Architecture

Sustainable Materials in Architecture and Design

María Victoria Besonías and Guillermo de Almeida of Estudio Besonías Almeida discuss their influences, life in Buenos Aires, and their signature designs

Since meeting as students of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Buenos Aires in the early 1970s, Madrid-born María Victoria Besonías and native porteño Guillermo de Almeida have shared ideals and tastes.

Driven by an interest in the political issues affecting Argentina, Estudio Besonías Almeida’s mostly residential designs utilize sustainable materials such as concrete and timber, inspired by the great masters of the 20th century. Their award-winning projects aim to work with and enhance the landscape they sit within. Here, the pair talk about their work and influences.

Partners in life and vision: Guillermo de Almeida and María Victoria Besonías of Estudio Besonías Almeida. Banner image: The Conjunto V+D plots in Mar Azul, Buenos Aires. Photograph: Inés Tanoira
Partners in life and vision: Guillermo de Almeida and María Victoria Besonías of Estudio Besonías Almeida. Banner image: The Conjunto V+D plots in Mar Azul, Buenos Aires. Photograph: Inés Tanoira

You both graduated in 1975. What was your first professional project?
GA: A house in a suburb of Buenos Aires for a young couple. The project came to us just as we were on an end-of-course trip through Europe.

At Estudio Besonías Almeida’s Casa Valeria, in Valeria del Mar, Buenos Aires, much of the furniture, as well as the structure, is made from concrete. Photograph: Daniela Mac Adden
At Estudio Besonías Almeida’s Casa Valeria, in Valeria del Mar, Buenos Aires, much of the furniture, as well as the structure, is made from concrete. Photograph: Daniela Mac Adden

What was the experience like?
GA: Extremely rewarding. We came home from our trip very mobilized, having visited emblematic works of architecture that we only knew through books. Our enthusiasm for experimenting and making our way in the profession was immense.

Casa Berazategui in a new area of the Los Troncos neighborhood in Buenos Aires. Estudio Besonías Almeida had to consider how the home would fit into its surroundings once the district was complete. Photograph: Federico Kulekdjian
Casa Berazategui in a new area of the Los Troncos neighborhood in Buenos Aires. Estudio Besonías Almeida had to consider how the home would fit into its surroundings once the district was complete. Photograph: Federico Kulekdjian

What is Buenos Aires like for an architect?
MVB: Like every metropolis: chaotic, somewhat inhuman, but also engaging and galvanizing. That’s why we decided to live and work in the outskirts.

For the Dos Casas Conesa project, Estudio Besonías Almeida created two homes within a deep and narrow plot in the Colegiales area of Buenos Aires, which was shared by two families. Photograph: Daniela Mac Adden
For the Dos Casas Conesa project, Estudio Besonías Almeida created two homes within a deep and narrow plot in the Colegiales area of Buenos Aires, which was shared by two families. Photograph: Daniela Mac Adden

Who has influenced you the most?
MVB: We continue to be nourished by the works of architects such as Alvaro Siza, Peter Zumthor, and Solano Benítez, whose buildings are spaces for experiencing sensations and atmospheres of powerful materiality.

Estudio Besonías Almeida used a patio to pierce though Casa S&S, separating the single-level home—situated on the dunes of the Buenos Aires coast—into distinctive sectors. Photograph: Gustavo Sosa Pinilla
Estudio Besonías Almeida used a patio to pierce though Casa S&S, separating the single-level home—situated on the dunes of the Buenos Aires coast—into distinctive sectors. Photograph: Gustavo Sosa Pinilla

Why is architecture important?
MVB: I suppose because the mere fact of inhabiting inevitably becomes architecture. We cannot get rid of it. However, what I’m sure of is that although the choice of a profession is often totally random, the decision to be an architect has allowed me to enjoy every day of my work, and that’s a privilege I celebrate.

One of two summer houses owned by María Victoria Besonías and Guillermo de Almeida, the award-winning Casa Mar Azul has large glass panels that allow the structure to both integrate with its woodland setting and reflect it. Photograph: Gustavo Sosa Pinilla
One of two summer houses owned by María Victoria Besonías and Guillermo de Almeida, the award-winning Casa Mar Azul has large glass panels that allow the structure to both integrate with its woodland setting and reflect it. Photograph: Gustavo Sosa Pinilla

How do you like to work and how much input do you like clients to have?
MVB: We like to work unhurriedly, with time to process the issues that each project entails. We spend a lot of time listening to and supporting the client so that we retain our enthusiasm for what we are doing and the client feels that their dreams are being fulfilled.