Meet the architect who wants to return Mexico City to its ancient lakes
Meet the architect who wants to return Mexico City to its ancient lakes
Alberto Kalach explains why the solution to the capital’s future growth may lie with the pre-Hispanic civilisations who built with respect for the environment
Shumi Bose in Mexico City
Friday 13 November 2015 03.00 EST
“For the largest commissions, our government only trusts architects who speak English,” says Alberto Kalach, sitting in the verdant roof garden above his office, Taller de Arquitectura X. “And as you can see, mine is very bad.”
As we discuss the future and past of Mexico City (a topic that 55-year-old Kalach has been researching in detail for the past three decades), the DF-born architect manages to sound both wry and good-natured, without losing any of his impassioned critique – and all in very good English. “We’re supposed to have a government from the left in this city,” he says. “But all the investment goes to the wealthiest areas, while the poorer areas are forgotten.”
One hot topic of our conversation is the selection of the British firm Foster + Partners to design the new airport for Mexico City – a scheme which Kalach sees as a wasted opportunity, driven by the perceived prestige of appointing a “foreign” architect (Kalach also submitted a proposal). Another bugbear is the sprawling influence of business magnate Carlos Slim Helú, often touted as the richest man in the world.
To hear Kalach talk, one might conclude that he is a cynic (Rage Against the Machine is on the office stereo as we talk). Yet his largest body of work, focused around the idea of restoring Mexico’s historic lakes and forests, is full of ideals and optimism.
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/nov/13/alberto-kalach-return-mexico-city-ancient-lakes
