In 2012, the Canadian Centre for Architecture obtained the Ábalos & Herreros archive, which contains documents related to more than 160 projects. The material comprises sketches, slides, models, collages, and drawings. The archive presents a compelling opportunity to reconstruct Ábalos & Herreros’s planning and design process. Each of the book’s three contributors—two of whom worked with Ábalos & Herreros—approaches the archive with specific questions, and their essays explore topics including the architects’ fascination with industrial architecture, their capacity to construct a hybrid materiality without recourse to building technology as language, and their innovative visions for landscape architecture.
While many have written about the work of Ábalos & Herreros, previous books have been based mainly on their built projects and ongoing research. AP 164: Ábalos & Herreros is the first book to draw on the firm’s archive to offer a new take on this important architectural practice.