In the interview conducted by Louisiana Channel, architect Andrés Jaque discusses his foundational interest in architecture and his perspective on its role in shaping society. Jaque, founder of the Office for Political Innovation, emphasizes the creative potential of architecture to intervene in reality and reconnect all elements of the environment. He also goes into perspective on the political aspect of architecture, an interest from which the name of his office derives, as well as his perspectives on the true meaning of sustainability.
Jaque begins the interview with a contemplation on traditional architectural education, which typically emphasizes aesthetics and style. He reflects on his own educational experiences, recalling instances where his work challenged conventional aesthetic judgments yet earned recognition for its conceptual importance. He argues for a change of paradigm, focusing less on stylistic elements and more on architecture's role and potential in reconfiguring connections between humans, environments, and technologies. This approach shifts the architectural focus from creating static spaces to actively reconstructing societal and ecological relationships.
The architect further explores the concept of domestic spaces, a key interest of his career, proposing that these environments are inherently political and public, despite their traditional portrayal as private. He discusses how everyday activities, like waste separation, play a significant role in ecological politics, challenging the modernist separation between public and private realms. Jaque's work, such as the IKEA Disobedience project, critiques architecture’s historical tendency to compartmentalize realities, advocating instead for a recognition of the political dimensions inherent in domesticity.
The specific knowledge that architecture has is the capacity to rearticulate how things relate to each other. That's the specific knowledge of architecture—architects know how to reconnect things so that the way they relate to each other gains solidarity. - Andrés Jaque
Andrés Jaque highlights the potential of architecture in ecological restoration by highlighting the varied roles that architecture can play once it understands its context. In one example, he discusses the concepts behind the Rambla Climate-House a project designed to collect rainfall and redirect it to revitalize dying ravines, which are crucial to the biodiversity of dry ecosystems. A complementary approach is described in the case of the Reggio School in Madrid. Here, the architect challenges the idea that a school should act as a box, isolating students to make them concentrate on studying. Instead, the school building reinforces relationships, inviting interactions with the natural and social world.
Sustainability is something that is allowing us to keep doing business as usual but changing a few things so that our emissions, our consumptions are adapted to the limits that we're facing. I think that's not enough. I think we have to be much more clever in understanding that the crises that we are experiencing now are the result of intersecting paradigms—carbonization, colonization, racialization, anthropocentrism, technocracy, and patriarchy. - Andrés Jaque
Finally, Jaque concludes the interview with a critique of traditional notions of sustainability, arguing that they often allow for superficial changes that do not address the root causes of environmental and social crises. He criticizes sustainability practices that permit "business as usual" by making only minor adjustments. Instead, advocates for a comprehensive approach that takes into consideration the complex interplay of paradigms. By doing so, Jaque envisions an architecture that contributes to a transition from exploitative systems to ones of mutual care and ecological resilience.
Andrés Jaque's architectural approach reveals the potential for design to create ecological and social change, challenging traditional norms by integrating political, ecological, and social dimensions. This perspective is echoed in other architectural narratives that challenge conventional forms, such as the legacy of Khalil Khouri, explored by Bernard Khoury, which delves into the cultural and historical textures of modernism in the Arab world. Meanwhile, Pablo Luna's work in Indonesia with bamboo construction showcases a harmonious integration of nature and architecture
