Pablo Castro Estévez is the James R. Lamantia Jr. Rome Prize Winner in Architecture and a principal at OBRA Architects in New York.
What part of the United States did you come from?
New York
Why did you apply for the Rome Prize?
I believe that to do good architecture one must travel and experience places and buildings in person. Rome is a great place to do just that. Having been here for a month already, I also realize that living together at the academy with other artists and scholars and taking advantage of the opportunity for exchange amongst them is extremely rewarding, so that should count as a retroactive reason for me.
Describe a particularly inspiring moment or location you've experienced in Rome thus far.
There have been too many already, but maybe wandering around lost in the Campo Marzio late at night the day after I first arrived and unexpectedly encountering the rounded back side of the Pantheon. It was a shockingly disconcerting experience until I realized what it was.
To what extent, if any, has your proposed project changed since your arrival?
I think my project is too ambitious; I have to either scale back or apply for a Rome Prize second term (is that even possible?)
Have you had any "eureka!" moments or unanticipated breakthroughs in the course of your work here?
Not yet. Somehow I am still living my stay in Rome as if in slow motion. I think the gift of the academy is one of time as well as place, and feel I can afford to let things slowly grow inside me.
What aspect of your project are you most looking forward to?
Maybe getting behind the appearances and gaining a deeper understanding of some of the things I might have a chance to see.
How have you managed the balance between your work (time in the studio/study) and engagement with Rome and Italy (travel, sightseeing, interactions with locals)?
Not too well yet—I think so far I have spent too much time indoors, but I hope to be able to correct that soon.
How do you anticipate your Rome Prize Fellowship will influence future work?
I would think that having the chance to live in Rome for a year pursuing a project would become an important milestone in anyone’s life. Part of my work involves wrestling architectural thinking away from concept and abstraction, so my hope will be that the duration of this experience will mark a transformation on the way I work and that I will acquire a deeper understanding of my task.
What is your favorite spot at the Academy? Or in Rome?
So far it’s still the Pantheon.