Principal Angel Ayón recently sat down with Sisto Martello of Design 2147 for Episode #109 of his “Sisto Says” podcast. In it, Angel starts with his origin story—becoming an architect in his native Cuba and falling in love with preservation.
“I love the notion that you have this dilapidated place that can be repurposed,” he says. ”That you can learn how to make it work, make it functional, make it liveable, and bring back something that has character and meaning.”
“That's the part that I love about landmarks,” returns Sisto, “the history of it. Understanding who it was built for and why. What was their mission? What were they trying to achieve?”
With a shared passion for historic buildings, the two go on to talk about preservation in New York City. Walking around the city, says Angel, “I always try to think of the craftsman. Who designed that? How did they draw it? How did they detail it? Who was the lead person who watched hundreds of men lay this brick to that precise scale? It's that level of quality.”
“But there's always cost,” counters Sisto. “That is actually where the preservation specialization really comes handy,” explains Angel. “You understand what has value, what can and cannot be done, what should or should not be done, and then try to strike the right balance.”
“Yes,” agrees Sisto. “That actually makes it harder because you just can't do the obvious. You can't just do it the easy way.”
Check out the rest of the podcast to hear Angel and Sisto discuss the next generation, the benefits of mentorship, and the responsibility to do the right thing. And last but not least, the challenges that inspired Angel’s book, Reglazing Modernism.