Cristina Gamboa is a co-founder of the Barcalona-based architecture cooperative Lacol, best known for their 2018 housing project La Borda.
In her interview for Scaffold, Gamboa discusses the geneology of cooperatives in the Sants district of Barcelona which lead to Lacol’s formation; the influence of such Figures as John Habraken, Frei Otto and Lucien Kroll on Lacol’s approach to cooperative design; and the link between aesthetics, identity and political expression.
"We are constantly fighting with budgets, and are often left with what is absolutely necessary – a “pure” architecture. […] When the manzanas [Cerda’s urban grid for Barcelona] were built without architects this lead to a homogeneity, or even genericness, that we are comfortable with, maybe because of its lack of a specific aesthetic narrative." – Cristina Gamboa
Scaffold is a podcast series featuring interviews with architects, artists and designers. Hosted by Matthew Blunderfield and produced by the Architecture Foundation, it is available on Apple Pocasts, Spotify, and most major podcast streaming platforms.
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Twitter: @scaffold_pod