space, and Visuality in Venezuela, 1948-1958, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2017.

HERNÁNDEZ, Felipe. “Modern Fetishes, Southern Thoughts”. Dearq no. 29 (2021): 40-53

apr 22 Peru, Ecuador + Bolivia

KAHATT, Sharif, “Agrupacion Espacio and the CIAM Peru Group”, Third

World Modernism, (Duanfang Lu, editor) London: Routledge, 2011, pp. 85-110.

CASTAÑEDA, Luis. "Pre-Columbian Skins, Developmentalist Souls The

Architect as Politician." Latin American Modern Architectures. Routledge, 2013. 107-128.

ANDREOLI, Elisabetta. "Party Halls in El Alto, Bolivia by Freddy Mamani

Silvestre." Architectural Review (July 2015) (2015). GYGER, Helen “Building a Better Barriada” in Improvised Cities: Architecture,

Urbanization and Innovation in Peru. Pittsburgh: Pitt Univesity Press, 2019.

may 5 may 12

final papers are due

podcasts are due

suggested readings: CARRANZA, L & LARA, F. Modern Architecture in Latin America, Austin: University of Texas

Press, 2015, pp. 199-205 and 218-220.

DEL RIO, Vicente, Beyond Brasilia: Contemporary Urbanism in Brazil, Gainesville, UPF, 2009.

HERNANDEZ, Felipe (et alli), Transculturation – Cities, Spaces and Architectures in Latin America, Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2005.

LARA, Fernando. The Rise of Popular Modernist Architecture in Brazil, Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2008.

LEJEUNE, Jean-François, Cruelty & utopia : cities and landscapes of Latin America , New York : Princeton Architectural Press, 2005

SULLIVAN, Edward (editor), Latin American Art in the Twentieth Century, London: Phaidon, 2000.

ZEIN, Ruth Verde. Critical Readings, São Paulo: Romano Guerra: Nhamerica, 2019.

Acknowledgements:

In this course e-mail will be used as a means of communication with students. You will be responsible for checking your e-mail regularly for class work and announcements.

All students should become familiar with the University's official e-mail student notification policy. It is the student's responsibility to keep the University informed as to changes in his or her e-mail address. Students are expected to check e-mail on a frequent and regular basis in order to stay current with University-related communications, recognizing that certain communications may be time-critical. It is recommended that e-mail be checked daily, but at a minimum, twice per week. The complete text of this policy and instructions for updating your e-mail address are available at http://www.utexas.edu/its/policies/emailnotify.html.

Students with disabilities who require special accommodations need to get a letter that documents the disability from the Services for Students with Disabilities area of the Office of the Dean of Students (471-6259 voice or 471-4641 TTY for users who are deaf or hard of hearing). This letter should be presented to the instructor in each course at the beginning of the semester and accommodations needed should be discussed at that time. Five business days before an exam the student should remind the instructor of any testing accommodations that will be needed.

This course uses Canvas, a Web-based course management system in which a password-protected site is created for each course. Student enrollments in each course are updated each evening. Blackboard can be used to distribute course materials, to communicate and collaborate online, to post grades, to submit assignments, and to take online quizzes and surveys.

You will be responsible for checking the Canvas course site regularly for class work and announcements. As with all computer systems, there are occasional scheduled downtimes as well as unanticipated disruptions. Notification of these disruptions will be posted on the Canvas login page. Scheduled downtimes are not an excuse for late work. However, if there is an unscheduled downtime for a significant period of time, I will make an adjustment if it occurs close to the due date.

Academic Integrity: According to the General Information catalog, “the value of a university degree depends on the absolute integrity of the work done by each student for that degree, a student should maintain a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work” (page98). Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. Since such dishonesty harms the individual, all students, and the integrity of the University, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced.

Class recordings: Class recordings are reserved only for the use of members of this class (students, TAs, and the instructor) and only for educational purposes. Recordings should not be shared outside the class in any form. Violation of this restriction could lead to Student Misconduct proceedings.

Land Acknowledgment

I would like to acknowledge that we are meeting on the Indigenous lands of Turtle Island, the ancestral name for what now is called North America.

Moreover, I would like to acknowledge the Alabama-Coushatta, Caddo, Carrizo/Comecrudo, Coahuiltecan, Comanche, Kickapoo, Lipan Apache, Tonkawa and Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo, and all the American Indian and Indigenous Peoples and communities who have been or have become a part of these lands and territories in Texas.