The prominent Mexican architect Alberto Kalach (1960) has more than 40 years of experience in its discipline. Thanks to its overwhelming and deeply influenced volumes for its sense of social responsibility, it has become one of the most critical and important voices of the national and international architectural scene.
Alberto Kalach, Mexican architect.Diego Berruecos.
From the foundation of your ARCHITECTURE WORKSHOP X (TAX) In 1981 – a dispatch aimed at celebrating the creative process in itself – Kalach has created innumerable iconic works such as the emblematic Public Library of Mexico «José Vasconcelos» (2004), located in the Guerrero neighborhood, which was built since Tax won an international competition to design the building. The Vasconcelos Library has a dual configuration as a botanical garden – a welcoming sector covered by endemic flora of Mexico – and wide library enclosure, with shelves that seem to be suspended in the air and that allow the passage of sunlight. Casitas by the Sea (2014) in Puerto Escondido, a series of cabins with modules of three by three meters that, for their light wooden structures on piles, resemble ships. The design of these works favors cross ventilation, very necessary in a tropical area. Both the interior and the furniture remain simple in appearance, so that the incredible views of the sea maintain prominence. This work by Kalach stands out for the deep reflection and environmental awareness from which it arose, since it managed to distance itself from the traditional methods that usually damage the vegetation and the coastal terrain with heavy constructions of broad foundations; Wabi house (2016), a building restored by Tax that was designed as a place to house exhibitions and artistic facilities of the Casa Wabi Foundation. This house located in the Santa María la Ribera neighborhood – conformed by workshops, offices, two interior courtyards, terrace, gallery and furniture – retained the natural wear of its walls and ceilings as a symbol of the passage of time, while revitalizing the common areas with wooden structures. Thus, Casa Wabi has become a space in which it is promoted and supports the emerging talents of Mexico. The Capilla de la Santa Cruz (2018) in Jojutla de Juárez, construction that was designed from modern techniques, but attached to the traditions of the town, after the earthquake of September 2017 damaged part of the heritage.