Jorge Luis, a young man from Pinar del Río and Havana by adoption, finds the student’s connections with the architect teams being trained very successful. Author: Provided by interviewees
Memory never betrays. The first drawing with these flexible lines of a house with a tree inside was the first sign. Then the childish expression: “Mom, this is what I will do with you”, left no doubt that Jorge Luis Suarez Alfonso will direct his steps into the world of creativity and construction.
“That has always been my dream: I said it and it never changed.” He presents himself now, at the age of 23, and has recently graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the José Antonio Echeverría University of Technology in Havana (Kuhai).
His childhood visits to the country’s capital (from Los Palacios, Pinar del Rio) are still fresh for him, and the way he spends hours admiring the great buildings. Then he asked who made them. In addition, he returns to Varadero, specifically to the Sol Sirenas Coral Resorts, where he discovered the House of Astronauts Antonio Quintana.
“When I was finishing school, I realized that everything I saw or surrounded me influenced my decision.”
A love almost at first sight that has solidified since he stepped into the academy and step by step became an architect. Already adopted by Havana, he works as a professor in Cujae, in the local development project Sanmiguelino Built Habitat Design (DHACOS), in San Miguel del Padrón, as well as in the architecture studio U+D.
In these scenarios, he demonstrates his knowledge and makes many dreams come true. More recently, joy has crowned the overzealous dedication that pervades every project.
“I received an honorable mention at the Golden Trezzini Awards, which included architects and designers from all over the world,” he confirms, and as an added value, it turns out that he is the first student from this country to participate and receive this reward. confession into the water.
“Submit my work because it’s a prize that you don’t have to pay for to enter the competition. I assessed whether my proposal met the standard of what is presented there, and despite the stress caused by the thesis, I took some time and prepared a draft that arose as part of an academic exercise.
The Regla Expanded Media Library was awarded in the Best Student Building Project or Installation category. Suarez Alfonso proposes place with means of productionand knowledge generation, a platform for innovation and integration for all kinds of audiences.
“This building is of medium complexity and should be located in an urbanization. Through its corporate purpose, it is based on the creation of knowledge and culture and strives for sustainability, i.e.inclusion, participationtion and changes of the analog and digital eras.
It draws on the architectural codes of the Cuban Modern Movement and the use of local building materials such as concrete. It also adapts to the urban context. “Projects resulting from utopian thoughts are submitted to the competition, but this proposal can be built.”
— Why bet on the codes of the Cuban modern movement?
“Because it is one of the most refined I have studied, and because it is a style that is very well suited to our context, climate, conditions … our way of life, habitation and spatiality. We had very good representatives, such as Antonio Quintana himself or Mario Romagnac, who literally changed my way of creating and thinking. It is our own, our identity, our calling card, and it is on par with any architecture in the world. For this reason, I make a bet to always return to these codes.
The Regla Expanded Media Library project uses the architectural codes of the Cuban Modern Movement.
It is still difficult for him to accept himself outside the classroom as a student, where he feels that all his worries are not satisfied. “Degree internships are more focused on technology, on being in place. In the academy you get methods, tools, but when you face reality, it has nothing to do with it. My experience was very little, rather scarce. So I think the connections between students and architecture teams are very relevant.”
— In your opinion, does architecture occupy a worthy place in its hierarchy in our country?
– “I do not believe. Without a thoughtAccording to the architect, places for saving lives, such as hospitals, or for learning, such as schools, were not optimal. And today this importance is invisible.
– The issue of building materials slows down many projects in the country, how much ingenuity, innovation and alliances are needed to achieve beautiful and useful work?
— It’s no secret that almost no materials are produced, and those that are produced are of very poor quality. Many architects have their own MSMEs associated or affiliated withpledge in which they can actsuccumb to the right elements. Another reality is that today we are unlikely to find exquisite performances, such as works from the 60s, 70s and even older.
“We have lost quality in the industry that produces these materials, and what little there is on the market is not up to standard for a building to have a long life. Hence, innovation is a priority to create with what we have at hand.”
— What contribution would you like to make as an architect?
— I was always amazed that everything is focused on historical centers or less vulnerable areas. However, on the periphery there is no development of socio-cultural prerequisites. The city needs to restore what it already has, so it is necessary to think about all its development and urban rehabilitation.
Source: Juventud Rebelde