Taller General is a meeting point where Martín Real and Florencia Sobrero, among other members and collaborators, come together daily to pursue their passion: channeling their creativity through architecture while merging all the aspects that shape their lives, from activism to education.
From Ecuador, the team undergoes changes based on the project's needs, and for the most part, it expands through collaborative work that enables them to share diverse perspectives, opinions, and practices. This enriches the environment and produces outcomes that would be unimaginable from an individual standpoint.
For these reasons, Taller General was chosen by ArchDaily as one of the best new architectural practices of 2023. Next, we bring you an interview with Florencia and Martín to get a close look at their inspirations, work processes, and future projects.
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In Ecuador, you have been building everything from houses and residential complexes to alternate scenarios and lunchrooms. But what was your first encounter with architecture? What inspired you to pursue architecture? Why do you engage in architecture?
Taller General is made up of several individuals; we started the studio in 2017. Our approaches to architecture are different, we both knew each other already immersed in this world, but our current definition of architecture is being shaped collectively.
We met while completing our degree, searching for more hands-on experiences, and striving to understand what we studied through practice. That year, the earthquake struck the Ecuadorian coast, leading to various initiatives from civil society to respond to the disaster. We got involved in one of them: Actuemos Ecuador.
That was our initial approach to architecture as a whole. We discovered a realm of action that captured our interest, requiring a complete engagement with construction. Through this experience, we gained extensive knowledge and shaped our current work methodology.
Currently, what is your working process like to achieve "that" architecture?
Each project is a new challenge, a new opportunity to experiment and learn. We have found that as time goes by, we approach work processes differently, constantly enriching ourselves through engagement in the construction process and the continuous reflections that can emerge from it.
From then on, the design processes become more conscious and responsible, considering factors such as ease of assembly, chosen technologies, material manipulation, economic feasibility, and the spatial quality of the environments we construct.
In our working process, we understand that there are three absolutely important aspects in each project: the users, with their complex and diverse realities; the place, encompassing nature, the city, different atmospheres; and the construction, the materiality, its origin, its multiple lifecycles, its future. Based on these three starting points, we seek alternatives through architecture.
You have been working collaboratively, partnering with ERDC on the Bread Oven House; with José María Saenz on the Pitaya House; and with Al Borde on the Guadurnal Lunchroom. How does this dynamic work for you?
Collective work from the beginning of Taller General has allowed us to access projects, thus enabling us to learn and overcome fear. Collaborations create empowering spaces that draw from different stories, experiences, methodologies, and lessons, providing a foundation for us to propose and experiment together. Collaborations, much like the projects themselves, are spaces for further learning and experimentation.
Internally, the Workshop is a team that constantly changes and reconfigures itself. There is a pursuit of critique and collective work, which allows us to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each participant, listen and communicate effectively, organize ourselves, and fulfill tasks. The fact that the team is not static generates better results and makes the processes richer and more enjoyable.
Recently, you have been selected by ArchDaily among the best New Practices of 2023. In the feature, you mention being interested in 'blending all the flavors that make up your lives – whether it's activism, reading, teaching, construction, drawing, planning, management, and other ingredients.' Could you elaborate a bit more on this interest?
We believe it's inevitable to be affected by influences and motivations that cross our paths every day. We transform and grow, and our preferences change as well. We enjoy the countryside, cooking, writing, reading, dancing, and traveling. Inevitably, from this diversity, our questions and processes are enriched, leading to the practice of the workshop.
Although there are numerous questions, we strive to understand the most pressing ones and how they affect us. For instance, these personal concerns have given rise to the Femingas project, which involves participatory construction workshops with a gender perspective. It's inevitable to acknowledge the gender inequity and the displacement of women and gender-diverse individuals within the construction field. To address this, we thoroughly study the issue based on our own experiences and seek mechanisms of action that enable us to create new meanings and redefine them through our actions. The Femingas project emerges as a feminist construction alternative and becomes both a political tool and a means of social action.
These questions also arise concerning the kind of city we want to live in. We are suffering a complex phase of urban expansion, where, on one hand, there's uncontrolled urban growth, and on the other hand, there's a decline in occupied housing and buildings within these same cities. Therefore, the way we repurpose existing infrastructure for new uses occupies much of our time in reflections and discussions. Through various exercises within our workshop, we seek mechanisms to rethink architectural practices in light of these concerns. Lately, we've developed four projects specifically related to these urban dynamics and underutilized or uninhabitable infrastructure. Thus, we've created "Alternative Scenarios" as a proposal for the reoccupation and rehabilitation of these spaces.
Finally, what new projects are you currently working on? What would you like to further develop?
The questions that permeate the workshop, where the everyday, the urban, practice, and experimentation converge, have driven us to enter academia and establish a workshop focused on "Alternate Scenarios." This allows us to convey and address these concerns together with students. We want all our questions to serve as triggers and enhancers of reflection for others. That's what creating proposals is about – enabling us to explore new meanings.
The Femingas project continues on its self-managed course, with the inherent limitations of a project grounded in a gender-focused approach. We constantly seek mechanisms to strengthen and sustain it, ensuring its continuity.
We are currently working on design and construction projects with various scales and programs, encompassing private, cultural, and community-oriented endeavors. In these projects, we place significant importance on exploration through hands-on involvement. This means that we perceive the construction process as a means of experimentation, learning, and participation. It involves understanding the construction process as a way to strengthen and enhance the connection with materials, financial and social resources, and the various stakeholders throughout the project's execution.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: New Practices. Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and projects. Learn more about our ArchDaily topics. As always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.
For the 2023 edition, the selected New Practices were Ahmadreza Schricker Architecture, Alsar Atelier, ASPJ: Agencia Social de Paisaje, ATELIER XI, Branco del Rio Arquitectos, Diogo Aguiar Studio, forty five degrees, gru.a, Infraestudio, JK-AR, KOSMOS Architects, Oana Stanescu, Office Kim Lenschow, Oficina Bravo, Paulo Tavares, prototype, Rayon, RoarcRenew Architects, Spacon & X, Taller General, Tideland Studio, U-Build, Urban Beta, vão, y Willow Technologies.
