Bruno Stagno: An Architecture for the Tropics
by Andrés Mignucci
A+ editores, 2019
Bruno Stagno is internationally recognized as one of the leading proponents of tropical architecture. He has built and written extensively advocating for an architecture that is responsive to its regional context and the environment. This book features twenty of his most significant projects, presenting his work throughout half a century of architectural practice. Profusely illustrated, the main text by author Andrés Mignucci, provides the full context of Stagno’s thinking and a critical reflection on the development of his work.
A practicing architect in San José, Costa Rica, Stagno is Director of the Institute for Tropical Architecture and co-author of RESET, a certification system for sustainable buildings in the tropical region. His work has been previously published in Bruno Stagno: An Architect in the Tropics and is a co-author of Tropical Architecture Critical Regionalism in the Age of Globalization. Stagno is the recipient of the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development Award, the Premio América, and the National Architecture Prize.
EDITORIAL REVIEWS
Bruno Stagno stands out as the key architect from his region. His work is of immediate relevance at a time when architects worldwide are grappling and seeking solutions to addresses the issues of energy and sustainability in built form. As such, his work is both experimental and exemplary, providing crucial models that are a sine qua non for others to learn from.
Ken Yeang / Architect, ecologist, planner, and author. Aga Kahn Award for Architecture, Prince Claus Award, UIA Auguste Perret Award, and Merdeka Award.
The work of Bruno Stagno has been at the same time both architectonically inventive and environmentally responsible. His houses are always based on the principle of touching the earth lightly, to cite Australian architect Glenn Murcutt’s memorable phrase; that is to say, his houses have invariably been responsive to the complex interplay between a given topography and the orientation of the site in respect to both the sun and the prevailing winds.
Kenneth Frampton / Architect, critic, historian, and educator. Ware Professor of Architecture, Columbia University, New York. Venice Biennale Golden Lion Prize for Lifetime Achievement, Lisbon Triennale Millenium BCP Lifetime Achievement Award.