Paradigm, experiment and conclusion: La Casa by Bernard Rudofsky in three acts

Abstract

La Casa –or in English, the house– that Bernard Rudofsky built on the Spanish Mediterranean coast in 1971 is a valuable case study on the operational possibilities of popular architecture in the practice of this contemporary discipline. It is a repository of theoretical references typical of the vernacular world; its author, known for the exhibition Architecture without Architects, is emblematic of this type of architecture to which he dedicated much of his efforts as a theorist and polemicist throughout the course of his life. Additionally, La Casa is a unique architectural feat as it involves the practical materialization of its implicated theoretical position. It is possible that a concrete conclusion can be drawn from this case, which may shed light on the possible operability of a type of architecture that presents more than a few difficulties for the current context of the discipline, despite being habitually admired and praised. Additionally, the text presented here brings to light unpublished information found in the personal diaries of the architect that allows for the recreation of the circumstances surrounding the ideation and construction of this piece of architecture.

Keywords

• Rudofsky
• arquitectura popular
• paradigma
• referente
• casa