Alberto Kalach/FDU, The Lakes Project. All photos courtesy of Alberto Kalach and Jose Castillo.

It’s 9:00 on a Tuesday night, and Alberto Kalach and I are on the second floor of the Taller de Arquitectura X offices. An immense open space filled with acquired objects, artwork from friends, architectural models, drawings, books, and music: a true workshop with a 12-meter window overlooking Chapultepec Park, the most important public space in Mexico City. It’s the perfect setting to talk with Kalach about the double nature of his practice, which, on the one hand, takes a precise, craft-like approach to architecture, and on the other, reflects his interest in gardens, public space, and urban life.

At 46, Kalach is one of the most versatile and prolific architectural voices in Mexico today. From the intimate garden he has built at his workshop, to private residences in Mexico City and California, to the Lakes Project, the most ambitious and coherent planning vision Mexico City has ever seen, Kalach moves with ease among diverse scales, interests, and approaches. What characterizes his architecture is a combination of raw talent, an incredible work ethic, and a deep interest in structure, tectonics, and nature that results in projects of material elegance and spatial sophistication.

Having taught until 1997 in Mexico City as well as at Harvard University, Kalach now focuses on his architectural practice. Unlike most architects, he seldom pursues opportunities to publish, lecture, or exhibit his work, always arguing that the work should speak for itself.

I’ve known Kalach well for more than 18 years and have seen him evolve from the precocious, highly talented enfant terrible of Mexican architecture to a sought-after architect working for both state commissions and private clients on three continents. Having recently finished the Vasconcelos Library in Mexico City, after winning an international open competition called by the Ministry of Culture, Kalach keeps a relaxed attitude and is looking forward to the next commission.

We sat with our mutual friend Johnnie Walker, for a conversation on all things on the horizon.

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Issue 98 Winter 2007