Horace Matthews shows architecture is more than ‘drawing’

Architect Horace 'Hugo' Matthews is eager to transform the metropolitan area into a more dense space, with eye-catching and revolutionary building designs quipped for the 21st century.

While a student at Mavisville Preparatory in Kingston, Matthews had an affinity for drawing and spent hours drawing in his textbooks.

"My initial thought process was to do product designing because I liked designing things, but when it got down to sixth form (at Campion College) a lot of my friends were migrating and it wasn't something that I wanted to do. But I didn't know that product designing was a thing in Jamaica," he explained.

His mother, Janet Matthews, however, sought to nurture his love for creating sketches and nudged him to consider architecture. She also introduced him to an engineer from Dubai, whose building designs piqued his interest.

"He came out of his house with a whole bunch of books of actual buildings that he worked on in Dubai. I'm telling you about detail on top of detail. I was a little bit amazed about what I was seeing. I couldn't believe that someone thought about all of those things to put in a building," Matthews shared. In 1997, the Vineyard Town native was accepted to the University of Technology's Caribbean School of Architecture. He has so far amassed an award-winning career.

"An architect is really a master of the entire building process, and I would say only 10 per cent of that process is drawing, and everything else is marshalling the project through to fruition. We have to first meet with the client and sort of tailor them to get to the project that makes sense. We have to have an idea of building cost, the type of materials to use and the environment. Then we come up with the design then bring all of the professionals and we head that team of professionals," Matthews, 43, told THE STAR. He said that before beginning construction, one has to consider whether the location would be suitable for the type of building being erected.

His notable creations include Fontana Waterloo and the high-rise apartment complex, 20 South. His mantra, 'man is a part of nature', is one that is evident in his designs. He shared that a part of his agenda is advocating for greater density in Kingston. He explained that there is a noticeable trend of erecting tall buildings in the city, which has resulted in conflicting views by the public.

"Worldwide, the density in urban areas is increasing because a lot of persons come to town to work and that happens constantly. If that happens, and there is no housing product where they are, what will happen is that they have to rent a flat," he said. "What I want to do, I welcome the idea of densifying Kingston and other urban areas, and one of those things we have to do is figure out how to densify it properly so no one feels like we're stepping on any toes. I definitely think Kingston needs to be densified."

He said that creativity, the ability to think logically, having a grasp of mathematics and the sciences, as well as being a lover of nature, help in doing the job.