by Giancarlos Reyes

When we look around our city, what do we see? High skyscrapers, wide stadiums, and structures that defy our limits and astonish us. More recently, we see nature blending in with these structures, almost like an urban jungle. Many popular architects in Spain as well as Japan have incorporated trees and water into their buildings. Why do you believe this is so? Well, when I took a trip to Vito Aconcci’s studio in lower Manhattan I learned a valuable lesson. Acconci told us that “architecture is about space, not what goes around it." As humans, we don’t like to be enclosed and always find reasons to defy shelter. The bigger we build our buildings, the more we feel as if we are not under a shelter at all; we feel free and movable. We are naturally drawn towards elements such as water and light, therefore we refuse to be deprived of them even when under a rooftop. Architects have the duty of creating wonderful monuments without taking this “freedom” away from us.

I personally love going to parks and reserves because of all the nature that is present. Being in central park last weekend was like taking a break from the big city. It brought out a power within me that made me want to stay forever. This is why when I saw the Trump Tower on Fifty-sixth Street I was amazed. It had trees that sprouted from the inside of the building, almost as if it was a garden. It was a brilliant way of bringing nature and architecture together. Whether it be a bathroom or a museum, when an architect designs, he or she has the intentions of creating a spacious surrounding. As the years pass I believe more and more architects will create eco-friendlier buildings. This will undoubtedly be the beginning of a new era of architecture.