Ricardo Legorreta

Ricardo Legorreta

Ricardo Legorreta was born in Mexico City in 1931. He graduated in 1953 from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico with a degree in Architecture. While in school Legorreta worked as a draftsman. After graduating. Legorreta worked for Jose Villagran Garcia in Mexico City, becoming a partner in 1955. In 1960 Legorreta established his own practice and in 1964 he became the principal of Legorreta Arquitectos, Mexico City. Since 1977 he has been president of Legorreta Arquitectos Dienos, furniture and accessory design.

The international style of architecture thrived in post-war Mexico. Ignoring the traditional native architecture based on thick wall systems, the buildings of this era incorporated the column aesthetic. Legorreta brought back the "wall culture" of Mexico. Emphasizing the supremacy of solids over voids, the use of colour to enclose wall space, and the South American preference for privacy, Legorreta designed regional architecture that avoided the set design techniques prevalent in many parts of Mexico and Southern California.

Legorreta has designed a diverse group of buildings. Although different in scale they all achieve a superb blend of space, light and colour. Legorreta's architecture has been consistently good, and it has evolved because he has never regarded architecture from the perspective of a businessman.