enlace arquitectura

(est. 2007) is a professional practice invested in extending the tools of architecture, landscape architecture and urban design to territories beyond the discipline's conventional boundaries.

enlace arquitectura

Meaning “link” in Spanish, the term 'enlace' in the practice Enlace Arquitectura embodies an ethos of participatory engagement with communities through design. Founded in 2007 by American-Venezuelan architect Elisa Silva, Enlace Arquitectura's projects weave in and out of formal and [in]formal walks of life, creating projects that illuminate the existence and importance of marginalized communities and peoples. Operating through an interdisciplinary approach that rejects the prescriptive process of formalist architecture, Enlace Arquitectura combines research, design practice, and collaborates with local cultural organizations and activists to raise awareness of urban spatial inequalities shaped by socioeconomic forces and environmental pressures. One of the practice's earliest works involved their repavement of the Sabana Grande Boulevard (2011) in Venezuela, reclaiming a level and safe public space for pedestrians as a part of a collective memory. The following work in Media Legua (2018) continued to reflect the practice's commitment to empathetic design. Working together with the local villagers in Media Legua, Enlace Arquitectura used local materials of concrete and steel to construct a church in response to the community's need for a place of worship. The same and following year, Silva taught two graduate studios, both visiting the Central Valley in Oaxaca, Mexico to work with villagers to make Adobe bricks from mezcal waste, and future water-catchment basins, as well as tree nurseries, together with Rethink Foundation and the support of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies Harvard University. Aimed to influence regional policies on reforestation and water catchment, the practice's involvement in the Central Valley illustrates their devotion to introducing methods to challenging climatic conditions, informed by the communities there and scholarship on the terrain. The practice's dedication to the ecological health of a landscape has also appeared in Enlace Arquitectura's completion of Acqua Aruba, a Radisson Blu hotel (2021). While completing the finishes on the hotel, the practice took care to minimize construction waste that could harm the almost 50 local plant species that they had cataloged. Whether working on a luxury hotel in Aruba or with the community in the Central Valley, Enlace Arquitectura acts with empathy toward clients' and communities needs, a practice borne from observations and dialogues with a multitude of voices.

Our team

enlace foundation

(est. 2017) is a non-government organization that engages participatory design processes and cultural programs to build awareness of pressing social and environmental issues.

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enlace foundation

(est. 2017) is a non-government organization that engages participatory design processes and cultural programs to build awareness of pressing social and environmental issues.

Enlace foundation

Working with a broad range of organizations, artists, and activists, Enlace Foundation (est. 2017) operates as a sister, non-profit organization to Enlace Arquitectura. The efforts of Enlace Foundation to facilitate experiences of social integration through dialogue, music, art, and design as points of exchange between distant groups has resulted in a variety of projects in Venezuela and beyond. CABA: Cartography of the Caracas Barrios is the first book of its kind to map the growth of Caracas’ barrios over a 50-year period. Spearheaded by Enlace Foundation, this publication (2015) marks a milestone in the recognition of the barrio as a part of the city, revealing that half of Caracas’ population lives in barrios. Further research on public space projects throughout Latin America are compiled in the publication Pure Space: Expanding the Public Sphere through Public Space Transformations in Latin American Spontaneous Settlements (Actar, 2020). As a recipient of the Graham Foundation Grant, this publication reflects Enlace Foundation’s interest in understanding the complexity of public spaces in barrios. Enlace’s own public space projects (2015-2018) were awarded in the XX Architecture and Urbanism Biennial in Valparaiso, Chile 2017—and their work to achieve recognition for barrios throughout Latin America. Begun in 2018, The program Integration Process Caracas (IPC), a collaboration between Enlace Foundation and Ciudad Laboratorio, launched many events, exhibitions, celebrations, and built projects in the Caracas barrio, La Palomera, that invited a larger audience to challenge the stigmas associated with barrios through culture and art that brought neighboring communities together with the residents of La Palomera. This collaborative project was part of the main exhibition at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition Biennale di Venezia 2021 and the Chicago Architecture Biennial 2021 Exhibition Common at Arc en Rȇve Bordeaux France. More information regarding this project can be found at lapalomera.org. The programming of a cultural space, Annex Casa de Todos is an ongoing project today in La Palomera. Continuing the narrative of challenging modern assumptions of landscapes, Enlace Foundation and Ciudad Laboratorio  raised awareness of the river as a giver of life rather than as a collection of the city’s waste. Lecture series of international experiences, engagement of local school children, and walking tours along the river further encourage an understanding of the river as a vibrant ecological corridor that connects the city. Archives, articles, and recordings of many contributors of this initiative can be found at rioguaire.org.

Our team

enlace arquitectura

(est. 2007) is a professional practice invested in extending the tools of architecture, landscape architecture and urban design to territories beyond the discipline's conventional boundaries.

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  • 2022

    Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize Outstanding project - San Juan María Vianney Church

  • 2021

    Chicago Architecture Biennial invited by curator David Brown 

    Biennale di Venezia International Architecture Exhibition invited by curator Hashim Sarkis

    Graham Foundation Grantee - The Center for Art & Culture (Casa de Todos Annex) in Caracas, Venezuela

  • 2020

    Grant from the Venezuelan Affairs Unit - US State Department

    Grant from the French Embassy in Venezuela

    Grant from the Swiss Embassy in Venezuela

  • 2019

    Awarded built project XI Iberoamerican Architecture and Urban Design Biennial in Asunción, Paraguay for the San Juan María Vianney Church in Media Legua

    Lucas Artist Fellowship Montalvo Art Center California USA

  • 2018

    Grant from the United States Embassy in Venezuela Cultural Affairs

  • 2017

    Finalists of the XX Architecture and Urban Design Biennial in Chile for the category "Activism"

    Graham Foundation Grantee - publication Pure Space: expanding the public sphere through public space transformations in Latin American spontaneous settlements

    Winner of UN Habitat Public Space in Informal Settlements Competition