The work of the Spanish architect Abelardo Lafuente in cosmopolitan Shanghai from 1913 to 1931

Led by Álvaro Leonardo, Dr. architect and director of the ‘Abelardo Lafuente Research Project’.

The intervention in the webinar was to introduce in the first place the figure of the only and first Spanish architect in China, Abelardo Lafuente (Madrid 1871-Shanghai 1931) and the very interesting group of Spaniards that surrounded him at that time that although it was a very reduced, they supported each other a lot and this was reflected in a piece of news from the "Spanish Vanguard" that was the origin of the research that ended up being a doctoral thesis about his life and works ten years later.

After that, and to put people in a situation, a comparison of the three best known Spanish architects of that time was shown and how despite their coincidence in time, each of them had a completely different career. On the one hand, Gaudí in Spain, on the other Guastavino in New York and finally Lafuente in Shanghai. Unlike the previous ones, the distance and isolation of the Madrilenian in China was much greater and that was shown with the world map and the time it took him to get there and in what means since airplanes did not exist.

From here on, a quick introduction to his figure was made, which began to be forged in Spanish Manila by the hand of his father and in which he lived for 15 years already under American domination and that by the time he reached Shanghai his fame among the Spanish colony. in Asia it already preceded it. The period in China was very important, and until 1931 he only lost five years in the city in which he tried to open a second study on the Californian coast, but because of the crash of 29 he could not achieve his goal, and he was ruined. To recover, he emigrated to Mexico to relocate and return to China to attempt a successful second stage in his still-open studio.

Once his story was introduced, he went on to explain the city that he found upon his arrival in 1913 and the buildings that he made in almost two decades. On the one hand, the garages for the Spanish businessman Albert Cohen, among which the “Star Garage Co” (1915) stood out mainly, from which the original photos of its construction were shown to those of its state in 2010 and today. , in order to explain the evolution of the treatment of architectural heritage in Shanghai over a period of ten years and which is the most active in this regard. In this particular case, it is perfectly clear how an old building like this one located in one of the main streets of the city has begun to be appreciated much more than how its facade was treated ten years before.

The ‘Star Garage’ Shanghai, before and after its restoration in 2010 (second photo) and today (2019- last photo)

The next example that was shown was that of the Ballroom of the old Astor House Hotel that today is no longer used in its original function but whose space was refurbished or rehabilitated a long time ago when there was no real interest in the real rehabilitation of the spaces. Therefore, the treatment that was given is completely different from the one that would have been given today if it had wanted to rehabilitate, something that has not happened yet despite the change in use and that the room now serves as an exhibition area of ​​a building which is now a museum.

Finally, there were two other important examples of his work, which were buildings made for the Spanish businessman who introduced cinema to China, Antonio Ramos. For him he made two very different buildings on a plot divided in two in the northern part of the city (Hongkou).

On the one hand, he built his summer mansion in the Spanish neo-Arabic style that he introduced to China and for which he was well known in his time, and on the other, he talked about the apartment building that he designed for him as a real estate investment. in the city. In both cases, the way to approach the rehabilitation of both buildings was discussed. One more floor was added to the apartment many years ago and there is no evidence of it, but it is a building that has practically not changed over the years and which is still used with the same function today. In addition, this building despite being maintained over time, has not changed or will change much because apparently it does not have a great architectural interest, although as explained it is a type of residential block with patios of lights, which is very rare in China and very common in Spain, and its study and rehabilitation would be interesting there, since the original plans are also available in the “Urban Construction Archives” in Shanghai.

Summer mansion for the Ramos family, Shanghai.

But the most paradigmatic and interesting example of those shown in the intervention is that of his summer mansion on the current Duoluon Road, since it is a unique building of its kind, which is in one of the best known areas of local tourism in the city, and that it is the only example still standing of that Spanish neo-Arabic style brought to China by Lafuente.

Both the original photos and those of the state of it in 2010 were shown of said building, and how it changed in 2013 as a result of a very careless rehabilitation that was carried out and that did not help at all to improve the architectural image of the property. Of course, it served perfectly as a stage function for tourists, which is one of the strategies used in China with tourism, and which Plácido González explained in detail in his speech.

With this, the growing interest in China for the rehabilitation of architectural heritage was evidenced, but this has only been evident for less than five years and that this is making a lot of change in the perception of these buildings and the way of treating them.

The government is promoting the creation of a list of architectural heritage to be conserved, to which it should be given more importance, and since very recently it has begun to contemplate the foreign architecture of the 20th century, which due to their uniqueness are important examples to maintain and know how to treat rehabilitation level. That is why universities in China are placing much more emphasis on this issue and their professionals are beginning to be better trained than ten years before, when they did not yet have a good enough theoretical basis to rehabilitate a building. like this mansion in top condition. Hence, the photos shown show how unprofessional the intervention carried out on the facade of the Mansión de Ramos in 2013 was.

Finally, the paradigmatic example of Xintiandi was discussed and explained and how well it has turned out, and how this pilot project is being applied in almost all cities in China for similar areas.