Albuquerque's architecture is a tale of two cities, according to Chris Wilson, J.B. Jackson Professor, School of Architecture and Planning.
The city's regional, historical and cultural identity is manifested in UNM, Old Town, Corrales and the North Valley – all areas where we see Southwest regional style.
Albuquerque's alter ego exists in its contrary impulse toward high tech. “Kirtland, Sandia and Intel reflect the city's inclination as a regional medical, educational, science, military and semiconductor center,” Wilson said.
Wilson presents, “Albuquerque's Architectural Identity Crisis” on Friday, April 22, 4:30 p.m., in Northrop Hall on the UNM campus. Wilson will explain the roots and realities of Albuquerque's distinctive identities.
Wilson will talk about the various buildings and periods that created the skyline, neighborhoods, and streetscapes of the city.
Wilson will point out that the city has reconciled its styles through the work of architects such as Antoine Predock in his 1969 La Luz development on the west side, which reconciles modernism and the regional idiom. His recent UNM parking structure and the soon-to-be-built School of Architecture and Planning, east of the Bookstore continue Predock's exploration of how to be contemporary and also rooted in the New Mexico.
“They represent negotiations of dueling impulses,” Wilson said.
The two sensibilities explode in Old Town where the rocket was placed outside the Atomic Museum at the heart of the city's historic center, Wilson said.
“Albuquerque and Santa Fe are not separate cities, but a linked pair with just one hour between them by car; commuters travel between the two to work or to shop. Santa Fe represents the entertainment district; Albuquerque the service center,” Wilson said.
Wilson's talk is designated the Tricentennial lecture for the School of Architecture and Planning's John Gaw Meem spring 2005 lecture series.
Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920
Posted by scarr at March 21, 2005 02:58 PM