Juan Kurchan

Juan Kurchan (November, 21 1913 – November, 3 1972) was an Argentine architect and designer and a mentors of the Modern Movement in Argentina. His best known design is the individual lounge chair, BKF Chair, also known as the butterfly chair.

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

Immediately after, he traveled together with his colleague Jorge Ferrari Hardoy to Europe and completed his training in the studio of Le Corbusier where he met the Catalan architect Antonio Bonet.

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

The same year, with Bonet and Ferrari Hardoy, he designed the famous BKF chair. This piece was designed for the ateliers in Suipacha and Esmeralda. In 1940, it received 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. These served as the basis for building the collective house The Eucaliptos in the street Viceroy of the Pine 2446 (1941/1943), the unusual houses in Conesa 1182, and Rivadavia 613.

Afterwards, he worked as an architect for the Ministry of Marina, where he studied the engineering work of José Englander.

In 1952, he became Director of Urbanismo of the Municipalidad of Buenos Aires. During this time and for several years he served as a member of the School of Juries of the Central Society of Architects and was a member of the Commission of Planning.

He joined the group of José Luis Bacigalupo, Alfredo Luis Guidali, Jorge Osvaldo Riopedre, Héctor Ugarte and Simón L. Ungar. They formed the Study URBIS, which specialized in architecture and planning.

While working with them he designed and built the house Paunero. In 1953 he worked on the building site in Saturnino Segurola 1310, and the Party of Vicente López, where he tinkered with his particular residence until his death on November 3, 1972.

In 1966 he was one of the Directors of the National Bottom of the Arts. In this decade he was a member of Six S.R.L., Bosix S.R.L., Series S.R.L. and Aunar S.R.L.

Other works include the Centre of Marine Biology in Ushuaia and the Plan Urbis for Buenos Aires.

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