MATERIOTOWER
An Illustration by Kevin Cuevas
When I was in architecture school I used to draw during classes. My notes consisted of many strange diagrams and drawings that didn’t seem to make any sense. I was more interested in drawing nonexistent objects or unreal situations, not just for the fun of breaking rules, but for the possibilities that could be generated. My drawings came to be more of an ‘exquisite object’ than architectural sketches. I found that the importance of drawing was not just in representing, it could be a tool to escape the established, a powerful weapon to think with and find more creative solutions.
Architecture is usually a very conservative profession, and so are drawing classes. Luckily I am also an admirer of the stories by Jorge Luis Borges and some other science fiction novels. That helped me set myself apart from what I had learned in school. I suddenly started to worry less about what and how I was drawing and began letting out whatever it is that was in my imagination. Drawing Borges's spaces is an exercise I always recommend to release creativity.
The challenge of drawing nonexistent worlds and sometimes physically impossible spaces is quite productive. I also enjoy drawing apocalyptic cities because in some ways, architecture too is science fiction. A problem is an opportunity to imagine and create. If we accept this condition we can create architecture for these times that call for great changes. This drawing shows material as a product and construction as a business.
Contemporary architecture sometimes loses sensitivity to the environment and society because of the way of the market functions. Our era is being characterized by our ruthless consumerism, we produce so much waste in every activity we do, our legacy will be just a bunch of garbage.
The "Materiotower" is a post-apocalyptic work, built on the ruins left by the war. It is a habitat for the times when the only way to survive will be by using the abundant debris that was left by a disappeared society. Its inhabitants will manage to create essential architecture, where luxury is in space and not in matter.