TC Prospectiva #08: Sol89. El ámbito de lo posible

The realm of the possible is the common thread of this monograph that brings us closer to the creative universe of Sol89, one of the most suggestive Spanish architecture studios of today, chosen as curators of the recent 16th Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism. Founded in Seville by María González and Juanjo López de la Cruz, their work focuses on themes such as the reuse of existing buildings, the intermediate spaces of the city, and the public nature of architecture.

Across its 312 pages, this publication features everything from small interventions to large public complexes, with a special emphasis on the intermediate scale, all developed with texts, photographs, drawings, and constructive details.

With a prologue by Emilio Tuñón, it also includes a text by Ángel Martínez García-Posada and an extensive interview with Alberte Pérez. The design philosophy of Sol89 draws as much from its theoretical concerns about architectural and urban reality as from a pragmatic desire to improve the human habitat and its fit in each location.

They have worked on the concept of domesticity as a catalyst for human values, which they then extrapolate to other typologies, playing with classic architectural elements such as patios, pergolas, thresholds, or breaks in volumes, and integrating them harmoniously through a personal contemporary language.

Sol89 is also distinguished by its ability to dialogue with pre-existing buildings and environments, especially in interventions in historical settings, where they establish subtle material and conceptual contrasts. They achieve the humanization of large scales by fragmenting them into smaller pieces connected by transition areas, in a true demonstration of ‘architectural surgery’ that achieves a balance between the old and the contemporary.

Through their work, Sol89 demonstrates that architecture is not only a response to functional needs but also a powerful tool for reinterpreting and revitalizing spaces, merging history, culture, and modernity in a harmony that continuously redefines the realm of the possible in architecture.