2310212022 22:26 Party Halls in EL All, Bolvia by Freddy Mamani Siveste The Architectural Review ESSAYS BUILDINGS PLACES ARCHITECTS ARCHIVE COMPETITIONS FILMS PODCASTS AWARDS STUDENTS MAGAZINES SHOP ‘We have money and can build in a way that represents us’ {3 JULY 2015 | BYELISABETTA ANDREOLI | TODAY A wide range of Party Halls add a playful social dimension to El Alto’s otherwise monotonous fabric, finds Elisabetta Andreoli Elisabetta Andreoli on Party Halls in El Alto, Bolivia by Freddy Mamani Silvestre hitps wn architectual-review.comitodayiwe-have-money-and-can-buld-in-e-way-that-represents-us mn2310212022 22:26 Tt was 15 years ago that self-taught architect Freddy Mamani Silvestre designed his first Salon de Hventos for a local Aymara entrepreneur in El Alto, Bolivia, Now more than 60 of the: ‘Party Halls’ punctuate the monotonous low-rise bare-brick cityscape of this young city, huddled on a vast plat eau at an altitude of 4,000 metres jus administrative capital. Similar buildings have started popping up in Peru and Argentina, and in the middle of the Amazon, This new architectural type with its flamboyant funfair style has garnered worldwide media attention, but the phenomenon is still so new that it lacks consensus on a name, and has been Jove La Paz, Bolivia's variously called ‘Transformer, Neo-Andean or Sp: hip, El Alto is a self-built city, home to one million people, predominantly Aymara, an ethnic group that together with the Quechua accounts for more than half of Bolivia's population, Whole neighbourhoods of the city are populated by poor indigenous settlers from the countryside that now work a few hundred metres down the slope in the whiter and richer La Paz, The growth of this peripheral city happened quickly following the arrival of entire communities after the devastating drought of 1983 and the shutdown of the mines in 198, Party Halls in EL All, Bolvia by Freddy Mamani Siveste RELATED STORIES Cow shed in Montérégie, Canada by La Shed Architecture ‘7 FEBRUARY 2022 | BY LEV BRATISHENKO Plast parties 25 JANUARY 2022 | BY ALISON J CLARKE fantastic: Tupperware Outrage: LA street vendors under threat 20 JANUARY 2022 | BY CARLA DE PAZ AND ANDREA GIBEONS Rain Harvest Home in ‘Temascaltepec, Mexico by Robert Hutchison Architecture and JSa Arquitectura 29 DECEMBER 2021 | BY NYIMAMURRY Ballen House in Medellin, Colombia by LCLA Office with Clara Arango 22 DECEMBER 2021 | BY SHIORI KANAZAWA Marfa Suite in Texas, USA by Dust Architecture 20 DECEMBER 2021 | BY GIANLUCA CAVALLARO-NG am2310212022 22:26 Party Halls in EL All, Bolvia by Freddy Mamani Sivestre ‘The flamboyant funfair-style Party Halls Incorporate distinctive Aymaran motifs ‘the Tiwanaku culture Because they moved as a group, their social ties were not broken, and simply re-established in a new location. An intricate network of trade and neighbourhood associations and community organisations also provides a degree of social cohesion. Thus the occupation of the land, at least in certain parts of the city, did not take place in a totally uncontrolled manner, What differentiates E] Alto from other rapidly developing urban zones is this high level of social organisation and the role this plays in structuring the ci am2syn212022 22:36, Party Halls in Ella, Bova by Fredy Mamani Siveste Formidable traders even before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Aymara have embraced globalisation and developed a thriving trade in importing goods from China, At the invitation of Asian brokers, A/eriow traders spend several weeks in the ‘commercial districts of the Far Hast buying and filling shipping containers with domestic appliances, mobile phones, cars or textiles. Docked at Chile's ports and brought up the steep slopes of the Andes to El Alto, goods are then sold to the rest of the country, and as far as the central and southern part of the Amazon, reaching over the border to Brazil and Paraguay. Such is the intensity of the commerce that El Alto is considered a ‘dry harbour’ (Bolivia lost its Pacific coast and port to Chile in 1904, something the Bolivian government is trying to reverse). Location plan - over 60 Party Halls puncture the urban landscape of El Alto The Aléerios’ economic success has been supported by Bolivia’s recent growth and stability, in combination with the ethnic group’s new political status. ‘The current president, Evo ‘Morales, is himself of Aymara origin, and his revised constitution, approved in 2009, recognised the ethnic diversity of the country with a new name, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Morales’s election in 2006 was part of the aftermath of a violent uprising in El Alto in 2008, known as Octobre Negro (Black October), which dramatically changed the country’s political landscape. As the leader of this historically marginalised, yet majority indigenous population, Morales was re-clected by a wide margin to a third term in October 2014. It was in this context of renewed cultural pride that Mamani’s ideas for a new style of building found fertile ground: “Through architecture we are showcasing our own culture, we have hitps:wwn arcitectural-review.com/todayiwe-have-money-and-can-buld-in-e-waythat-represents-us am2310212022 22:26 Party Halls in EL All, Bolvia by Freddy Mamani Siveste money and we can build in a way that represents us’, says the busy local Aymara designer. Mamani has several buildings under construction, yet hardly makes use of his office, nor does he have a secretary or any as stants, and he makes little use of architect drawings: ‘On the wall, I explain it there and then? Equally simple are his contracts with clients, also traditionally verbal only. ‘The Andean fondness for parties has to be understood within the Aymara tradition of support and reciprocity’ New Andean: a new indigenou. Mamani’s mixed-use buildings belong to a single family and all have the same programme. The ground floor is comprised of commercial units both facing the strect and arranged along an internal gallery, to be let out as shops to local vendors. A double-height Party Hall with mezzanine, the most important feature of the building, is located on the first and second floors with a Perspex rooflight at the rear for natural light. The hall provides enough space for dinner tables and dancing, as well as a bar and kitchen area, while the mezzanine is reserved for music bands, the lavatories and a baleony for watching the spectacle. In most cas 's, two rows of columns down the middle of the hall unwittingly give the hall a liturgical feel, like a chureh’s nave, Entrances and corridors are long and narrow with no real adaptation to the needs of large gatherings. Above the hall, one or more floors will house apartments, cither to be let out, or for the owners’ children, while the top of the building features a penthot ¢ or ‘chalet? for the owner. ‘This curious rooftop house typically features a pitched roof hitps:iwwn architectural-review.comitodaylwe-have-maney-and-can-bullds way-thatrepresents-us sm2310212022 22:26 Party Halls in EL All, Bolvia by Freddy Mamani Siveste and occupies only part of the overall footprint of the top floor, it often also differs in style from the rest of the building. Unlike the commercial spaces, designed to maximise their lettable floor area, the owners’ home is smaller and therefore slightly easier to heat by the sun (central heating is almost non-existent in El Alto or La Paz). The intent is also to differentiate the owner dwelling from the commercial units: “The building is to produce income. On the roof is our own hom ‘The cheerful Party Hall buildings give the indigenous sett banal fabri of the surrounding city As for the layout of the flats and houses, these vary considerably in plan, and even where they specify living rooms, or three or four individual bedrooms, the actual uses of these spaces do not correspond, with many being used as store rooms or informal living spaces. Far from the vocabulary of modern architecture, the decoration of Mamani’s work is an assemblage of a variety of hitps:wwn arcitectural-review.com/todayiwe-have-money-and-can-buld-in-e-waythat-represents-us em2310212022 22:26 Party Halls in EL All, Bolvia by Freddy Mamani Siveste motifs inspired by the Tiwanaku culture from which the Aymara descend, such as the Andean Cross or zoomorphic figures, reduced to their geometrical clements. Combined in stepped and gabled elevations, they result in intriguing combinations further enhan¢ ced by the use of reflective glass and strident colours: ‘I decided to use the colours of our textiles, colours we like} says Mamani, referring to the Andean tradition of using bold colours for festive garments. Elaborate multicoloured shawls and multilayered skirts are worn by the d when thousands of dancers ies take to the streets of El Alto, so-called pollera (urban Aymara women) and can be witne: during the numerous local festivals, organised in folkloric fratern La Paz and other Bolivian cities. Inside Mamani’s buildings, the extravagant facade is transmuted into decorative elements and geometric motifs which are stamped on pillars, around the edges of walls and on balustrades in different shades with varied refinements. The decoration is particularly rich in the Party Hall, and the exuberant decoration accounts for a good proportion of overall expense of the building, ranging from $250,000 to $600,000. Tlowever it only takes a couple of years to earn this money back. Parties are expensive, costing upwards of $50,000, and the halls are booked most weekends for events such as a girl's 15th birthday, weddings, the anniversary of an association or fraternity, or community events paid for by local entrepreneurs. Elaborate invitations are sent out, photographers, videographers and several music bands are hired (sometimes even mariachi bands from Mexico are flown in) and a fully catered service with huge quantities of beer is, provided by the host, usually one or more couples. Leftovers are distributed to the families to take home. mm2310212022 22:26 Party Halls in EL All, Bolvia by Freddy Mamani Siveste ‘pleat cron oer plan ‘Typical Party Hall fe fans - Click to expand Alejandro Chino and Marfa del Carmen Pérez are among ‘Mamani's best clients, Chino started work at the age of 14 as apprentice tailor, now his family business serves politicians, diplomats, the army and fraternities. Chino was so pleased with his first Party Hall, Alexander the King, that shortly after works were completed, he commissioned Alexander the Prince to be built next door, Ilis new hall will include sport facilities, a wedding suite and a swimming pool: ‘It is the best one. T have 20 weddings already lined up. People come from all over to see it. In La Paz, they can’t even dream of it? The built using basic modern techniques and materials: reinforced-concrete structures infilled with brick, pre-moulded beams for large spans, industrially produced metal window frames for the glass ty Hall buildings facades. The artisanal components of the decoration such as the ceiling roses for the chandeliers and the reliefs on the colum re made # situ by Mamani’s trained teams, using hitps:iwwn architectural-review.comitodaylwe-have-maney-and-can-bulds way-thatrepresents-us am2310212022 22:26 Party Halls in EL All, Bolvia by Freddy Mamani Siveste wire frames and abundant quantities of plaster and polystyrene: “They are decided on the spot. We make the mould and fill in with polystyrene. Everything is done by hand? ‘The Andean fondne the Aymara tradition of support and reciprocity. In El Alto’s informal economy with relatively little banking infrastructure, locals rely on their own indigenous traditions such as the pasanaco, a rotating credit system, to raise the capital necessary to start a business. With the pasanaco, a group of individuals poo! financial resources to fund each community. for parties has to be understood within member's business venture in turn, Similarly, ayni, as a verb, commands member 's of the community to help each other for private purposes such as construction and agricultural tasks. As a noun, the law of ayni states that everything in the world is connected: humans, animals and natural elements including mountains, river and 0’ . Both pasanaco and ayni are still very much alive in El Alto, and many of the parties are hosted by rich entrepret curs to thank the community for their fin: ssfully. ncial help in establishing their business suce ‘Section AA ‘The typology of Party Hall buildings has been a success, salons are booked most weekends and it proves to be a profitable business despite the high initial costs, Most of the building: are in prominent positions on main avenues or at junc! to the prior to Mamani, there was already the use of some colour in the facades of the local vernacular and that a handful of eclectic buildings predated his first Party Hall. However the consistent application of Mamani’s bold and daring style has had a real impact on El Alto, and the place is starting to attract visitors and tourists: ‘I wanted to give my city its own tions and contribute a sense of pl y. Tt is fair to say that hitps:iwwn architectural-review.comitodaylwe-have-maney-and-can-bullds way-thatrepresents-us om2310212022 22:26 Party Halls in EL All, Bolvia by Freddy Mamani Siveste identity’, Mamani states. ' .e construction industry is busy with colourful buildings appearing at speed. Not all recall Andean motifs. Now that Mamani has opened the door, local builders and architects are designing to the client’s faney, with designs inspired by electronic devices or toys suel as the ‘Transformer. Adrian Forty writes, ‘No design works unless it embodies ideas that are held common by the people for whom the object is intended? As in other Latin America countrit tried to create a regional language within the tradition of s, Bolivia has contemporary architecture, but the style that has struck a chord with its citizens has come from an unexpected direction, In the country, and particularly in neighbouring La Paz, the new stylistic trend has barely been acknowledged, and is, received with scepticism and disdain with a mix of cultural, class and ethnic resentment. The architectural community were taken aback by its success, and are not sure how to relate to this phenomenon. While Mamani refers to ‘Tiwanaku culture as his main source of inspiration, some crities ascribe its complexity and fullne: ‘More prosaically, others point to its resemblance to the orange, pitched decorations of buildings in the Far East. In architectural academia, Mamani’s bold colours and extravagant of motifs and colours to the Baroque. designs are not well received, and even the innovative mixed- use building type is reluctantly acknowledged Party Halls Architect: Freddy Mamani Silvestre Photographs: Alfredo Zaballos DOWNLOAD. JUNE 2015 ron2310212022 22:28 Party Halls in EL All, Bolvia by Freddy Mamani Siveste Since 1896, The Architectural Review has scoured the globe for architecture that challenges and inspires. Buildings old and new are chosen as prisms through which arguments and broader narratives are construeted. 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