Legorreta

How would you define his architectural accomplishments for the two projects Solana and Camino Real Hotel, Extapa related to culture and climate?

The Camino Real Hotel on the Pacific coast in Mexico at first struck me as too monumental for the purpose. However, when taking into context the pre-Columbian vernacular of the region, the form makes much more sense. The progression of controlled to open spaces in each hotel room reacts to the climate and current preferences, but places the most importance on the uncontrolled climate of the outdoors. I appreciate this subtle nod to the environment, and hope it encourages people to feel more apart of their surroundings.

The Solana complex in Dallas, TX is not nearly as successful as the Real Hotel. The overwhelming use of color does decrease the ‘institutional’ feel that office parks tend to have, but goes overboard and detracts from the landscape. Rather than let the native prairie play a central role in the complex, the color dominates and leaves no room for the imagination to wander the horizon. It is hard to tell if the building reacts to its climate or not, so based on that fact alone it probably does a marginal job.