Luis Barragan

Luis Ramiro Barragán Morfín was a Mexican architect and engineer. His work has influenced contemporary architects visually and conceptually. Barragan's buildings are frequently visited by international students and professors of architecture. He studied as an engineer in his home town, while undertaking the entirety of additional coursework to obtain the title of architect.
Barragán won the Pritzker Prize, the highest award in architecture, in 1980, and his personal home, the Luis Barragán House and Studio, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
Born: March 9, 1902, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Died: November 22, 1988 (aged 86) Mexico City, Mexico
Nationality: Mexican
Occupation: Architect
Awards: Pritzker Prize
Buildings:
Torres de Satélite,
Casa Gilardi,
Barragán House,
Jardines de Pedregal Subdivision
Early life:
Barragán was born in Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico.
Educated as an engineer, he graduated from the Escuela Libre de Ingenieros in Guadalajara in 1923.
After graduation, he travelled through Spain and France. While in France he became aware of the writings of Ferdinand Bac, a German-French writer, designer and artist whom Barragán cited throughout his life.
In 1931, he again travelled to France with a long stop-over in New York. In this trip he met Mexican mural painter José Clemente Orozco, architectural magazine editors, and Frederick Kiesler.
In France he briefly met Le Corbusier and finally visited the gardens realized by Ferdinand Bac.
He practiced architecture in Guadalajara from 1927-1936, and in Mexico City thereafter.
Design philosophy:
Throughout his life, the relationship between art and architecture was a balance that he sought to perfect with every new project.
"Art is made by the alone, for the alone," was his conformity principle toward intimacy and how he hoped an individual interacted with his creations.
Philosophy and atmosphere is a big part of his architecture and his unique approach for design. Everything he did was designed for a reason, nothing is a coincidence. Minimalism, bold monochromatism and a masterful use of light are just a few of the keywords to describe his architecture.
Awards:
With a career of over 30 built works, his combination of lively block colours and serene gardens earned him the Pritzker Prize in 1980, the Jalisco Award in 1985; finally, a year before his death Barragán received Mexico's National Architecture Award.
Notable works:
Las Arboledas / North of Mexico City (1955-1961)
House for the architect / Barragán House, Mexico City (1947-48)
Jardines del Pedregal Subdivision, Mexico City (1945-53)
Tlalpan Chapel, Tlalpan, Mexico City (1954-60)
Gálvez House, Mexico City (1955)
Jardines del Bosque Subdivision, Guadalajara (1955-58)
Torres de Satélite, Mexico City (1957-58), in collaboration with Mathias Goeritz
Cuadra San Cristóbal, Los Clubes, Mexico City (1966-68)
Gilardi House, Mexico City (1975-77)
Cuernavaca Racquet Club, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico (1976-1980)
Quotes:
“A garden must combine the poetic and the mysterious with a feeling of serenity and joy.”
“I think that the ideal space must contain elements of magic, serenity, sorcery and mystery.”
“I don't divide architecture, landscape and gardening; to me they are one.”