Author Description

This publication showcases designs and writings inspired by a vast aquatic territory in Argentina, where the extant ruins of a group of Jesuit missions in the middle of the subtropical jungle make tangible the colonial encounter with the Guaraní people and their language, culture, and territory. Taught in conjunction with a seminar on the concept of the ruin, the last and conclusive studio highlighted three themes as drivers for an imaginative architecture: paths, or the threading together of points in space conjuring up mnemonic itineraries and journeys; sounds, alluding to the intangible elements (music, song, poetry, and myth) that are integral to culture; and, finally, ruins themselves as generators of architectural form. Paths, Sounds, Ruins: Imagining Architecture in Candelaria is a Studio Report from a seminar taught in the Spring 2016 semester along with studios taught in the Spring 2014, 2015, and 2016 semesters at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.