Architects, urbanists, and students in the field have much to learn from the construction models of the first inhabitants of the Brazilian territory, who have long built shelters adapted to their local contexts. Establishing a common set of characteristics for indigenous architectural solutions proves to be a highly superficial approach, as the shapes and dimensions of indigenous ocas or malocas vary depending on the community and the number of people living there. However, by studying the diverse examples of indigenous architecture, it is possible to rethink the notion of “advanced technology” and assimilate sustainable solutions adapted to environmental conditions.
.jpg?1571925498 "Roof of the Socio-Environmental Institute - ISA / Brasil Arquitetura. © Daniel Ducci")
Since the Portuguese invasion of Brazil, colonization has imposed parameters that are still reflected today in how we build, inhabit, and analyze architecture. The colony/colonized or center/periphery relationship also persists in how the idea of advanced technology is still understood as strictly high tech—that is, based on a progressive and universal ideal. But what should be understood, especially in Latin American countries, as advanced technology? Argentine architect Marina Waisman, in her book “The Interior of History: Architectural Historiography for Latin Americans,” not only answers this question but also argues for the need to discuss a Latin American historiography. She reflects on the concepts of center, periphery, and region, analyzing how certain terms must be reevaluated when applied to Latin America.
