INSTITUTIONS
Antonella Cavallari
Secretary General IILA - International Italo-Latin American Organization
The question of the sustainability of our way of living and producing is now crucial and inevitable: we have to adapt our models to make them compatible with respect for the planet and each one of us, in every sector of activity, must and can contribute to completing the transition towards a more sustainable development as soon as possible.
In this context, IILA, the International Italian-Latin American Organization, has been orienting its initiatives for years, not only in the economic field and the promotion of scientific research, but also in the cultural sector, aware of the need to support the process even through a change of mindset. And what better way to make this change come about than culture? Culture in a wide sense, of course, understood as an instrument to inform citizens of possible new virtuous models to recall their attention to positive messages, to contribute to creating the essential consensus on the need for a “green” transformation. We are talking about concrete projects, small “showcases” of good practices, which in their turn are nurtured by the stimuli emerging from a wide panorama of activities: debates, scientific papers, thematic exhibitions which highlight art, photography and architecture as instruments of knowledge and reflection.
Architecture is without a doubt a form of art and culture, even more significant in a context like the Latin American one, where over 80% of the population live in cities. What makes a city sustainable, what are the solutions that architecture can offer? Giving a possible answer to these inevitable questions is the goal of the exhibition “Latin America, living in the contemporary. Visions of sustainable architecture” which allows presenting to the Italian public but not only, as we plan to show the exhibition in other countries as well, the new perspectives of contemporary Latin American architecture, capable in many cases of reworking ancestral techniques to propose ultramodern solutions to some problems which are often the cause of climate change.
I am therefore very grateful to the architect Paola Pisanelli Nero, whom we have chosen as the curator of this exhibition, for having selected a significant number, in quality and quantity, of architectural firms capable of proposing projects truly in line with this spirit. It was not an easy job, but the result is remarkable and absolutely in line with the objective both of the IILA and of our partner CAF - banco de desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe, with which we share, in the context of the possibilities and responsibilities of each, the desire to boost a model of more sustainable living. Due thanks go to the Directorate for Cooperation and Development of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (/MAECI) for their essential contribution.
For the organization of the exhibition, an “immersive” journey with a low environmental impact and that is easily replicable in other venues, I thank the head of the Cultural Department of the IILA, Jaime Nualart, whose artistic sensitivity and sensibility to content has been invaluable.
Special thanks go to the Ambassador of Brazil, Renato Mosca, for having enthusiastically accepted our proposal of holding the exhibition in the prestigious rooms of the Brazilian Institute of Culture, to which I am also grateful for their excellent collaboration. We put forward this request for the location convinced that Brazil represents an essential point of reference in modern architecture which combines perfectly with the commitment of the Brazilian government for sustainability, We all remember that in 1992 the world met in Rio de Janeiro at the United Nations Conference on the environment and development, where the first two multilateral agreements (the United Nations Framework Convention on climate changes and the Convention on Biological Diversity) were adopted and the subsequent Rio +20 Summit in 2012 where – despite the absence of great progress in implementing the agreements – important consensus was reached on a limited number of action-oriented sustainable development goals, which were concise and easy to communicate, ambitious, global and universally applicable to all countries taking into account the different situations, abilities, levels of development and national priorities.
We like to think that this exhibition, which has found a home in Brazilian territory, is a further stage of that international and universal mission which in Rio de Janeiro lived through two fundamental phases of the world becoming aware of the importance of sustainability to save our planet.
Sergio Díaz-Granados
Executive President CAF - development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean
Since its establishment in 1968, CAF – development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean – has had a direct impact on the sustainable development of its member countries through its various credit financing and technical cooperation instruments. Consisting of 21 countries and 13 private banks, with assets exceeding USD 50 billion, CAF is a platform that amplifies the region's voice in key decision-making spaces globally.
Latin America and the Caribbean is the second most urbanized region in the world. In our region, the rapid process of urban expansion in recent decades has created a complex context. On one hand, millions of people have been able to fulfill their aspirations and needs by living in cities. On the other hand, the weak support for this growing demand, the absence of adequate urban and territorial planning, and the lack of proper provision of infrastructure and housing services have had negative consequences on people's quality of life and their environment.
These problems, in turn, impact access to fundamental rights in the city, such as health, education, equality, security, and the benefits of city services. The region faces a significant overall deficit in social and economic infrastructure, evident in a growing gap within various sectors. Average levels of inequality in the region have not changed significantly in recent decades, despite numerous advances promoted by the countries.
We are an eminently urban region consisting in a historical stock of buildings and infrastructure with low levels of sustainability and energy efficiency, as well as continuous expanding and growing cities. Globally, it is estimated that 60% of the building and infrastructure stock that will exist in 2030 is yet to be constructed. We are also aware that in Latin America, intermediate cities will grow the most in the coming years, generating greater demand for housing, offices, and infrastructure. The great challenge is to identify how to carry out these processes and manage a growing supply of buildings without harming the environment, while also supporting the process of economic growth and social inclusion, crucial for our region.
Despite the enormous challenges presented by the current model of urbanization in our continent, CAF believes that Latin America and the Caribbean is a region with territorial peculiarities that make it fertile ground for the emergence of new paradigms of sustainable development. Some of the comparative advantages to drive this transition are related to harnessing the biological wealth in terms of biodiversity and agro-diversity that correlate with the linguistic and cultural variety of our population. The Latin American territory includes all climatic spectrums and has large reserves of freshwater worldwide. Culture and biodiversity, well-managed, can become catalysts for an unprecedented transformation in terms of productivity, quality of life, and the projection of a more sustainable future, without exclusion.
This determination translated into the approval in 2022, by the member countries of CAF, of the largest increase in capital in the history of the bank, with the mandate to support a growth agenda in line with the social and environmental challenges of the region. Our bank is on track to become the Green Bank and the Economic Reactivation of Latin America and the Caribbean, with ambitious yet coherent goals given the urgency of a region increasingly affected by the effects of human action. These goals include promoting biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of natural capital, and increasing climate resilience.
Therefore, we celebrate the virtuous ties with IILA and are grateful to be part of the exhibition "Latin America, living in the contemporaneity. Visions of sustainable architecture" where we have contributed with four outstanding and diverse projects. There is no doubt that this opportunity will help us reflect on how to generate greener, fairer, and more prosperous cities and communities, allowing a balance between environmental regeneration, social resilience, and economic prosperity.
Renato Mosca
Ambassador of Brazil to Italy
Brazil was honoured with the prestigious Golden Lion award for the best national participation at the 18th Biennale of Architecture in Venice. This is an unprecedented acknowledgement of extraordinary value. The exhibition “Earth”, in the Brazilian pavilion, masterfully curated by Gabriela de Matos and Paulo Tavares, was recognized for its capacity to explore our architectural past and interweave it with our future, focusing attention on the relationship between architecture and the ground. The official announcement was made at the awards ceremony of the 2023 edition of the international exhibition, entitled "The Laboratory of the Future,” curated by Lesley Lokko, underscoring the Brazilian focus on architectonic research and creation, oriented by the philosophies and imaginations of the native and black populations, with special attention to their traditional architectural methods, characterized by sustainable use of the ground.
Brazil has solid credentials in the debate on sustainability. As well as hosting the 1992 and 2012 conferences and having one of the cleanest power matrixes in the world, one of the most advanced legislations and institutions of vigilance and control such as the National Institute of Spatial Research (INPE) and the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), Brazil has constantly endeavoured to reduce deforestation, for example with the re-launch of the “Plan of Action for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in Legal Amazon.” The country also shows its commitment for a multilateral approach to the topic by announcing that Belém do Pará, a city in Brazilian Amazonia, will be the venue of the thirtieth Conference of the Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2025, with an emphasis on adaptation and mitigation. Brazil’s position has always been to try to integrate the environmental discussion with economic and social development and is based on the clear definition of the three pillars of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental). The extraordinary conquest in Venice in 2023 is proof of the brilliance, the diversity and the depth of our culture and our great commitment towards multiple and inclusive sustainability.
Sustainability is a fundamental element in the architecture of Brazil and of the whole of Latin America. The region, well-known for its geographical and cultural diversity, has developed unique approaches which reflect the deep bond between architectonic design and local reality. Over time, Latin American architecture has incorporated principles of sustainability as a form of adaptation to contemporary challenges. The use of local materials, sensitivity to the climate question and innovation in the conservation of energy have become distinctive features, proving the lasting commitment to the harmony between environmental and social questions.