Ginzburg & Legarreta
​Published on Patio Issue 1

A Short Study on Moisei Ginzburg's Narkomfin and Juan Legarreta's Casa Obrera Minima:

 

In the aftermath of World War l, architects worldwide faced an unprecedented housing shortage that impacted all sectors of society. Throughout the 1920s, Modernist architects feverishly explored housing typologies that could satisfy the contemporary needs of the working class. In Western Europe, the theory and practice of "minimum dwelling" emerged - a response that was absorbed and canonized through subsequent architectural scholarship. By contrast, experimental solutions for worker's housing in other parts of the world were unfairly overlooked. This was the case for the seminal Narkomfin project, designed by Moisei Ginzburg in the U.S.S.R., and Casa Obrera Minima by Mexican architect Juan Legarreta.

Unlike their Western European counterparts - who focused on rethink-
ing and improving everyday life in the urban commons through architecture
Ginzburg and Legarreta aimed to catalyze greater change through their work, designing radical spaces for the social and political transformation of their respective societies.

(~excerpt)