5th General Meeting: David Diaz's BARRIO URBANISM

This is the CAN'T MISS CASA Meeting of the semester: Berkeley Urban Studies alumni of '76, UCLA Phd in City Planning, Professional, and author of "Barrio Urbanism."

Dont Miss Out
old members and 1stTIMERS are welcome!

The first book on Latinos in America from an urban planning/policy perspective, covers the last century..., and includes a substantial historical overview about the subject. Diaz traces the movement of Latinos (primarily Chicanos) into American cities from Mexico and describes the problems faced in these cities. He shows how the planning profession and developers consistently failed to meet their needs due to both poverty and racism. Attention is also paid to the most pressing concerns in Latino barrios during recent times, including environmental degradation and justice, land use policy, and others. The book closes with a consideration of the issues that will face Latinos as they become the nation's largest minority in the 21st century.

(ABOVE description partial courtesy of Google Books Review)

St. Patrick's Day Fundraiser = success!

CASA wants to thank Emily Alvarado, Kelvin Guerrero, and everyone else who helped make these BE GREEN wrist bands. Hand-crafted, made especially for the greeen holiday, we sold all of the ones we made!

Juan Ezpinoza: "I just want to be creative and live forever"

Juan Ezpinoza, a designer and builder, a philanthropist and believer. With an architecture background from UCLA and USC, and influenced directly by Frank Lloyd Wright, Juan understands the power of architecture not only as "the mother of all arts" ---as he described it, but as a way of reaching out to help his communities and people in Los Angeles and Oakland.

"I have a strong obligation to work with my people..be there to help them." Ezpinoza acknowledges the importance of an education, and the responsibility of those who are educated to create power through knowledge.

His recent works have focused on developing our notions of so-called ordinary spaces--fences, garages, thresholds. "Every night before I go to sleep I read poetry," Juan admits. He maintains firm to his dreams of keeping his "the fountain of youth" through his work. "By spreading words, and knowledge, you can help others out--you increase awareness for informing Latinos about our culture of community and togetherness, " he believes.

3rd General Meeting: Sweet Legacy

Although our turn-out in members was pretty low, the short conversation about Critical Regionalism based on the works of Luis Barragan generated thought and sparked creativity. Students' interpretations of the architecture in nexus to the landscape and people were all surprisingly different. Gerardo focused on the use of water in his candy garden, and Jessica emphasized the atmosphere of reflection created by the gardens. Overall, it was fun to get our hands dirty with our models--even if they were just made out of frosting and candy.

3rd general meeting: Luis Barragan- his legacy in tradtional modernism

valentine's day fundraiser = success

Aren't they nice? We sold about (40) cards for $ 1.50 each.

We sold them to our fellow architecture students outside Wurster, using our recycled material from past projects: bristol, basswood, tacky glue, paint, charcoal, and glitter, what else do you need??

Hand-crafted by Emily Alvarado (the nice pink ones) and Cesar Murillo ( the odd colors) :)

spring retreat: let's find the lake at 12am in the rain.

It was a perfect night of bonding, except it rained...a lot.

Our camp site was on the edge of a slope, sitting on dirt. By default wet dirt becomes mud, and mud slides--so our tents slid throughout the whole night. Half of us went to sleep inside the cars, but others slept wet outdoors.

Other than that, burgers, hotdogs, and smores were the evening's delicacies. We played card games and other truth-or-dare types. After, we went for a hike at midnight as it sprinkled for a bit. Finally, after a long walk, we found the lake. We found Lake Chabot to gather around the deck and enjoy the darkness of the wilderness-- away from Berkeley, and away from studio !

1st general meeting: laughters & ice-breakers.

The first general meeting was full of name-sharing and ice breakers.
Familiar faces and new members curious about CASA came out to share some pizza.
We discussed our association's priorities, including our slideshow of previous events and future projects for CASA.

events: first general meeting this tuesday!

First meeting of the semester, this Tuesday 7pm . 170 Wurster.

luis barragan mirrors a modern past, but not the present.

By: Cesar Murillo

"Mexican politicians and educators should follow in the footsteps of those like Barragan who employ our popular tradition with intelligence.. (for) to be truly modern we must first come to terms with our tradition, " a tradition that Nobel laureate Octavio Paz recognized in the work of architect Luis Barragan. By the late 1950s, Barragan's main focus was not the revival of traditional forms, nor the transmission of a prehispanic past. Instead he wanted to create an ambiance, a reflection of himself as a space and an incidental representation of a true Mexican identity. His work lacked unequivocal symbols of Mexican tradition; as an alternative, he incorporated his learning of European and American modernism to create an architecture that identifies itself with a specific folklore. Accordingly, works like the Jardines del Pedregal allowed him to address the simple aesthetics and meanings of modernism to create a form of Critical Regionalism. Although Barragan's modernism reintroduces and innovates upon a past of traditions to create an unprecedented architectural identity for modern Mexico, works like El Pedregal also proved to be high-end projects that reflected only the values of the elite, disregarding the greater population and not entirely representing the true context of his people successfully.

Episodes throughout El Pedregal explicitly create Critical Regionalism that uses the preexisiting nature and history to create a fusion with the modern architecture. This nexus is not established by copying older styles or decorations of Mexico, but instead by using folklore and ideas to create an experience and give new meaning to a space that can tie in with its regional people. Luis Barragan makes a unique display of postmodern thought that takes into consideration the past and traditions, but forgets to include the majority of the current people and processes that he hoped to represent. Instead, Barragan creates a lavish display of modern architecture and pretensious garden spaces that are difficult for the common person to understand. Critics like Henri Lefebvre argued that modernism in its whole sense could not harbor the everyday of the common folk. "A rejection of avant-garde escapism, pretension, and heroicism in favor of a more sensitive engagement with people's everyday environments and lives is actually needed." Lefebvre, similar to other Postmodernist critics, rejected Modernism in all social aspects aspects because its rigid order did not engage with individual needs and processes. Instead, the monotomy of modern architecture created a template that should be re-used over and over, despite any other individual, cultural, or topographic element. The houses created in El Pedregal were in a sense more modern than what Barragan's postmodern style hoped to achieve. These simple and linear elements created a rigid prototype similar to the bureaucratic systems regulating the order of the social everyday in modernism. Barragan creates uniformity in the exterior design of his houses and inevitably produces a standard of living for this wealthy class of estate owners.

Luis Barragan was uncritical about the population he hoped to represent through his critical regionalism. He was moved by economic gain and fame, yet created an architecture that was not there before him., Barragan has given Mexico a chance to be part of the 21st century's modern movement and has merely begun and architectural revolution for Latin America. Whether or not his works can be seen as true and complete Critical Regionalism, architects and critics should move beyond that point and rather focus to direct his work and ideas into a more powerful scheme. Works like El Pedregal are only the beginning of a form of Critical Regionalism that can be further exploited. By learning from his methods of discretely reflecting upon the past and oneself to create a modern scheme of nostalgia, memory, and mysticism, we will be able to reach out to the heart of the present. The present should not be about making aesthetics for the sake of luxury or beauty for an elite group, but instead to create aesthetics that can tell not only a past or a story, but instead the larger context of social issues that affect us the most. Barragan's Critical Regionalism can become more critical if we learn to incorporate the everyday, not only for Mexico, but for the ever-so-changing identities and issues rising in this new decade for immigrants, Chicanos, and all Latinos, alike.

events: spring retreat this weekend!

Mark your calendars!

Spring 2010 retreat is this coming weekend!
We will be leaving Friday afternoon and returning Saturday Morning.
Our event will be held in Lake Chabot--a forest-like location in Oakland.
You cannot miss one of the most memorable socials of the semester, come meet new friends or mingle with familiar faces. Bring your blankets!!

Keep updated for more info.

09 in retrospect

Welcome back to the New Year, spring semester and
of course, CASA! Hopefully this year our blog will have more activity and more entries than just two. One of our challenges last semester was combining our enthusiasm for CASA and our dedication to architecture studios. Although certain moments were rough and hectic, the support of our studiomates and friends in CASA made it bearable. Last semester many events were memorable: Rebuilding Together Oakland allowed us to work on community projects including Highland School, soccer game Thursdays kept the adrenaline flowing, and among others, bowling and banquet strengthened our comradery as friends and classmates. One of the greatest successes for CASA was the turn-out in guest speakers and their relevant lectures. Cal Alums Abel Morales and Crispin Lazarit described their past roles as students and current tasks in their firms, respectively. Irma Ramirez presented her research from Cal State Pomona and her social art projects throughout cities in Mexico. Prof. Michael Dear lectured about the relationships and Hollywood depiction of the US-Mexico border. Last semester, we managed to recruit many new faces--- as we hope to collect more this semester. Finally, our roles as students and learners continue, as we strive to become future scholars and professionals in the related fields of architecture and city planning. Please care to join CASA this Spring Semester '10 as we continue to bond though more discussions and conversations about Latino influence in the process of builings, cities, and art.






[ some of our flyers from this semester by Eli Leonardo. ]