Ricardo Legorreta, Architect [Hardcover]

John Mutlow (Author), Ricardo Legoretta (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1997

Ricardo Legorreta is the most renowned architect working in Mexico today. His signature use of brilliant saturated reds, purples, and yellows, thick-textured walls of stucco and plaster, and mysterious, light-filled spaces has earned him a devoted following and a distinguished international reputation. Legorreta's highly personal aesthetic combines a deep appreciation of traditional Mexican architectural elements and culture with a thoroughly modern sense of design that reflects his early training with the Mexican master Luis Barragán.

This long-awaited monograph showcases 25 of the architect's most recent and celebrated projects in Mexico, Texas, and California, with stunning color photography throughout and special focus on nine private houses.

Among the projects shown here are vacation houses in Mexico and in Rancho Santa Fe and Sonoma County, California; the house of actor Ricardo Montalbán and the renowned Greenberg House in Los Angeles; the new Metropolitan Cathedral in Managua, Nicaragua; El Papalote Children's Museum and the City of the Arts, both in Mexico City; the new San Antonio Main Library in Texas; several high-profile buildings in Monterrey, Mexico, including an office complex designed to house an impressive collection of Mexican art and sculpture; and the famous Camino Real hotels in Mexico City and Ixtapa.

An introduction and an interview with Legorreta, a list of projects, and a bibliography provide background and insight into this architect's prolific career.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Ricardo Legorreta Architects

Edited, with Introduction by John V. Mutlow
Preface by Ricardo Legorreta
Principal photography by Lourdes Legorreta

Ricardo Legorreta is the most renowned architect working in Mexico today. His signature use of brilliant saturated reds, purples, and yellows, thick-textured walls of stucco and plaster, and mysterious, light-filled spaces has earned him a devoted following and a distinguished international reputation. Legorreta's highly personal aesthetic combines a deep appreciation of traditional Mexican architectural elements and culture with a thoroughly modern sense of design that reflects his early training with the Mexican master Luis Barragán.

This long-awaited monograph showcases 25 of the architect's most recent and celebrated projects in Mexico, Texas, and California, with stunning color photography throughout and special focus on nine private houses.

Among the projects shown here are vacation houses in Mexico and in Rancho Santa Fe and Sonoma County, California; the house of actor Ricardo Montalbán and the renowned Greenberg House in Los Angeles; the new Metropolitan Cathedral in Managua, Nicaragua; El Papalote Children's Museum and the City of the Arts, both in Mexico City; the new San Antonio Main Library in Texas; several high-profile buildings in Monterrey, Mexico, including an office complex designed to house an impressive collection of Mexican art and sculpture; and the famous Camino Real hotels in Mexico City and Ixtapa.

An introduction and an interview with Legorreta, a list of projects, and a bibliography provide background and insight into this architect's prolific career.

John V. Mutlow, a native of England, practices architecture in Los Angeles and teaches at the University of Southern California. His work focuses on multifamily and single family housing, notably for the Hispanic community in Los Angeles, which has led to his professional exchanges with Mexican architects. Prof. Mutlow is the author of The American Housing, Design for Living, and has received numerous design awards.

About the Author

John V. Mutlow, a native of England, practices architecture in Los Angeles and teaches at the University of Southern California. His work focuses on multifamily and single family housing, notably for the Hispanic community in Los Angeles, which has led to his professional exchanges with Mexican architects. Prof. Mutlow is the author of The American Housing, Design for Living, and has received numerous design awards.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (May 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847820238
• ISBN-13: 978-0847820238
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 10.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #659,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful photographic essay on a very talented architect, April 30, 1999

By 

mark beavers (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ricardo Legorreta, Architect (Hardcover)

beautiful photos and thoughtful text covering some of the work of, arguably, mexico's finest architect. this book does a excellent job of capturing the serene spirit of legoretta's work - having just returned from a week at his hotel in ixtapa, mexico, i can speak to the power, spirit and beauty of legoretta's work, and to the success with which this book conveys these feelings.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A useful study guide disguised as a coffee table book, May 19, 2000

By 

Brian McLaren - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ricardo Legorreta, Architect (Hardcover)

I first came to know the work of Legorreta on a visit to San Antonio & it's new library. The loud colors and monumental scale struck me as odd and distracting in a library setting, but it definitely was a building that made you look twice and want to explore it more. Soon after, I moved to DFW and lived a stones throw away from Solona (the IBM complex). Here is where I learned the true beauty and intelligence of Legorreta's designs and his special notice of the individual and their experience. The colors no longer struck me as loud, but as vibrant and cheerful. This book embraces and shows off this enthusiasm and intelligence VERY WELL. This is a very attractive book with lots of pictures that do justice to Legorreta's palette of colors. There is some narative for each project giving the basic information along with the main design considerations. Also along with each project is a partial floorplan. This is most useful in the study of what is happening in the pictures. When you find an element or view in a picture that intrigues you, the floorplan let's you better understand how that effect was achieve and how it interacts within the context of its adjoining spaces. This is especially important in understanding Legorreta's use of entry sequences and volumes. This also allows you to study how he uses water, stones, and other features in ways that can be experienced from multiple vantage points to create multiple perspectives. If you have experienced Legorreta's Architecture in person and want to understand more about the places you've been, or if you want to see new places that you WILL WANT to experience, then I whole heartedly recommend this book. Buy it, and Enjoy it.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars simply written & presented but effective, February 27, 2001

By 

Ping Lim (Christchurch) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ricardo Legorreta, Architect (Hardcover)

This is a massive book but readers would be glad to know unlike other architecture books that are filled with academics' essays, pictures take precedent in this instance. Principle photography of this book was taken by Lourdes Legorreta, the daughter of the great architect himself (who happened to be an architect in her own rite & so does Ricardo's son, Victor) & therefore, naturally, she would have empathy of the best angles to be taken of all buildings featured in this book. The preface was written by Ricardo himself & it is complemented by poems that gave us insight of what architecture meant to him. Then, we move on to a chapter dedicated to discussions of elements of architecture such as wall, light, scale, geometry, emotion, humanity. Suffice to say that every & each elements mentioned are just as important & they are intertwined with one another. Subsequently, there was the interview with the great man himself. There were discussions about his relationships with Jose Villagran & Luis Barragan, who seemed to have influenced him quite significantly which he concurred. He described both architects as chalk & cheese. One of them was a perfectionist, emphasised upon the importance of knowing how to build on top of knowing how to design. Because Jose was a Rationist and that all his buildings were functional and anonymous but devoid of spirituality, Ricardo started to wander elsewhere for other enlightenment. That, he found in Luis Barragan, who reminded him the importance of landscaping, as one cohesiveness with the building (I.M Pei believed in the same ideal). Ricardo also joked about how academics interpreted Luis' works in all seriousness and he's adamant that if Luis were alive now, he would have laughed at them all as he designed buildings for the passion and luv of them without any complications of -isms. Then, there were also discussions of several artists that influenced his works, his children's involvement in the same industry, his origin. He also took the opportunity to correct the public's perception about his huge dosage of bold colours. He explained that he isn't using the colours for the sake of using them but using them to emphasise different planes, making the mass changes thru the manipulation of light at different time of the day, and along the way, the users' emotion are taken to yet another height. He couldn't reiterate more that without happiness, what's the point of architecture. Ricardo has this philosophy, quoted by Gropius, which was quite inspiring and something that he takes to his heart, "keep working as if you were going to live forever because if your goals are good, somebody will pick up your flag and keep progressing". And the rest of the book is dedicated in showing Ricardo's testimony or contribution towards architecture: bold colours (& some subtle ones depending upon the clients' requirements) buildings with mass, walls that contained the mystery beyond the walls & thus, enticed people to explore deeper within, forms to excite & stimulate the senses. To complement the pictures, there are floor plan and brief notes or quotations by Ricardo. To finish the book nicely, there is also his biography (doesn't say that he's Year 2000 AIA Gold Medal Award Winner), list of projects (that doesn't include the work that he's done in Japan & other latter works), select bibliography, & project credits (which provided the readers with everything you need to know about his projects). Worthwhile reading. Highly recommended.