The architecture of Milton Barragán Dumet

Abstract

This article analyzes the modern career of the Ecuadorian architect Milton Barragán Dumet (Huigra, 1934) by examining his most outstanding works and the work ethic that characterizes his professional career. From his early single-family homes to his later public buildings, the work of Milton Barragán critically explores the legacy of modernity, putting tectonic character before shape. From the beginning of his career, he forges his commitment to modernity which crystallizes in his first important building, the Foreign Ministry in Quito (1958). Endowed with an extraordinary formal talent, Barragán built numerous single-family houses in the sixties and in the seventies, prominent public and administrative buildings of all scales. Their characteristic language, based on experimental simplicity, spatial continuity and the brutal use of materials, combines with his dedication to teaching in the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at the Central University of Ecuador from 1963 to 2000.