Architecture as a Dialogue with the Earth: An Interview with Antón García-Abril from Ensamble Studio
Architecture as a Dialogue with the Earth: An Interview with Antón García-Abril from Ensamble Studio by Taryn Traest, S.Simge Duğa Hölzler, Woranitta Sukwattanasombat
On January 27, 2025, we had the opportunity to sit down with Antón García-Abril, the renowned architect from Ensamble Madrid, to discuss his philosophical and experimental approach to architecture. Our conversation explored the deep connection between architecture and the earth, the origins of human culture, and the transformative power of materiality.
The Architecture of the Earth
García sees architecture not as an imposed structure but as an extension of the landscape itself. His project The Truffle embodies this philosophy, demonstrating how architecture emerges from the rawness of materiality. Rather than anticipating a design outcome, he and his team strive to evoke emotions rooted in memory.
“What actions transform a landscape into architecture?” he asks—a fundamental question that guides his work. The answer, according to García, is not about dictating form but about responding to the material’s inherent properties and potential.
Experimentation and the Role of Failure
García embraces a process of trial and error, envisioning ideas that grow organically through experimentation. He believes that even when an experiment seems to fail, it teaches invaluable lessons. For young architects, his advice is clear: trust the process and let the material lead the way. “Failure doesn’t exist,” he insists. “It is a discovery.”
The Relationship Between Context and Concept
When asked about the importance of a landscape’s context, García offers a nuanced perspective. “Sometimes the context is inspiring, sometimes it isn’t, and sometimes it must be rejected.” He challenges the conventional view that architecture should always integrate seamlessly into its surroundings, arguing instead that it can also provoke new ways of seeing a place.
This led us to a fundamental question: “What comes first, the concept or the location?” García laughs and replies definitively, “The chicken.” When asked whether the chicken represents the context or the concept, he elaborates that architecture holds human desire and finds places accordingly. While it is rooted in human expression, it must always be unified with the earth, acknowledging our relationship with the land as a shared common ground.
Minimal Intervention and the Art of Completion
A crucial aspect of García’s work is knowing when an experiment is complete. “Is it done when there are enough cracks, or do we keep going?”. His response is poetic: it is a matter of feeling, circumstance, and sometimes even deadlines. “Should we touch the line?” he ponders. The goal is to do the minimum necessary to make a space habitable, preserving the authenticity of the found object—like a cave. The intervention remains simple and humble, defined by the final function and aspiration of the project.
Conclusion: Trusting the Material
García’s experimental design approach is a lesson in humility. “The material tells you what to do,” he says. By trusting in material expression, architects can mediate between human intention and the inherent logic of the earth. This philosophy offers not just a method of design but a way of understanding architecture as an evolving dialogue with the landscape. In a world where architecture often seeks to dominate, García’s work is a reminder that true innovation comes from listening, remembering, and allowing space for discovery.