Massive, Lasting & Inevitable

Jorge Silvetti looks back on a long career as both a designing architect and as an architectural teacher and theoretician. Born in Argentina, he was one of the founding members of Arquitectos Asociados, an experimental group formed by six advanced architecture students at the Universidad de Buenos Aires in 1965. In the early 1970s, while continuing his studies and lecturing at University of California Berkley, Silvetti’s association with Rodolfo Machado began, continuing until today as Machado Silvetti Associates with offices in Boston and Buenos Aires. Since 1975, he has taught architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he became Professor of Architecture in Design and Design Theory in 1983 and was named Nelson Robinson, Jr. Professor of Architecture in 1990. His work is globally recognised for its intellectual rigor and innovative design. Silvetti’s teaching, projects, and writings have significantly shaped contemporary architectural discourse.

Massive, Lasting & Inevitable is an introspective reflection on Jorge Silvetti’s impactful five decades in architecture, set against the backdrop of fervent discussions about discourse, history, cultural politics, and practice today. Featuring a selection of Silvetti’s seminal writings since the 1970s alongside engaging dialogues with Mark Lee, Erika Naginski, Elisa Silva, Nader Tehrani, and Alfredo Thiermann and Nicolás Delgado Alcega, the book illuminates foundational moments shaping contemporary thought. This journey through Silvetti’s perspective is marked by his profound curiosity and clear understanding of architecture’s vast issues and the tangible realities of building, offering readers a deep dive into the evolution and influence of his architectural ideology.