There may be no more open and fascinating question than what architecture is and what its purpose is. Depending on who answers, architecture can be an art, another expression of humanity, the most efficient way to solve a problem, or simply something that moves us without us knowing why. This fascinating and open-to-interpretation topic is what Kronos Homes has chosen as the central theme of its documentary, "The Meaning of Architecture," for which it has enlisted the help of leading figures in Iberian architecture: RCR Arquitectes, Rafael De La-Hoz, Ricardo Bofill, and Eduardo Souto de Moura.
Ricardo Bofill: "the clothing of humanity"
One of the main figures in the documentary, which can be viewed on the firm's website, is undoubtedly Ricardo Bofill. The Catalan architect passed away during filming, which was extended for several years due to the pandemic, and shares the spotlight with his son, Pablo Bofill, who currently runs his architecture studio. "Architecture is the memory of history and the clothing of humanity," says the Pritzker Prize winner and creator of Ikon, a residential complex for Kronos in Valencia, in the documentary.
RCR Arquitectes: "a place to find yourself"
Another Pritzker Prize winner with whom Bofill shares the spotlight, Rafael Aranda of RCR Arquitectes, compares architecture to nature. “Architecture can create a place where a person can find themselves, and only nature can achieve that. It fulfills a function, but beyond that, it also evokes emotion,” Aranda points out. His firm, which won the Pritzker Prize in 2017 from its Girona headquarters, designed Palmares Ocean Living & Golf for Kronos Homes, a project on the Algarve coast that, like all of the firm's projects, draws heavily on the traditions and natural environment of its location.
Eduardo Souto de Moura: "the best solution to a problem"
Another Pritzker Prize winner with whom Bofill shares the spotlight, Rafael Aranda of RCR Arquitectes, compares architecture to nature. “Architecture can create a place where a person can find themselves, and only nature can achieve that. It fulfills a function, but beyond that, it also evokes emotion,” Aranda points out. His firm, which won the Pritzker Prize in 2017 from its Girona headquarters, designed Palmares Ocean Living & Golf for Kronos Homes, a project on the Algarve coast that, like all of the firm's projects, draws heavily on the traditions and natural environment of its location.
“I’m not saying it can’t be art because it’s not up to me to decide. It’s a profession like any other; there’s a problem, and they call me in to find a solution,” explains Eduardo Souto de Moura, winner of the 2011 Pritzker Prize. The Portuguese architect, who has remained true to his style, designing The One for Kronos Homes—a residential building in Lisbon based on a sober concrete grid that respects the character of the Portuguese capital—is not, however, very keen on explaining the nature of his work. “I prefer to show it,” he says. “Architecture has a certain civic obligation, a respect for society and for individuals, for the communities and the people who will use it,” he points out.
Rafael de La-Hoz: "a surprising fact"
“At this point in my life, my relationship with architecture is one of surprise. It’s difficult to define, and it keeps expanding for me,” says Rafael de la Hoz. The architect, who has designed enormous projects like the Telefónica District and the Repsol Campus, has created two projects for Kronos Homes that fulfill this requirement of surprise: Tribeka, in Córdoba, and The Edge, in Estepona. In all of them, he has expressed his own version of architecture while respecting the style of the studio he leads, which his grandfather founded in 1920. “Architecture is no longer just about encapsulating a bit of air. It’s only architecture when something surprising happens, when something transcends. That is an act of architecture,” he concludes.
Source: Architecture and design.
