PLOT Special Issue 21, "Soils, Ecologies, Territories, Communities," proposes four themes that transcend the field of architecture, approaching conceptions of landscape and the inexhaustible debate between culture and nature from various perspectives. It brings together a selection of projects located in Latin America and research addressing the ecological and climate crises, as well as economic and social inequalities. These initiatives, notable for their connection to the soil, communities, and their territories, highlight the importance of construction processes and their relationship with available materials. They challenge traditional models and demand greater action and reflection from a collective dimension.
The issue includes the Yuyarina Pacha Children's Library, by Al Borde; Initial School 140, by Atelier Ander Bados and Estudio Copla; the Mencoriari Technology and Environment Laboratory, by Asociación Semillas para el Desarrollo Sostenible; the Babassu Coconut Harvesters Reference Center, by Estudio Flume; Chaki Wasi, the Shalalá community craft center, by La Cabina de la Curiosidad; the CIVAC Linear Park and PILARES Iztapalapa, by Rozana Montiel Estudio de Arquitectura; PILARES Cuicuilco, by +UdeB Arquitectos, TO, and AGENdA; the Tocopilla Geopark, by CAW Arquitectos; the shade canopy for the La Carcova Popular Library, by Taller a77; and the Fisherman's Shelter and the Santay Observatory, by Natura Futura and Juan Carlos Bamba. Furthermore, texts by Ana María Durán Castillo, Paulo Tavares, and Graciela Silvestri, along with an interview with Rozana Montiel, round out the issue, inviting readers to rethink the relationship between architecture, territory, and community within a context of global transformation.
Editorial: Soils, Ecologies, Territories, Communities. Magdalena Tagliabue, Carolina Koen.
