22-04-2020

Architecture, the pandemic and the future of design: RED Arquitectos

In only a few months, everything has changed completely. Even the world of architecture. In search of possible new scenarios, Floornature opens the discussion of a new approach to design for a time of public health emergency, publishing a series of interviews with architects all over the world.
How are the big studios organising their work, and what has been the impact of the current situation on smaller architectural practices?
What does it mean to design infrastructure, cultural centres and living spaces while avoiding social contact?
Might the resilience we seek in buildings also be applicable to the profession of architect?
Here are the architects’ responses, some in text form and others in videos, in the usual style of our portal.

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Susana López, director at RED Arquitectos

1. How did your firm handle the lockdown?

We’re trying to respond to the lockdown in a different way. Of course I do miss my studio, and visits to building sites. We work on construction sites a lot; in fact, we’re there practically all the time. But reflection, the philosophy behind the projects, takes place in the office, both for us as architects and for our clients. And so, now that we’ve been in lockdown for five weeks, working from a home office and holding online meetings, we’ve had a lot of time to focus on our ideas.

2. What new forms of work are you experimenting with and how about the results?

Technology permits us to hold online reviews with the team and our clients. This is not entirely new to us, seeing as the majority of our clients come from other parts of Mexico or other countries, and so we have already used these methods. We haven’t had to implement anything new that we weren’t already doing before. But we architects also need to go to the construction sites. This changes a lot.

3. How do you think this experience will affect the future management of an architectural practice?

It will have a major impact, and we architects need to start to prepare for the built architecture, urban planning and materials of the future. We need to question the way we address the problems of today and tomorrow...there are a lot of questions that remain to be answered.

GALLERY