Teodoro González de León was born on May 28, 1926 in Mexico City. With one Innate skill for artistic creationthe architect graduated by the National Autonomous University of Mexico also dedicated himself to painting and sculpture, hence his abstraction capacity and the search for a definite style Between the past and the contemporary they became determining features in their work as architect.
His stay with Le Corbusier
At 21 and after receiving a scholarship from the government of France, González de León joined Le Corbusier's workshopwho would have to take the revolutionaries concepts of modern architecture in the first person. It is about only Mexican who worked with the Swiss architect and was part of the team that participated in the Marseille housing complex, A milestone in the history of postwar housing units.
The architectural style of Teodoro González de León
This experience decisively marked his architectural style, which He started from functionalism and adopted elements of the pre -Hispanic pastsuch as large works that characterize their designs and the use of chiseled concrete for its simplicity and malleability; However, sometimes his work is also identified as Brutalist.
The patio covered greater importance for González de León. More than a simple empty space, the Mexican architect conceived it as a central space for distribution, circulation and meeting.
This characteristic is present in some of his best known works and manifests the influence of both the past colonial and the pre -Hispanic legacy, in addition to its meaning as an urban planner by put the city before, the way it is traveled and the experience of living to any other architectural interest.
Teodoro González de León: most important works
THE COLLEGE OF MEXICO
Built in 1976 south of the capital, the new building that houses Colmex was designed with Special interest in the covered courtyards and spaces founddesigned to stimulate multidisciplinary coexistence as common spaces where all people should pass. Today is considered A symbol of brutalist architecture in Mexico.
National Auditorium
Although the original project of the National Auditorium was carried out in 1952 by the architects Hugo Enrique Díaz Moro and Fernando Peña, the iconic current martelinated concrete facade and its huge esplanade that serves as a letter of presentation and meeting for visitors is the work of Teodoro González de León and Abraham Zabludovsky.