Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Speaking at UNCP
My friend Cesar Martinez is a professor at the National University of Central Peru. He is a master of Architecture. (There are very, very few professors who have their masters degrees in arcitecture in Peru. Cesar got his masters degree in England.) He lives in Huancayo, in an old colonial house of adobe covered in concrete. (To the left is a picture of a window in his house.) One night, after we drank a little Pisco I asked him if I could attend one of his classes. (After all, you never really know a man until you see him at his work.) He agree but said it would be even better if I were to give a talk to his class. He wanted me to speak about construction techniques in the US as well as forest management. After he went home I spent the next hour preparing an outline for my talk. We agreed to meet at 8:30 at the second entrance to the university.
Paty and I caught a cab the next morning.
We arrive on time, and the three of us went to Cesar's class, but nobody was there. (Apparently, when Cesar was on a job-site in the jungle, another professor made an agreement with his students to meet at a different time, but he didn't tell Cesar) so while we waited for his students to arrive, he gave us a tour of his new building. What an impressive monument to his creativity and passion. Everything he showed us made me think of Ayn Rand's book, The Fountainhead. It's a revolutionary and controversial building. Cesar said that most people consider it ugly and complain because it doesn't imitate the local architecture (which, quite frankly, shouldn't be imitated).
Cesar had designed the building before his last trip to England. While he was there, other "architects" "redesigned" his building. They reduced the headroom of each floor by one meter, and they eliminated the central heating and cooling system. Cesar made no effort to hide his irritation, and he was very right to be irritated. What right did they have to change his design and to begin construction without consulting him? Never the less, what remains of his design is impress to say the least: edgy and innovative, it incorporates his vast knowledge of the architecture of the Montaro valley and of Inca history.
As Paty and I toured the building a number of things struck me. First, as an American, I couldn't help but be impressed by all of the safety violations. For example, Paty and I posed for a picture in a stairway. While it is not clear from the photo, to my left was open space - absolutely nothing. If I took one wrong step I would have fallen hundreds of feet.
On the roof we came across an improvised device used to suspend workers as they worked on the roof: a metal pole that passed through a hole in a concrete wall. That provoked me to as Cesar how many people had died in the construction. "Only two," he replied. "They fell constructing the sewage system." (What a way to die - in the toilet!) It is amazing that more hadn't died. I suppose that Peruvian construction workers are more careful that their American counterparts.I could write for hours about his wonderful building. I can't help but be impressed that the thing which he imagined in his brain was the very thing upon which we were walking. The next time I speak to his class I will emphasize the point that among all professions, architecture is one of the few who's effect is seen for generations. Touring his building was an amazing experience.
After seeing the details of the building, we returned to his classroom. Finally the students had arrived, along with two other professors. Cesar introduced me, and then invited me to the lectern. There were about twenty students present.
So, what is an American computer technician going to say to a Peruvian architecture class? I spoke to the class about how walls are framed, how sheetrock gives the wall torsional strength, as well as the use of trusses and glu-lam beams. Then I took questions.
Most of the questions were things like, "why do you use wood instead of concrete?" Then one of the professors asked, "Eucalyptus is abundant in Peru, yet we don't use it for construction. Some people say that it is potentially dangerous and cite the fact that nothing grows under those trees as proof that it is unhealthy. What do you think about that issue?" I told him, "well, first I'm not an expert on the medical issues of Eucalyptus, so I'll have to give you your money back. But I'll give it a try...I suspect that it has to do with the fact that the leaves are so rich in oils that they drip oil on the ground and the oils don't permit undergrowth." Not a bad answer!
The entire talk and questions took about an hour. Afterward several students commented that they really enjoyed it. It was challenging, but a lot of fun. I guess I'll have to add this to my resume - "international lecturer!"
// posted by Jason y Paty @ 3:24 PM 
