By Paola Velasco
Undoubtedly one of the greatest attractions of San Miguel de Allende is the architectural richness and variety it offers us as we walk through its streets. For many, or almost for everyone, every corner is an ideal set for the perfect photograph. That subtle blend of light and color, style and design, architecture and tradition, are a hallmark of our city.
We spoke with Pedro Alvarado, a renowned architect who has lived in San Miguel for 13 years, and there are many examples of his professional skills.
Atención: How do you define the optimal use of a space?
Pedro Alvarado: Analyze, think and finally understand the area to be developed to make it as efficient as possible. According to anthropometry*, functional situation, and furniture. Always taking into account external factors such as different orientations, views and prevailing winds, among others. These elements make me think of Gaston Bachelard in his book the poetics of space that says: «The intimate immensity and the dialectic between the inside and the outside».
A: What are the key elements to achieve harmony in a space?
P.A: To create atmospheres where geometries, light and materials are the main actors. That is to say, that light enriches the space by exposing the geometric organizations that will alter according to the passage of time. Therefore, light creates a space with «movement» according to the time of day or the season of the year. Also, to legitimize the materials by giving them their right value looking for the interpretation in their purity and confection. Giving the architecture life, interaction and character. That the passage of time is reflected in the wear, change, alteration and monetization of materials with the environment.
A: What are the architectural trends at the moment?
P.A: There are many trends, especially through internet platforms and social networks that people reinterpret or copy. I think that the trend comes from a moment in which there is a need to inhabit a space at a certain time, responding to a moment of life in which different factors intervene. According to the above, it is complex to focus on a single trend.
A: What are your most recent projects?
P.A: I recently finished the new buildings for the Jardín Botánico el Charco del Ingenio, A.C. They are two naves with barrel vaults where the store, reception and cafeteria are located. The second building is the new Environmental Interpretation Center, with a lookout platform. Another project I really enjoyed is the bookstore for the Fondo de Cultura Económica Publishing House in La Paz, Bolivia.
A: What are your suggestions to take into account when someone wants to start building a house?
P.A: That they describe a list of needs in relation to what each family wants and needs. For example, among many others, the need for space, budget, material resources of the place and above all, to rely on a PROFESSIONAL.
A: Which architects in the world do you admire and why?
P.A: Architect Agustín Hernández Navarro, with whom I worked as my mentor and friend. He taught me the beginning of the path of this profession. To François Roche, postgraduate professor, who made me see architecture from a different perspective and break the established canons.
Richard Buckminster Fuller, Makoto Suzuki, Okafur Eleasson, essential.
*The term anthropometry comes from the Greek anthropos (man) and metrikos (measure) and deals with the quantitative study of the physical characteristics of man.
