This project’s purpose is to create an awareness of our architectural heritage. The specific area of interest is modern architecture of the twentieth century found in the Dominican Republic. While these buildings belong to our cultural landscape, right now they are in a state of deterioration and at risk of disappearing forever.
This neglect is not uncommon in developing countries—the public believes that it is not worth keeping these buildings since they often don’t support current functional needs and seem impractical to adapt and maintain. Also, education regarding their cultural value is negligible—many people do not understand the historical contribution these buildings make to the landscape of the city.
To respond to this need, I have created a book that combines historical and contemporary documentation of these important buildings alongside paper models that can be constructed when removed from the book. The vulnerability of the fragile paper models in some parallels the risk posed to the actual buildings. The idea is to create an audience for this buildings by proposing a book that would be appealing to both kids and adults. In
this way the reader can educate themselves while interacting with the content, sparking curiosity and raising awareness at the same time for these vanishing artifacts.
