Not long ago, during one of the big round-table discussions organised by Hans-Ulrich Obrist in the pavilion-garden of the Serpentine Gallery in London, the musician, producer and artist Brian Eno explained his understanding of how a musical composition is created, beginning with his interpretation of the differences between an architect and a gardener.
"An architect," he said, "at least in the traditional sense, is somebody who has an in-detail concept of the final result in their head, and their task is to control the rest of nature sufficiently to get that built." "An architect," he added, "subjects everything to an effort of control." A gardener, on the other hand, "works in collaboration with the complex and unpredictable processes of nature." It's in the nature of gardens. None of them, not even the mythical Garden of Eden, paradise itself, can be created or controlled down to the finest detail. A garden can be carefully planted with some rather well-selected seeds, hopefully, which should then take root, grow and maybe develop into something resembling the original idea.
Carlos Murillo, an engineer by training who later become an architect and gardener by vocation, was born in 1925 in Culiacán, the capital of the Mexican state of Sinaloa known for its extreme climate. He graduated in 1948 from the University of Guadalajara with a degree in engineering because the city's School of Architecture would only be founded a year later, in 1949, by Ignacio Díaz Morales and other renowned local architects. Returning to Culiacán in the 1950s, Murillo received his first commission: a house for Francisco Ritz that exhibited the clear influences of international architecture in Mexico, with its self-standing walls, large windows and flat roof. The house also included a patio with a garden.
![Founded in 1986 by Carlos
Murillo Depraect, the park
covers an area of about 10
acres and houses more than
1,000 different plant species.
With a population of over
one million inhabitants, the
Mexican city of Culiacán is
located 80 km inland from the
Pacific Ocean. Founded in 1986 by Carlos
Murillo Depraect, the park
covers an area of about 10
acres and houses more than
1,000 different plant species.
With a population of over
one million inhabitants, the
Mexican city of Culiacán is
located 80 km inland from the
Pacific Ocean.](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2012/02/06/the-engineer-the-gardener-and-the-architect/big_373383_5696_DO1202070011.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
![The “game is over”. Alÿs tells
the following story: “On 20
March 2011, I left Mexico City
in my VW Beetle and drove
up north to Culiacán. Upon
arrival, I crashed my car into
a tree in the Botanical Garden.
Nature will do the rest” The “game is over”. Alÿs tells
the following story: “On 20
March 2011, I left Mexico City
in my VW Beetle and drove
up north to Culiacán. Upon
arrival, I crashed my car into
a tree in the Botanical Garden.
Nature will do the rest”](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2012/02/06/the-engineer-the-gardener-and-the-architect/big_373383_5972_DO1202070031.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
Like the garden encompassing it, the project is a work in progress, open-ended, firm in its intention yet flexible in the details
![The educational centre.
Divided into three separate
volumes, it contains a
classroom and an auditorium
for educational activities The educational centre.
Divided into three separate
volumes, it contains a
classroom and an auditorium
for educational activities](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2012/02/06/the-engineer-the-gardener-and-the-architect/big_373383_4443_DO1202070021.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
![Vargas Lugo hung a concrete
and iron star among the
stalks of bamboo. Despite
its solid physical presence,
the structure seems to be
fragmented by the force of the
foliage Vargas Lugo hung a concrete
and iron star among the
stalks of bamboo. Despite
its solid physical presence,
the structure seems to be
fragmented by the force of the
foliage](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2012/02/06/the-engineer-the-gardener-and-the-architect/big_373383_5978_DO1202070051.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
The interstices between the various areas house several service buildings: three units for educational facilities and a small outdoor auditorium. Apparently built with impeccable care, these monolithic and distorted structures follow non-orthogonal ideas without resorting to facile special effects. These pleasant and light bunkers have no intention of blending in with their surroundings, nor with their compositional strategies, nor even with the final result. At the same time, however, they don't strive to provide stark contrasts. Even though austere, it's difficult to classify them as "minimal", which, although in vogue for several years now, is a label that actually explains very little.
![A 70-seat open-air
auditorium welcomes visitors
to the park with a 7-minute
video explaining the genesis
and organisation of the
Botanical Garden A 70-seat open-air
auditorium welcomes visitors
to the park with a 7-minute
video explaining the genesis
and organisation of the
Botanical Garden](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2012/02/06/the-engineer-the-gardener-and-the-architect/big_373383_9703_DO1202070061.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
So the project continues to grow and, in a certain sense, be cultivated. Like the garden encompassing it, it is a work in progress, open-ended, firm in its intention yet flexible in the details. A project where architecture is learning from an engineer who became a gardener. Alejandro Hernández Gálvez (@otrootroblog) is an architect and a critic.
![Garden rubbish was used by
the collective Tercerunquinto
as the basis for their
installation. It toys with the
juxtaposition between the
recycled materials that were
generated during the garden’s
construction, and the new
architectural structures Garden rubbish was used by
the collective Tercerunquinto
as the basis for their
installation. It toys with the
juxtaposition between the
recycled materials that were
generated during the garden’s
construction, and the new
architectural structures](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2012/02/06/the-engineer-the-gardener-and-the-architect/big_373383_9911_DO1202070071.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
Design Team: Tatiana Bilbao, David Vaner, Catia Bilbao (master plan), Israel Alvarez, Mariana Tello, Eliza Figueroa, Lina Rúelas, Sebastián Córdova, Carlos Leguizamo, Paola Toriz, Ana Yumbe, Julieta Sobral de Elía, Roberto Rosales (design)
Models: Mauricio Rodriguez, Roberto Rodriguez, Isais Corona, Omar Diaz, Ana Castellá, Essiak Fernandez, Thorsten Englert, Adriana Carvalho
Structural Engineering: IESSA S.A DE C.V, Javier Ribe
Construction Supervision: Paralelo, Estandares Globales en Arquitectura, Arturo Barbosa
Hydraulic Engineering: QM Ingeniería, Jorge S. Quintana
Lighting Design: Luz en Arquitectura, Kai Diederichsen
Landscape Design: TOA, Taller de Operaciones Ambientales
Art Programme and Curation: Patrick Charpenel
Client: Sociedad Botánica de Culiacán
Site area: 109.250 mq
Design phase: 2004—current
Construction phase:
2004—2007 (phase 1)
2007—2011 (phase 2)
2011—2014 (phase 3)
![Allora & Calzadilla attached
a false leg to a tree. This
unusual “branch” protrudes
seductively from the trunk.
Long formed an ellipse with
blocks of white quartz,
demonstrating the possibility
of a respectful relationship
between man and nature Allora & Calzadilla attached
a false leg to a tree. This
unusual “branch” protrudes
seductively from the trunk.
Long formed an ellipse with
blocks of white quartz,
demonstrating the possibility
of a respectful relationship
between man and nature](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2012/02/06/the-engineer-the-gardener-and-the-architect/big_373383_4992_DO1202070081.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
![Sofía Táboas, <em>Elevated platform with extraterrestrial layout</em>, 2008—2011 Sofía Táboas, <em>Elevated platform with extraterrestrial layout</em>, 2008—2011](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2012/02/06/the-engineer-the-gardener-and-the-architect/big_373383_3830_DO1202070091.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
![Teresa Margolles, <em>Untitled</em>, 2006 Teresa Margolles, <em>Untitled</em>, 2006](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2012/02/06/the-engineer-the-gardener-and-the-architect/big_373383_6716_DO1202070111.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
![Ramírez Erre used coloured
arrows to indicate direction
and distance between
Culiacán and selected foreign
cities. Other arrows carry
quotes and sayings. Eliasson
explored the relation between
geometry and aesthetics, with
a pavilion covered by five
aromatic plants Ramírez Erre used coloured
arrows to indicate direction
and distance between
Culiacán and selected foreign
cities. Other arrows carry
quotes and sayings. Eliasson
explored the relation between
geometry and aesthetics, with
a pavilion covered by five
aromatic plants](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2012/02/06/the-engineer-the-gardener-and-the-architect/big_373383_7204_DO1202070121.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
![The educational centre The educational centre](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2012/02/06/the-engineer-the-gardener-and-the-architect/big_373383_1356_DO1202070141.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
![Táboas invites passers-by
to interact with the sunlight
to create amber-coloured
shades. Her work alludes
ironically to the esoteric
experiences that permeate
contemporary society Táboas invites passers-by
to interact with the sunlight
to create amber-coloured
shades. Her work alludes
ironically to the esoteric
experiences that permeate
contemporary society](/content/dam/domusweb/en/architecture/2012/02/06/the-engineer-the-gardener-and-the-architect/big_373383_2660_DO1202070171.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)