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Today’s Doodle
celebrates Colombian architect Rogelio Salmona on his 92nd birthday.
Known for his visionary red-brick constructions in the capital city
of Bogotá, Salmona is widely considered one of the most important
figures in Latin American architecture.
Rogelio Salmona was born on this day in 1929 in Paris, France. But
in the face of rising tensions in Europe, his family relocated to
Bogotá in 1934. Salmona formed a strong attachment to his new home
city until he returned to Paris in 1948 to apprentice under the
legendary Swiss architect Le Corbusier.
Salmona eventually settled in Bogotá for the majority of his career,
transforming the city with a unique blend of traditional global
influences and modern aesthetics. Salmona first came to
international attention with his Torres del Parque (Park Towers,
1964-1970), a curved apartment complex of exposed red brick in the
center of the city, which is widely considered the architect’s
masterpiece. Salmona continued to feature his signature brick
fingerprint throughout his career, including in the sprawling
Biblioteca Pública Virgilio Barco (Virgilio Barco Public Library,
2001) which remains one of his most famous structures.
With his innovative urban structures, Salmona is widely credited as
a driving catalyst of the rebirth of Bogotá in recent decades. In
addition to winning many significant architecture prizes throughout
his prolific career, Salmona became the first Latin American
architect to receive the prestigious Alvar Aalto Medal in 2003.
Happy birthday to Rogelio Salmona, a visionary architect who
recognized the infinite potential of the humble red brick! |
