Amancio Williams
Encyclopedia
Amancio Williams was an Argentine architect and among his country's leading exponents of modern architecture
.
in 1913. His father, Alberto Williams
, was a well-known composer of chamber music
and the founder of the Buenos Aires Music Conservatory. He enrolled at the School of Engineering of the University of Buenos Aires
, though an interest in aviation
led him to leave school during his third year. This sabbatical ended in 1938, when he enrolled at the same university's School of Architecture.
He graduated in 1941 and created a portfolio of numerous prospective designs, though he found buyers for only a few, and among these was a residence in Mar del Plata
commissioned by his own father. The elder Williams had purchased a 2-hectare (5 acre) property in what were then the wooded outskirts of the seaside city. A stream running through the land became the centerpiece for the architect's 1942 design for a modern, 9 by 27 meter (30 by 90 foot) weatherized concrete structure, which was set on an archway straddling the stream.
Williams also designed the home's minimalist interiors, fashioning the interior doors, fixtures and boiserie in a nearby workshop, as well most of the furniture. The concrete used in its construction was also chemically weatherized at the facility, so done to allow its use in the design without the need for cladding, which Williams felt would take from the "honesty of the materials." Christened the Casa del Puente ("Bridge House") upon its completion in 1946, it served as composer Alberto Williams' home until his death in 1952.
His design proposals in 1945 for a new international airport, to be built on the Río de la Plata
and connected to the city via causeway, were rejected in favor of what became Ministro Pistarini International Airport
, and aside from three Corrientes Province
hospitals, he would complete no significant government works in subsequent decades. He was assigned by Le Corbusier
, however, to supervise construction for the Curutchet House
, a residence designed in 1949 by the Swiss architect for Dr. Pedro Curutchet, a prominent La Plata
physician.
He was invited to display his ideas on acoustics
at La Sorbonne, and the Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design
, Walter Gropius
, organized exhibits of his works in 1951 and 1955, on which latter occasion Williams was a guest lecturer. During the 1950s, he developed designs based on what he called hollow vaults. These were concrete pillars that, by their design, could drain rainwater while supporting the building above as stilts. He later employed the concept for the 1966 Bunge y Born
exhibit at the La Rural
Exposition grounds and in 1968 for the German Embassy, both in Buenos Aires, as well as for a monument to the reconstruction of Berlin
.
Williams was inducted into the American Institute of Architects
as an honorary member in 1962. After 1974, he worked on "the city humanity needs," a plan for an above-ground metropolis supported by his hollow vaults for the purpose of reducing land use. He was also contracted by the Argentine government to design a self-contained city planned for Argentine Antarctica
, though his design, presented in 1980, was never carried out. Williams died in Buenos Aires in 1989 at age 76.
A temporary structure used in 1966 as part of the La Rural expo grounds was revived by one of his sons, Claudio, and was included as a centerpiece of a waterfront park inaugurated in 1999 in the Buenos Aires suburb of Vicente López
as the Monument to the End of the Millennium. The Bridge House which was home to a sister of Williams' until her death in 1966, was purchased by a Mar del Plata radio station, but ultimately returned to the architect. He maintained it until his death in 1989, and it was decalred a National Historic Monument in 1997. This failed to secure it adequate funding for its maintenace, however, and the historic property was ultimately abandoned and gutted by fire in September 2004. Works to restore the landmark were initiated by the national government in 2007.
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
.
Life and work
Amancio Williams was born in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
in 1913. His father, Alberto Williams
Alberto Williams
Alberto Williams was an Argentine symphonic composer and conductor.-Life and work:Alberto Williams was born to in Buenos Aires, in 1862. A maternal grandfather, Amancio Jacinto Alcorta, had been a respected government and banking policy-maker, as well as a well-known composer of sacred music...
, was a well-known composer of chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
and the founder of the Buenos Aires Music Conservatory. He enrolled at the School of Engineering of the University of Buenos Aires
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
, though an interest in aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
led him to leave school during his third year. This sabbatical ended in 1938, when he enrolled at the same university's School of Architecture.
He graduated in 1941 and created a portfolio of numerous prospective designs, though he found buyers for only a few, and among these was a residence in Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
commissioned by his own father. The elder Williams had purchased a 2-hectare (5 acre) property in what were then the wooded outskirts of the seaside city. A stream running through the land became the centerpiece for the architect's 1942 design for a modern, 9 by 27 meter (30 by 90 foot) weatherized concrete structure, which was set on an archway straddling the stream.
Williams also designed the home's minimalist interiors, fashioning the interior doors, fixtures and boiserie in a nearby workshop, as well most of the furniture. The concrete used in its construction was also chemically weatherized at the facility, so done to allow its use in the design without the need for cladding, which Williams felt would take from the "honesty of the materials." Christened the Casa del Puente ("Bridge House") upon its completion in 1946, it served as composer Alberto Williams' home until his death in 1952.
His design proposals in 1945 for a new international airport, to be built on the Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
and connected to the city via causeway, were rejected in favor of what became Ministro Pistarini International Airport
Ministro Pistarini International Airport
Ministro Pistarini International Airport , more commonly known as Ezeiza International Airport owing to its location within the Ezeiza Partido in the Greater Buenos Aires, is an international airport located south-southwest of Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina...
, and aside from three Corrientes Province
Corrientes Province
Corrientes is a province in northeast Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by : Paraguay, the province of Misiones, Brazil, Uruguay, and the provinces of Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Chaco.-History:...
hospitals, he would complete no significant government works in subsequent decades. He was assigned by Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
, however, to supervise construction for the Curutchet House
Curutchet House
The Curutchet House, La Plata, Argentina, is a building by Le Corbusier. It was commissioned by Dr. Pedro Domingo Curutchet, a surgeon, in 1948 and included a small medical office on the first floor. The house consists of four main levels with a courtyard between the house and the clinic. The...
, a residence designed in 1949 by the Swiss architect for Dr. Pedro Curutchet, a prominent La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
physician.
He was invited to display his ideas on acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
at La Sorbonne, and the Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design
Harvard Graduate School of Design
The Harvard Graduate School of Design is a graduate school at Harvard University offering degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning and Design.-History:...
, Walter Gropius
Walter Gropius
Walter Adolph Georg Gropius was a German architect and founder of the Bauhaus School who, along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture....
, organized exhibits of his works in 1951 and 1955, on which latter occasion Williams was a guest lecturer. During the 1950s, he developed designs based on what he called hollow vaults. These were concrete pillars that, by their design, could drain rainwater while supporting the building above as stilts. He later employed the concept for the 1966 Bunge y Born
Bunge y Born
Bunge y Born was a multinational corporation based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, whose diverse interests included food processing and international trade in grains and oilseeds...
exhibit at the La Rural
La Rural
La Exposición Rural , is an annual agricultural and livestock show held in the Palermo section of Buenos Aires, Argentina...
Exposition grounds and in 1968 for the German Embassy, both in Buenos Aires, as well as for a monument to the reconstruction of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Williams was inducted into the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
as an honorary member in 1962. After 1974, he worked on "the city humanity needs," a plan for an above-ground metropolis supported by his hollow vaults for the purpose of reducing land use. He was also contracted by the Argentine government to design a self-contained city planned for Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica is a sector of Antarctica claimed by Argentina as part of its national territory. The Argentine Antarctic region, consisting of the Antarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to the South Pole, is delimited by the 25° West and 74° West meridians and the 60° South...
, though his design, presented in 1980, was never carried out. Williams died in Buenos Aires in 1989 at age 76.
A temporary structure used in 1966 as part of the La Rural expo grounds was revived by one of his sons, Claudio, and was included as a centerpiece of a waterfront park inaugurated in 1999 in the Buenos Aires suburb of Vicente López
Vicente López
Vicente López is a mainly residential neighbourhood in Vicente López Partido of Buenos Aires Province in Argentina, it forms part of the Greater Buenos Aires urban agglomeration...
as the Monument to the End of the Millennium. The Bridge House which was home to a sister of Williams' until her death in 1966, was purchased by a Mar del Plata radio station, but ultimately returned to the architect. He maintained it until his death in 1989, and it was decalred a National Historic Monument in 1997. This failed to secure it adequate funding for its maintenace, however, and the historic property was ultimately abandoned and gutted by fire in September 2004. Works to restore the landmark were initiated by the national government in 2007.