Pratt Institute School of Architecture and Latin Pratt, a student research organization, will present "Breaking Borders: New Latin American Architecture," an exhibition highlighting contemporary architecture of the past 10 years from 45 firms representing more than 10 countries in Latin America from September 8 through November 30, 2011, at the Hazel and Robert H. Siegel Gallery at 61 Saint James Place in Brooklyn. The exhibition and opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on September 8 are free and open to the public. It is curated by Ivan Rumenov Shumkov, Ph.D., adjunct associate professor of undergraduate architecture, and Andres Chavez and Julio Martinez, both students in Pratt's undergraduate architecture program and founders of Latin Pratt.

The work exhibited includes both built and proposed projects whose scope has been influenced by a history of political and social instability, invasive use of environmentally sensitive regions, rapid urbanization, social displacement, unique climate conditions, and the preservation of vast natural resources. The exhibition is organized according to geographic regions within Latin America and will showcase contemporary architects who have contributed to the benefit of societies in the corresponding regions by means of the built environment.

"The objective of the show is to introduce and investigate Latin America as a place of great historical significance and modern-day development in architecture and urban planning," said Chavez. "The architects selected are those who have accomplished careers within their respective countries and who have been internationally recognized for their efforts," added Martinez.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Pratt Institute School of Architecture and Latin Pratt will also host a symposium titled "New Latin American Architecture: A Critical Panorama" on Monday, November 7, 2011, from 6 to 9 p.m. in Higgins Hall Auditorium at 61 Saint James Place. The symposium will be free and open to the public and will focus on the development of architecture in Latin America during the last decade and the future of architecture in Latin America.

The symposium will feature a panel discussion moderated by Ivan Rumenov Shumkov, Ph.D., adjunct associate professor at Pratt Institute and principal of Ivan Shumkov Architects; with panelists Barry Bergdoll, the Philip Johnson chief curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art and professor of architectural history at Columbia University; Alfredo Brillembourg, co-founder of Urban-Think Tank and chair of architecture and design at Zurich Institute of Technology; Ana Maria Duran Calisto, architect, researcher, and co-principal of Estudio A0; Kenneth Frampton, author, architect, and Ware Professor of Architecture at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at Columbia University; and Giancarlo Mazzanti Sierra, architect and a faculty member at Los Andes University in Bogotá, Colombia. 

There will also be two keynote lectures held in conjunction with the exhibition: one by Enrique Norten of TEN Arquitectos on October 24, 2011, and another by Carlos Jimenez, principal of Carlos Jimenez Studio and professor of architecture at Rice University on November 14, 2011. Both lectures will take place at 6 p.m., also in Higgins Hall Auditorium, and are free and open to the public.

Latin Pratt is a student research organization at Pratt Institute that aims to encourage awareness of the problems, strategies, and solutions implemented by Latin American architects and designers to mitigate the architectural/design challenges of housing, infrastructure, crime, employment, and cultural and civic affairs encountered by developing countries.

For more information on the exhibition and symposium surrounding "Breaking Borders," please visit www.latinpratt.org.