Gloria Cabral. For Paraguayan architect Gloria Cabral, designing buildings is based on thinking about how the space will be used rather than conceiving them as objects d’art. Influenced by what she calls the artistic and engineering sides of her parents, Cabral studied architecture at the Universidad Nacional de Asunción. While still studying, she was employed as an intern at prestigious Asuncion-based architecture firm, Gabinete de Arquitectura, and was made a full partner in 2004. For the past 10 years, she has worked with the Gabinete team on projects informed by strong environmental and social concerns, notably the Teleton Children’s Rehabilitation Center, which won first prize at the 2010 Bienal Panamericana in the recycling category. Also a committed teacher, Cabral has been a professor at the Universidad Nacional de Asunción since 2009, and has served as visiting professor at universities in Panama and Peru. She also lectures at universities in several South American countries. Driven by a profound belief in collaborative approaches to work, Cabral hopes that in her mentorship with Peter Zumthor she can bring something to the relationship as well as receive something to help her grow and gain international exposure and experience outside Paraguay.
