The work by the journalist Martín Sanz, 'Building strong', is sponsored by Juan Gil-Albert Institute
InTempo building hosts the presentation of a biography about its author, the architect from Alicante Roberto Pérez-Guerras
The InTempo building in Benidorm has been the setting in which the Juan Gil-Albert Institute's book 'Building Strong: Roberto Pérez-Guerras', a biography of the well-known architect from Alicante, the work of the journalist Martín Sanz, was presented today. The InTempo is, possibly, the most iconic construction not only of Benidorm but also of the honoured architect.
The event was attended by the mayor of the city, Toni Pérez, the architect himself, the author of the book, the president of the Provincial Council, Carlos Mazón, the vice president of the provincial institution, Julia Parra, members of the municipal corporation and numerous guests.
Precisely the mayor has staked out that with this book “we know a very important part of this land; architecture linked to urbanism” and he has highlighted “that vision of 60 years ago of compressing the soil, caring for it, respecting it and conserving it has proven to be the most sustainable”. Pérez has detailed that "thirteen cities equal to Benidorm would take over all the existing buildings in the Mediterranean". “A message” he has said, “that we must always keep in mind”.
The mayor has once again valued the urban model of Benidorm and has underlined that "the compact city only needed someone who believed in it".
The first mayor has also praised the figure of Roberto Pérez-Guerras and the InTempo building, of which he has revealed that "it is a work that is integrated into Benidorm from the moment it was crowned because it became a unique building that already appeared in millions of pictograms.
The Vice President of the Provincial Council, Julia Parra, has also highlighted the figure of Pérez-Guerras as "one of the great names in architecture and urban planning and one of the great Alicante urban planners of all time".
For his part, Roberto Pérez-Guerras has told how since he was nine years old he already wanted to "build houses", the five buildings he has done in Benidorm or the commission he received from the Libyan government to build "the second largest mosque in the world", a project that did not come to fruition due to the end of Muammar Gaddafi's regime. The prestigious architect has also told some anecdotes and routines that he performs when he decides to build a building and has explained some changes experienced by architecture in recent times, based above all on the layout of the interiors of the houses.
The author of the book, Martín Sanz, has described Pérez-Guerras as "our most international architect and a magnificent ambassador of the province of Alicante" and has pointed out that the book "tries to make people know from childhood, youth and how it made its way into the world of architecture and urban planning”.
The act was closed by the president of the Diputación, Carlos Mazón, for whom "in the Parnassus of the great and illustrious Alicante is Roberto, who is a prophet in his land and a regular in the cultural and festive world". "From his bonhomie and humanity come to his great works" Mazón has affirmed.
Finally, the provincial president has also once again defended the Benidorm model, "which is constantly innovating" and has rejected those arguments used to criticize the city "because they attack concepts that should have been outdated decades ago".
