In memory of the architect Pedro Gutiérrez

There are times when, contemplating some detail of Casa Secuoya, I surprise myself in an imaginary dialogue with the architects who designed it, Pedro Gutiérrez and Pedro Silleras. I ask them where their inspiration came from, why they thought of combining marble, wood and concrete or what challenges the construction entailed in the early 70s. I ask them about the finishes and colors, which seem very well chosen to me. Also for elements as prosaic as the drainage gutters, which I love: they are like contemporary gargoyles, geometric and with great personality. We also talk about dazzling balance that accompanies me when I enter the spacious living room on the ground floor, that harmony that is generated between the most physical and tangible, the materials, and the most ethereal, the light that enters through the high windows.

I enthusiastically enjoy the architecture of Casa Secuoya and that has led me to become interested in and admire the work of Pedro Gutiérrez. Born in 1931 and died in February 2022 at the age of 90, he was one of the greatest Burgos architects of the 20th century, author of emblematic buildings that have aligned Burgos with the best of the architectural avant-garde. A few months ago, the Diario de Burgos published a image gallery of the most relevant works that Gutiérrez built in the city, often in collaboration with another architect from Burgos, Felipe de Abajo. All of them stand out for knowing how to combine function and form. An office building like Edinco, with an obvious practical purpose, shows an abstract glass "skin"; It is like a miniature skyscraper that enriches its urban context. In another example, the Goya and Consulado cinemas, on San Pablo Street, the avant-garde building housed perfectly designed rooms. Its demolition in 1993 was a shame, as was the disappearance of the Mainel gallery, also designed by Gutiérrez. That is why I believe that we must protect our most current heritage as much as possible.

I am lucky to have some aerial photographs from 1975, when Casa Secuoya had just been built. It was commissioned by my grandfather, Teodoro García. The project was ahead of its time, there is no doubt about that when we are welcomed and surprised by its clear lines, so forceful and powerful and, at the same time, so friendly, sensitive and well integrated into the garden environment. The house has the virtue of the best architecture: it embraces, protects, represents and continues to excite. It is as much of now as it is of all time. I am excited to think that it is part of the contemporary culture of Burgos and that it connects this place with the international avant-garde of the time.

It is a responsibility to maintain the original spirit, with its noble materials, its vision and its technical solutions, with an anticipation that amazes. In those aerial photos that I mentioned, our sequoia, the tree that gives its name to the house, barely reached a few meters. Today its height grows every year and is a symbol of another giant: the great architect Pedro Gutiérrez.

Otilia Lopez