“Planetary Reconstruction”: Richard Neutra’s School Lessons from Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico, while a U.S. territory, lacked the education, health, and sanitation infrastructure found in the continental United States. Neutra’s task was to design facilities to improve the infrastructure. While the aesthetic of the buildings is considered Modernist architecture, Neutra was very sensitive to the structures of local communities. His school designs were didactic in the way people engaged the architecture by learning about fluid mechanics and sanitation through passive designs and planning. Gardens and agricultural practices were introduced to improve food and nutrition. Education and food reforms required local knowledge even though there is a broader scientific knowledge that understands how these conditions can thrive in a particular locality. Architecturally, Neutra adjusted the Modernist style to perform in tropical Puerto Rico. Having contributed to the development of Puerto Rico and anticipating the economic boom in the U.S., Neutra’s proposal for the American community is one that was developed from the global south meant to conserve local values, and yet it was conceived as a model plan that was independent of a particular location.

https://doi.org/10.35483/ACSA.Intl.2016.59

Volume Editors
Alfredo Andia, Dana Cupkova, Macarena Cortes, Umberto Bonomo & Vera Parlac

ISBN
978-1-944214-10-4