The architect behind the building complex of Centro de Conferencias is Jan Utzon, son of the famous Jørn Utzon, the architect who created the unique Sydney Opera House in Australia. Father and son have worked together for many years on various projects in the family company Utzon Associates Architects, until Jørn Utzon’s death in 2008.
Jan Utzon graduated in 1970 from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen.
Other projects of Utzon Associates Architects include:
Kuwait National Assembly Complex, Kuwait
Esbjerg Theatre and Concert Hall, Denmark
Skagen Odde Nature Center, Denmark
Utzon Center in Aalborg, Denmark
Here is what Jan Utzon has to say about his creation of the building complex of Centro de Conferencias:
“The project for the Conference Center was conceived after many considerations about the landscape, the climate, the location, the nature of the land and its orientation and the size of the available land.
In this spectacular and somewhat stark landscape, it seemed natural to place the project on the upper slopes of the flat land, rising from the Pacific Ocean, just in front of the foothills rising as a backdrop behind the buildings.
A conventional conference facility is normally located in a city, within a limited space, and is often housed in a multistory building containing reception, conference rooms, and dining facilities, above which are hotel-type rooms for the participants.
Because of the nature of the site, it has been possible to plan the entire conference facility as an open village or small town. Here the various meeting rooms, the libraries, the dining facilities, the sports facilities and pool are all housed in individual buildings, formed to reflect their purpose and arranged on a large plateau in a manner that gives the participant a number of pleasant spatial experiences when moving from his or her accommodation at either end of the complex.”
Jan Utzon goes on to describe what you see and experience when you approach the conference center:
“After a 20-mile drive on a gravel road through the mountains of Northern Baja California, the landscape opens and the Pacific Ocean appears before you in all its splendor. The only indication of your destination is a brief glimpse of the observatory before you pass the gate to the property. From here you drive downhill, towards the Pacific Ocean and along the foot of the hills. After another few miles, the Conference Center becomes visible and you drive around the compound to arrive at the magnificent main entrance, centrally located in the building complex.
From the large, open plaza at the main entrance you can move north between the administrative buildings of the center to your accommodation, or you can move south, past the various conference spaces, the large assembly hall, the dining facilities and café, to the southern accommodations.
As you are far away from other habitation you will experience a wonderful silence, only broken by the sound of breaking waves when the surf is up.
Likewise, the night sky is totally black with a magnificent carpet of stars, spreading from the horizon over the sea to the top of the mountains.”
