Recently on a trip to South America we visited Tigre, a community about an hour north of Buenos Aires by train. Also known as the archipelago of Argentina, the area is a web of inter-connecting rivers and streams. Within the labyrinth of waterways were hundreds of homes and cabins representing the full spectrum of form, size and design philosphy. There didn’t seem to be any master-plan, development or overall scheme. Aesthetic covenants seemed to be excluded from the community and, judging from some of the structures, it didn’t even seem like a permit process or building department was involved. It appeared to be a community of liberated architecture. Some projects were clearly built from an architect’s drawings; others could have been crafted on site without a single piece of documentation. Needless to say, we were fascinated.
[Photo by Andrea CB]
[Photo by Magdo-50]
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
[Photo by Gabriel Robledo]
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
[Photo by Hanneorla]
[Photo by Hanneorla]
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
[Photo by bdnegin]
[Photo by Bloggingsouls]
It’s easy to imagine that an environment like this is the product of a community that solves differences through communication rather than filing lawsuits. A population of individuals who maintain an open mind about appearances and design rather than trying to control and manipulate the built environment through review boards and covenants. A society that designs and builds responsibly because it’s the right thing to do, not because a building department required them to do so.
The diversity of architecture and construction in Tigre was refreshing and it seems like there are some fundamental lessons to learn here about society and behavior.