Fragments
Lending a hand on the road
October 2019
Site.
Cuzco, Peru
Project.
In the northwest suburbs of Cuzco I was fortunate enough to be able to work with local/foreign carpenters to build a small library. It was going to aid the impoverished children who were living in the area with difficulty finding educational opportunities.
For three weeks I was designing and casting concrete pillars that would be able to withstand an earthquake.
The library was still being completed when I left Cuzco, my contribution to the project came through the distribution of reinforcing wires. Testing variations and finding a design that allowed for flexibility in the middle of the pillar but still had rigidity towards the contact points.
Working within the constraints of limited resources and local materials, the project became an exercise in pragmatic innovation. The construction process itself was collaborative, relying on the knowledge of local craftsmen while introducing seismic considerations drawn from my architectural training. Beyond the technical challenge, the experience reinforced my belief that architecture's true value lies not in formal expression, but in its capacity to serve communities and respond authentically to both physical and social context.
