Luis García Pardo: La estructura como ordenadora de la función

Abstract

Architecture incorporates a series of qualities that arise from the conjunction of space, form and structure. A structural system makes the shape of a building and its spaces possible, by providing support to the building and the activities that take place there, in a similar way to how our skeleton shapes our body and supports our organs and tissues. This research focuses its effort on understanding the approach and structural resources of an architectural project, as functional, spatial and formal enhancers, in order to understand if the architectural intentions respond to the guiding principles of modern architecture. The case studies are located in Montevideo - Uruguay, and were designed by Architect Luis García Pardo, an exponent of modern Latin American architecture, who developed around 75 projects between 1941 and 1991. The first case study is the El Pilar Building from 1956, a building with a single hollow pillar with inverted beams of variable section on the roof, from where the building hangs. The structural approach is related to the needs of program, space, location, height and shape. The second case study is the Positano building from 1959, configured by H-pillars on the ground floor and by variable section beams in the shape of an inverted T 12 m long. The wet service packages are arranged within the structure, generating programmable spaces for social and rest areas. The last case study is the Guanabara building, a structure of reinforced concrete porticoes that enhances the formal result of the building. The building is made up of large continuous terraces that are the mediating elements between the building and the urban context. Each of these projects have structural approaches that respond to a series of spatial and functional requirements and enhance the formal result, and in turn have an indisputable purpose that is the transfer of loads to the ground, providing stability, security and firmness