Exhibition introduction

Rogelio Salmona: open spaces / collective spaces
Introduction

The current exhibition Rogelio Salmona: open spaces / collective spaces gathers together a selection of 28 projects, which attempt to give a broad vision of the Colombian architect's work spanning almostfifty years.

After having studied at the National University in Colombia and been apprenticed in the studio of le Corbusier in France from 1948-1957, Salmona returned to Colombia at the end of the 1950's. Since then he has developed a body of work in which the construction of collectives pace has been a principal area of concern.

This emphasis on the creation of spaces that are public, democratic and ludic, where people can gather together, is at the forefront of all of his work. It is evident in both his urban scale projects where he questions the residual spaces created as a result of the free -standing modern block building and insists on a city model which isopen and the public space is designed; as well as in the institutional buildings where he generates new forms of collective spaces which can be appropriated by the user such as the roofs capes where the public can wander and rediscover the building. In his houses daily life takes place around a central courtyard.

In order to avoid a strictly chronological approach, and establish links and relationships between projects of different periods and with different programs, the exhibition is organized around five general themes.

Urban counter / proposals assembles several large-scale urban projec which are innovative and where there is resolve to create spaces which encourage a sense of the collective. This reasoning reaches it most paradigmatic expression in the Torres del Parque, a group of residential buildings in Bogotá organized around open courts, spaces and pathways that are integrated organically with the public spaces of the adjoining Parque de la Independencia and the rest of the city.

Trace and Memory includes projects where Salmona alludes to history and memory; by designing a stepped watercourse in the rehabilitation of the Avenida Jimenez in Bogotá he evokes the flow of the now buriedSan Francisco river. In the design of the building for the General Archives (Archivo General de la Nacion) he recovers and consolidates the memory of the nation. In this building, as well as in the Casa de Huespedes in Cartagena (the presidential guest house), Salmona makes references to the urban cloister and the patio -- typologies that he adopts and adapts from a contemporary perspective.

Salmona is a master of composition, and the constant juxtaposition of open and closed forms shuns obvious solutions while enriching the spatial experience in such a way that often spaces are only understood by walking through the building. Composition, Path and Surprise introduces some of Salmona's most enticing projects where he explores the notion of simultaneous, as well as sequential, spaces. The building fosters wandering. The user is invited to discover its entirety including the roof and terraces, whereby she or he recognizes and understands its architecture.

Topographies highlights one of the central concerns in the work of Rogelio Salmona: the way in which the building deals with the site, either by adapting to the terrain and its characteristics, or by using the architecture itself to build the place and thus generate and
control its topography. The house in Riofrio is an excellent example of the intimate relationship and integration of architecture and landscape.

Is it evident that many of the projects could have been shown under a number of the themes - demonstrating the richness of Salmona's architecture and his penchant for constant experimentation.
Extending the Boundary assembles more recent work, in which the architect explores new paths, develops those themes which he has already explored in greater detail and expands his repertory of materials, themes, and elements of composition even further. In many of his recent projects, Salmona abandons his characteristic brickwork and experiments with poured concrete as his dominant material, as is evident in the Altazor and Altos del Chico Houses. In the exhibition are the preliminary sketches for two recent designs, the new campus for the Universidad Pedagogica (the teachers college), Salmona's vision of a small scale the city and open community, and the library complex for the Fondo de Cultura Economica of Mexico. Although at different scales, both projects are organized around a large central space, with permeable borders that allow users to move freely, extend the boundaries of the architecture, and interact-- enriching and expanding their experience.

For Salmona, the architect working in a society with obvious setbacks has an ethical commitment to contribute towards a more dignified life and offer a sense of community by designing buildings that are openand democratic in the largest sense of the word.