Buenos Aires and the discipline of architecture: an international network of history and theory, from 1976 to 1983

Abstract

This research abroad project is part of the author's doctoral research, which seeks to shed light on the teaching experience of architecture known as La Escuelita, developed between 1976 and 1983 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. On the one hand, this experience emerged as a reaction to local political and academic transformations and, on the other hand, to the profound disciplinary crises that architecture was going through internationally in the 1960s and 1970s. Within La Escuelita, important transformations were made in the relationship between architectural design and history, which included changes in the design approach and the renewal of historiographic tools to better understand Argentinean and Latin American architecture. With this research abroad project, we seek to understand the relations that La Escuelita established with foreign research and teaching institutions, particularly in New York and Venice. Firstly, we emphasize the presence of Aldo Rossi in La Escuelita, who visited Buenos Aires at its invitation in 1978 and 1982 and established a fruitful dialogue with the Argentinean architect Tony Díaz. Secondly, we emphasize the influence of Argentinean architects migrated in the United States, such as Diana Agrest, Mario Gandelsonas, Rodolfo Machado and Jorge Silvetti, and La Escuelita's relationship with New York's IAUS. Finally, we highlight the importance of Manfredo Tafuri, who visited Buenos Aires in 1981 and impacted the production of a group of young historians led by Jorge Francisco Liernur. This research abroad project seeks to better understand these international dialogues, deepening the overall understanding of La Escuelita.