Juan Kurchan

Juan Kurchan (21 November 1913 - 3 November 1972) was an architect and Argentinian designer, one of the mentors of the Modern Movement in Argentina. His best known design is the BKF Chair.

Biography

He was born in Buenos Aires, where he studied architecture at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Buenos Aires in 1937.

Immediately afterwards he travelled together with his colleague and fellow Jorge Ferrari Hardoy to Europe and completed his training in the study of Him Corbusier where met the Catalan architect Antonio Bonet.

In 1938 he participated in the creation of the Group Austral together with Antonio Bonet and Jorge Ferrari Hardoy.

The same year, with Bonet and Ferrari Hardoy, he designed the famous BKF chair. The piece, that went in in the history of the international design, was designed for the ateliers in Suipacha and Esmeralda, obtaining in 1940 the Prize of the National Commission of Culture and the First Prize of the National Commission of Fine arts.

In 1941, as a result of studies undertaken with Ferrari Hardoy, he created avant-garde works, like the convertible departments of Or´higgins 2319, which served as the basis for building the collective house "The eucaliptos" in the street Viceroy of the Pine 2446 (1941/1943), and the unusual houses in Conesa 1182 and Rivadavia 613, all in Buenos Aires.

Afterwards, he worked as an architect of the Ministry of Marina, like boss of project of the study of engineering of José Englander.

He was Director of Urbanismo of the Municipalidad of Buenos Aires in 1952. During several years was member of the School of Juries of the Central Society of Architects and also of the Commission of Planing of this entity.

Finally, he integrated to the group of José Luis Bacigalupo, Alfredo Luis Guidali, Jorge Osvaldo Riopedre, Héctor Ugarte and Simón L. Ungar, with which formed the Study URBIS, specialized in architecture and planing.

Together with them he also projected and built in the years '50 the house Paunero between other works and in 1953 the building sito in Saturnino Segurola 1310, in the Party of Vicente López, in where he fixed his particular residence until his death on 3 November 1972.

In 1966 it was one of the Directors of the National Bottom of the Arts. And in this decade is member of Six S.R.L., Bosix S.R.L., Series S.R.L. And Aunar S.R.L..

He received distinctions by his task like designer in distinct opportunities. In association with other colleagues projected and directed the construction in our country, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil, of a wide range of works of architecture, urbanismo and planing, like the Centre of Marine Biology in Ushuaia and the Plan Urbis for Buenos Aires.

He died in Buenos Aires on 3 November 1972.