Architecture, Landscape, and Community
At MEDIOMUNDO, Marta Pelegrín and Fernando Pérez conceive architecture as a process of research, dialogue, and shared learning. Recently, together with professors and students from the Master’s programme at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, we had the privilege of revisiting the Faculty of Engineering in Montevideo—one of the most representative works of modern Uruguayan architecture, designed by Julio Vilamajó in 1936 and built between 1945 and 1953.
The building stands out for the functional and expressive articulation of its concrete volumes, which not only efficiently resolve the required spaces but also establish a special relationship with the surroundings and the Montevideo coastline, engaging with the landscape at different scales. The infrastructure, with its concrete detailing, textures, composition of openings, and entrances, is closely integrated into the daily life of the university community, fostering spaces for gathering and belonging.
Sharing this experience with Professor and architect Gustavo Scheps was truly a privilege, and an opportunity to reflect on the enduring relevance of modern architectural principles and their capacity to inspire new ways of inhabiting and designing.
