Colombian architect Simón Vélez is known for his innovative use of bamboo filled with cement mortar as a structural material, an expression of his belief that architecture should contain more plants. His work often includes a variety of natural materials. Conscientious of both local vegetal materials and site, he continues to create structurally rational buildings today.
This issue of a+u magazine includes a selection of early works (1973-1997) along with many others built since 1999, plus a conversation between Vélez and Shigeru Ban in which they discuss discovering solutions through repeated experimentation. The two met in 2000, when they designed and built adjacent pavilions at the Expo Hannover.
