Eladio Dieste (December 1, 1917 – July 29, 2000) was born in Artigas Department, Uruguay. He was an engineer that not only helped design many incredible buildings for Uruguay but also relied on local materals and he revolutionized the use of bricks and ceramics in building design. He received his Engineering Degree in 1943 from the University of the Republic in Montevideo.
Dieste worked as an Engineer for the Ministry of Public Works from 1943-1946, then he became Chief Engineer for the Head Architectural Technical Office. In 1948, he accepted the position of Chief Engineer for the Viermond SA private company before founding his own construction company, Dieste & Montañez S.A., in 1955. With a limited budget and space, Dieste went on to establish the Thin-Gaussian-Vault-Brick-Roof, where he created curved, reinforced ceramic bricks to create structures with much thinner roof shells. Their incredibly durable and economic structures led to his company constructing many of the city’s public infrastructure, including churches, factories, sports halls, and even bus stops. In 1960, his talents would be recognized internationally when the Brazilian government hired him to design a series of markets. Dieste passed away in 2000, with his work still being studied in architecture classes and having gone to still inspire much modern latin architecture.
REFERENCES:
- https://architecture-history.org/architects/architects/DIESTE/biography.html
- https://www.archdaily.com/966838/18-unmissable-projects-by-eladio-dieste-in-uruguay
- https://archleague.org/article/material-tour-de-force-the-work-of-eladio-dieste/
- https://marcelmoonen.com/Eladio-Dieste-and-the-curvature-of-a-brick
IMAGE SOURCE:
Date August 26, 2012
Eladio Dieste
Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication
By Gerardo Conti P
