Architecture arises from a collaborative effort among professionals from different specialties who, by extracting the best of themselves, dedicate themselves to adding value to the built environment and making our cities more livable.

During the “Landscape and Architecture” meeting at GCA.why, we engaged in a dialogue with Luis Vallejo, a landscape architect and founder of ” Luis Vallejo Estudio de Paisajismo,” about the relationship between landscape and architecture. We focused on the importance of integrating these disciplines to achieve a holistic design that blends seamlessly into the landscape without altering its nature.

Respecting the spirit and primary value of the place, the genius loci, requires getting to know and exploring the location, its landscape, and its culture. “Each fragment of territory I intervene in seeks to preserve its essence, integrating and merging with the surroundings.” In this way, the garden doesn’t end at the property boundaries but expands into the natural landscape around it, known in Eastern philosophy as borrowed scenery or shakkei, eliminating barriers and allowing enjoyment of a larger space.

Landscaping is an organization of space itself, filled with concepts and ideas that are part of the architectural design process. Both fields benefit from each other, as landscape interventions reinforce and complement architecture, enriching and enhancing its qualities. Therefore, both areas must work together. Similar to a building, “the garden functions through connected spaces for living and exploring, which should communicate; otherwise, it wouldn’t be a garden, it would just be a piece of lawn,” Luis jokingly remarks.

Viewing landscaping as a building full of spaces for living opens up a world of possibilities to create functional green areas with zones of use that harmoniously integrate the interior and exterior spaces of the building, blurring the line that separates them and creating a seamless connection where there are no barriers between landscape and architecture.

Este diálogo es capítulo que forma de “GCA.why”: un debate colectivo, idealista, heterogéneo, progresivo e ininterrumpido sobre arquitectura y diseño que investiga los porqués detrás de nuestra profesión.