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During July, we delved into the Design Process as our monthly topic. Inspired by practices that intersect various uncommon layers in their creations, we talked with architect Guto Requena. When designing, his studio experiments with different digital technologies through a sustainable lens and with a keen eye on social issues, aiming to deliver innovative and emotional experiences. Today, the architect boasts numerous national and international awards, including the ArchDaily Building of the Year and the UNESCO Prix Versailles.
In the interview, Requena shares his journey, highlighting the diversity of his team as a critical innovation point in his firm. He also addresses crucial questions about fostering innovation and creativity with new materials in architecture, among other topics.
Victor Delaqua (ArchDaily): In architecture schools, we are taught to think about physical space, but in your projects, you mention the creation of a hybrid architecture in which concrete and the virtual world blend together. How does this fusion influence your design process?
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Guto Requena: During college, great mentors taught me to view architecture from the perspective of form, function, flow, the relationship with the street, and aesthetics. However, no professor encouraged me to approach a fundamental question: does architecture have a role in fostering empathy and collectivity?
This question seems to gain more significance when considering that we are increasingly isolated. There’s a significant risk of technology isolating us, but humans are inherently social beings. So, how can we create spaces and experiences that invite people to look at each other and connect? Architecture also has this role, and it’s not reinventing the wheel, but the contemporary challenge lies in technology. Beyond concrete, brick, and metal, I can incorporate digital technologies to address this challenge – and there is a materiality and infrastructure for this hybrid and interactive architecture to happen: network cables, microcontrollers, LEDs, sensors, Arduino.
For me, the great fascination was discovering another dimension of experience arising from this hybrid architecture. I researched the topic in the Nomads group at USP for nine years with funding from FAPESP, delved deep into theory, created conceptual projects, and finally, after 15 years, collectively got our hands dirty and executed projects. Seeing architecture harness the power of people looking at each other, coming together, and getting to know each other through this analog and digital fusion is incredibly satisfying. It’s a moment of experimentation that goes beyond pure functionality. Of course, since it’s experimentation, there may be projects that aren’t as successful, but we are the first generation to do this and allow ourselves to investigate.
In the Brazilian context, this becomes a challenge-driven architecture. There are no large budgets, and we still don’t have a vast pool of computer scientists or programmers. In these circumstances, we tap into something unique in Brazilian creative thinking: turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Sometimes, even with more limited resources, we achieve remarkable results. Something vibrant is emerging from this new Brazilian architecture – kinetic, with projections and sensors – and I believe the world will pay more attention to it. It encourages me to see that many students are increasingly interested in this field. There’s now a generation learning programming, and that’s the turning point: having architects who understand programming. That’s why I strongly advocate for teaching programming in architecture schools. Programming is a language; we must teach its basics to future professionals.
Beyond architecture, should programming be included in elementary education? As you mentioned, it’s a language. It does help to see the world from different perspectives…
Absolutely. There’s another crucial aspect to your comment, which is this another social inequality that’s emerging. Today, we see students in [Brazilian] private schools that include programming, robotics, and computing in their curricula. Unfortunately, in most [Brazilian] public schools, these opportunities are absent. This means there’s a modus operandi already ingrained in the education of privileged youth who enter architecture programs already familiar with these subjects. So, we run the significant risk of creating a digital divide that exacerbates social inequalities.
Regarding digital advancements, you incorporate various body and environment stimuli into the design process, along with automotive technologies. You bring together factors whose outcomes you may not necessarily control. How does this idea evolve?
A learning process in working with technology and algorithms involves thinking about architecture beyond the physical material. It’s about considering it from the perspective of experience and other sensory opportunities. For example, music and audio can make our brains think about spaces, recall places, and connect the body with the environment.
During my master’s studies, I became somewhat disillusioned with architecture because I couldn’t find examples and answers to these aspirations of understanding that the human body is undergoing a profound transformation. Sensory perception and cognition are undergoing significant shifts due to new digital technologies. So, I stepped away from architecture and began studying philosophy, arts, and places where I found answers. I encountered the theory of the cyborg body, understanding that we are the first generation with organic bodies increasingly intertwined with machinery. Therefore, we have different sensory perceptions and cognition. This gave me a reason to return to architecture and complete my master’s. Before delving into architecture, we need to zoom in on the fundamental pixel, which is the human; understanding this transformation and these new behaviors is crucial before zooming out to think about architecture and cities.
When we work with sensors, we must program them to create kinetic architecture. This requires a transdisciplinary perspective, a programming perspective. Something unprecedented and incredibly enriching in terms of the design process is multidisciplinary teams composed of computer scientists, hardware and software engineers, and programmers, all involved in the creative process. So, it’s not just the architect creating a beautiful concept and asking someone to execute it. In this process, the engineer is present at the creation table as we seek to understand other possibilities. This isn’t entirely new; architecture has always been a multidisciplinary field, but with digital technologies, I believe we’re reaching a rich connection point with other areas. When I assemble multidisciplinary teams to create projects, I’ve noticed that we achieve a much deeper conceptual depth.
A fundamental point when discussing the future of architecture and technology is the issue of race and diversity. Discussions of technology and architecture should no longer be divorced from the issue of race. I have learned, and still have much to learn, how much more exciting and profound my office has become as I’ve welcomed more Black architects, non-binary individuals, and transgender people into the team. It might sound cliché, but it’s a fact. Our projects have become more interesting when we move away from the creation solely by white individuals, a large portion of whom are privileged. Opening this up to the new generation has taken the office to unimaginable places. For me, innovation is increasingly coming not just from technology but from the power of this union of knowledge.
In such a way, diversity, whether in terms of race or gender and sexual orientation, begins to influence paths distinct from the norm or the standard…
Yes, we have several examples, like the recent documentary “Cabaré Eldorado,” that demonstrate how queer culture is at the forefront of cultural transformations. Today, I think a lot about the safe spaces within the queer community, places where Black individuals feel safe, and architecture’s power in this context. Something is fascinating when we intersect architecture with issues of race and gender. Through them, there’s enormous potential for discussing new architectures. And, of course, technology is intertwined with all of this. So, investigating the possibilities of architecture that deviates from the norms – that can be seen as spaces of collectivity, of connection – historically, these have been the domains of the queer and Black communities. In terms of architecture, these spaces are where a revolution is taking place.
Beyond technology, using natural elements is quite prevalent in your practice. How does nature inspire you amidst digital advancements?
The more technologically immersed I become, the more connected I feel to my ancestry and the natural environment. I grew up in the countryside, and I played surrounded by nature during my childhood. It’s an environment that has always profoundly influenced my imagination and creativity. Despite becoming increasingly cosmopolitan later on, I’ve been reconnecting more and more with nature, which has unfolded in my projects.
When we talk about the future, we look at ancestral peoples, and many of them talk about cycles. So, looking to the future also means looking back, encompassing the present and the past. And that makes sense. For example, when we talk about 3D printing in architecture, and it’s done with biodegradable materials, we are essentially doing what was done in the past.
Today, we have knowledge and evidence that there were once large cities in the Amazon. Settlements with over 300,000 people were so sophisticated that they left no traces. Only now, through carbon scanning, are we beginning to uncover this history. Therefore, for us Brazilians, there’s something potent in this new and urgent architecture because we are culturally connected to something beyond the material. Brazilians, in general, are highly spiritual and can have an expanded field of vision and connect with ancestral values.
And from this perspective, we must look to nature and understand that the future lies within it. We can’t continue to build from non-renewable sources. As Ailton Krenak says, we’re killing everything, we’re killing the rivers. We can’t keep going like this.
The construction industry is the second-largest polluting industry, second only to aviation. What role do architects play in this? We need to spread the message and openly acknowledge that we can’t keep building with concrete. It’s not enough to create a ‘sustainable’ house with solar panels, LED lighting, and a bunch of green-certified furniture if the entire house is made of concrete, with Black labor – paid a pittance and working in precarious conditions – to build a high-end home, and then seeking certification to label it as sustainable.
So, this return to nature is about developing renewable architecture and adopting biodegradable materials. Additionally, there’s the concept of biophilia. How can we integrate architecture into nature? Why aren’t architects investigating this enough? In a country like Brazil, where everything grows, why do the most of new developments ignore this?
In my practice, nature enters holistically, tied to ancestry and as a fundamental factor in discussing the future. In my studio, we reached a point where, two years ago, we stopped building with concrete and started exploring other alternatives.
We see this in some projects, such as the Dolce Gusto Neo and Zissou Flagships. In these projects, material innovation takes center stage. How does this material aspect permeate the design process of your firm?
There’s a creative ingredient in my team, and it’s the pursuit of innovation. Creating innovation takes time and research. That’s why we’ve opened up a dedicated research front and seen some incredible materials emerging. We need to organize ourselves to support and encourage the companies responsible for these innovations. For instance, cladding blocks are emerging from discarded fabrics, Brazilian startups working with mycelium and producing CNC-cuttable panels, and biodegradable polymers derived from insects.
There’s a material revolution that needs to be industrialized and scaled up. As architects, we also need to support these projects. I always emphasize this in meetings with my clients, suggesting that when a brand supports a project like this, it’s helping an innovation ecosystem. After all, to create a project like this, you need to activate research, universities, and suppliers. So, when we develop a work with these materials, we stimulate and activate an innovation network. It’s not just about making a store look beautiful; it goes beyond that.
You’ve always been closely connected to technological issues, and there’s a current issue that can’t be ignored: how do you see Artificial Intelligence influencing the architectural profession?
I think there’s a lot of potential, and I believe it will profoundly impact architectural education and the training of architects. I do think it will democratize architecture. Today, I already have clients who come with the image of Midjourney, and I have students from other fields at Sorbonne in Paris who don’t know how to draw but can now express themselves through images. And that’s the power of democratization. Not to mention how, with a smartphone, people can now scan their environment and get a sense of what can be done with it. So, the clients themselves will carry out part of the design process. Architecture will be profoundly transformed. Some architects are afraid and feel threatened by this. I look at it with a certain fascination because it could take architecture to places we haven’t yet imagined.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: Design Process, proudly presented by Codesign, the first purpose-built iPad app for the concept design stage of the architectural process.
Codesign turns sketches into 3D building models in moments, with the ability to iterate, explore and understand downstream effects immediately. Architects can explore all the possibilities of a project, and spend more time doing what they love the most, designing. (Codesign was previously known as Spaces)
Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and architecture projects. We invite you to learn more about our ArchDaily Topics. And, as always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.
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