Emilio López is an architect from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador and holds a Master's degree in History and Theory of Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. He has been involved in several design projects that have an interesting connection with the territory, such as Muta House and Don Juan House. Recently, he was recognized for this work in Pamplona during the 2023 Latin American Architecture Biennial.
He states that he still resides in Ecuador, a territory with one of the world's greatest biodiversities. He mentions that the geography, plants, climates, and cultures of the country provide significant stimuli, and argues that through architecture, there emerges the opportunity for immersion and blending with the environment, allowing oneself to be transformed by the surroundings. He asserts that the power of architecture lies in being a product of the immersive engagement that involves rethinking its relationship with resources and the world in which he lives.
In the following interview, get to know even more about the inspirations and work processes of Emilio López Arquitecto.
What inspired you to pursue the path of architecture? Why do you practice architecture?
The proximity to construction sites where my father, who is an architect, worked allowed me to witness the work on-site by people, materials, tools, and machinery from a very young age. This complexity always attracted me, and it was that fascination with construction that led me in a very visceral way to choose architecture.
My work has primarily focused on designing and constructing single-family and collective housing projects. This is a theme I've also been researching in academia for several years.
Reflection on the current housing situation is of great importance, especially as humanity and the planet undergo drastic changes. The recent pandemic has demonstrated that the contingency in which we live is very high, and the experience of inhabiting is highly sensitive to these changes.
How is your work process? How is your team structured?
My projects begin with idea sketches on paper that are combined with different information (location, people, and resources). This gradually transforms into physical models. To put it another way, the models are put to the test with data I come across, and they are modified accordingly. They are models of reality that lead to a specific project.
Right now, I am reflecting on the limitations of the finished project, as it does not consider future modifications. If life and territories undergo transformations, how does architecture respond to these changes?
My creative work is always influenced by the presence of those close to me. My father Luis and my partner Florencia, both architects, are always involved in the development of my ideas. Additionally, colleagues in construction, like Daniel Corti, have helped bring complex projects to life (such as Don Juan House), and skilled masons José and Octavio Chillagana can be considered part of my team.
People from other disciplines have also been involved in my creative/professional exercise, as is the case of my friend Aquiles Jarrín, a multidisciplinary artist with whom we have made different collaborations.
Recently, you were invited to participate in the Latin American Architecture Biennial in Pamplona, which featured Ecuador as the guest country. Why do you think a biennial of these characteristics is important?
This biennial was very fruitful because it allowed architects from different latitudes to share reflections, but also questions and insecurities. It was beautiful to share not only from a professional curiosity but also from a place of affection. For example, it's quite evident how we, as Latin Americans, have a strong reference to the geography we inhabit. However, this is something we approach from distinct perspectives, which are reflected in various narratives and, of course, in diverse proposals. For instance, I appreciated how my colleagues from 3me presented their project Casa Agave by visualizing a beautiful model of the location accompanied by the voice of Juan Rulfo. I felt close to their discourse while also being challenged by our differences.
What is your vision of Latin American architecture for the future?
Latin American architecture is an architecture that is experimenting and exploring from close references, such as geography, materials, and resources at hand.
I look with optimism at the younger Latin American architects who are daring to take risks. For me, this largely involves distancing themselves from the modernist legacy, which remains very strong in our environment, not only in the professional field but also in academia, where the primary references studied are mainly European.
These are searches that arise from emotional closeness and prolonged, not immediate, being. Explorations that shift and establish unexpected sources of interaction, transforming places and infusing them with new qualities through architecture.
Finally, what new projects are you currently working on? What would you like to further develop?
The latest project I'm working on is a house in which I also live, and I actively participate in its transformation/construction. This situation allows me to reflect on the possibilities of architecture to respond to changes in reality, whether they are human (family growth) or non-human (changes in the landscape, land drying up, lack of water, etc.).
I like to use the transformation of the chrysalis as a reference, where identities are questioned because their boundaries are not clear, and where encounters are expressed in the interstice, which is the zone of exchange with the different.
In this concept that I would like to explore in my upcoming projects, environment and habitat merge, as the shell is the environment that opens to the outside and transforms through exchange with the external. It's about an agency, rather than adaptation, where materiality and form enable negotiation. Thus, habitat is not confined to a specific or individual environment but opens up to a zone where exchange unfolds, and the notion of identity becomes problematic because creativity happens in the interstices with the other.
