AP 164: balos and Herreros

Iaki balos and Juan Herreros established the renowned architectural firm balos & Herreros in Madrid in 1984. At the time, following the end of the Franco regime, architects were valued more for their technical ability than for their contributions to theoretical research. In this context, balos and Herreross melding of design with a range of publications and curatorial projects presented a remarkable challenge to assumptions about the role of an architect. In 2012, the Canadian Centre for Architecture obtained the balos & Herreros archive, which contains documents related to more than 160 projects. The material comprises sketches, slides, models, collages, and drawings. The archive presents a compelling opportunity to reconstruct balos and Herreross planning and design process. Each of the books three contributorstwo of whom worked with balos and Herrerosapproaches the archive with specific questions, and their essays explore topics including the architects fascination with industrial architecture, their capacity to construct a hybrid materiality without recourse to building technology as language, and their innovative visions for landscape architecture. While many have written about the work of balos and Herreros, previous books have been based mainly on their built projects and ongoing research. balos & Herreros Selected by Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen, Juan Jos Castelln and SOIL is the first book to draw on the firms archive to offer a new take on this important architectural practice.