Alberto Arai
Encyclopedia
Alberto T. Arai was a Mexican
architect
, theorist and writer
, of Japanese
descent.
Born in Mexico City
, the son of a Japanese ambassador
in Mexico, Dr. Kinta Arai, Alberto T. Arai studied also philosophy, espousing Neo-Kantianism
and becoming politically a socialist artist. He became a supporter of Functionalism
, with its emphasis on the social applications of architecture
, and was also a founder, with Enrique Yañez, of the Unión de Arquitectos Socialistas (1938), helping to draw up a socialist theory of architecture. He was one of the most active participants and attempted to put his socialist theory into practice on two unexecuted project
s in the same year: the building for the Confederation of Mexican Workers and the Ciudad Obrera de México, both with Enrique Guerrero and Raúl Cacho, and his social worries on the unexecuted General Hospital project (to be built in the city of Leon, Gto). His urbanistic knowledge give him the opportunity to make urban planning to several cities along the country.
Later, when Mexico opted for a developmental policy, Arai became a standard-bearer for nationalism
in architecture. He re-evaluated traditional building materials, such as tree trunks, bamboo, palm leaves and liana
s, using them in a plan for a country house that was adapted to the warm, damp climate of the Papaloapan region, and various essays to improve the country and popular houses. The building of the Ciudad Universitaria
, Mexico City, gave him his greatest architectural opportunity when he designed the Frontones (1952). In these he used the volcanic
stone
of the area to great effect in truncated pyramid shapes inspired by Pre-Columbian
pyramids. This was his contribution to the early landscaping-architecture, by using the volcanoes surrounding the view as a theme for his design. His numerous books and articles addressed conceptual problems in Mexican architecture and art. His last building was the clubhouse of the Japanese Association, who was inspired on ancient Japanese and ancient Mexican archiectural design, but with modern techniques and materials, successfully a modern looking piece.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, theorist and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, of Japanese
Ethnic Japanese
Ethnic Japanese may mean:* Japanese people, when referring to people of Japanese descent** May also be used as a term to refer to the Yamato people as opposed to the minority peoples of Japan: the Ainu, Ryukyuans, Burakumin and immigrant groups such as the Han Chinese and Koreans.* Japanese...
descent.
Born in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, the son of a Japanese ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
in Mexico, Dr. Kinta Arai, Alberto T. Arai studied also philosophy, espousing Neo-Kantianism
Neo-Kantianism
Neo-Kantianism refers broadly to a revived type of philosophy along the lines of that laid down by Immanuel Kant in the 18th century, or more specifically by Schopenhauer's criticism of the Kantian philosophy in his work The World as Will and Representation , as well as by other post-Kantian...
and becoming politically a socialist artist. He became a supporter of Functionalism
Functionalism (architecture)
Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...
, with its emphasis on the social applications of architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, and was also a founder, with Enrique Yañez, of the Unión de Arquitectos Socialistas (1938), helping to draw up a socialist theory of architecture. He was one of the most active participants and attempted to put his socialist theory into practice on two unexecuted project
Project
A project in business and science is typically defined as a collaborative enterprise, frequently involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim. Projects can be further defined as temporary rather than permanent social systems that are constituted by teams...
s in the same year: the building for the Confederation of Mexican Workers and the Ciudad Obrera de México, both with Enrique Guerrero and Raúl Cacho, and his social worries on the unexecuted General Hospital project (to be built in the city of Leon, Gto). His urbanistic knowledge give him the opportunity to make urban planning to several cities along the country.
Later, when Mexico opted for a developmental policy, Arai became a standard-bearer for nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
in architecture. He re-evaluated traditional building materials, such as tree trunks, bamboo, palm leaves and liana
Liana
A liana is any of various long-stemmed, woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy to get access to well-lit areas of the forest. Lianas are especially characteristic of tropical moist deciduous...
s, using them in a plan for a country house that was adapted to the warm, damp climate of the Papaloapan region, and various essays to improve the country and popular houses. The building of the Ciudad Universitaria
Ciudad Universitaria
Ciudad Universitaria , Mexico, is UNAM's main campus, located in Coyoacán borough in the southern part of Mexico City. Designed by architects Mario Pani and Enrique del Moral, it encloses the Olympic Stadium, about 40 faculties and institutes, the Cultural Center, an ecological reserve, the Central...
, Mexico City, gave him his greatest architectural opportunity when he designed the Frontones (1952). In these he used the volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
stone
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
of the area to great effect in truncated pyramid shapes inspired by Pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
pyramids. This was his contribution to the early landscaping-architecture, by using the volcanoes surrounding the view as a theme for his design. His numerous books and articles addressed conceptual problems in Mexican architecture and art. His last building was the clubhouse of the Japanese Association, who was inspired on ancient Japanese and ancient Mexican archiectural design, but with modern techniques and materials, successfully a modern looking piece.