Lecture with Michel Rojkind

- Michel Rojkind Arquitectos

The past few days I have been researching “what is architectural context?” After listening to Michel Rojkind’s lecture I realized that there is an important contextual element I have been overlooking: local construction and traditional techniques. 

The form of a building can be manipulated by the knowledge and technical capabilities of local workers. One implement of this local construction method is the Nestle Application Group Building. The design of the building required semi-spherical voids to be taken out of the lower floors. Instead of using a complicated and technical method, Rojkind took a more rudimentary approach by constructing the semi-spherical forms from rebar arches. This simplified the construction process and allowed variation in the forms, making them more unique. In addition this type of construction made the project more sustainable by keeping the materials on site, rather than sending them elsewhere to be manufactured. 

By using local construction Rojkind is bowing to the local context of the project. The type of construction capability changes from project to project, but these differences are what make a project harmonize with its context.