(b Montevideo, 5 March 1913; d Montevideo, 13 Jan 1988). Uruguayan architect and teacher. After completing his architectural education at the University of Montevideo (1937), he took part in several architectural competitions, winning numerous awards. At the same time he worked as an occasional collaborator of Julio Vilamajó, the outstanding figure in modern Uruguayan architecture, with whom he had studied and for whom he had a profound admiration. He also greatly admired the important Uruguayan painter Joaquín Torres García, and as a result of his contacts with Torres García and the latter’s followers, Payssé-Reyes acquired a solid conception of structure, a strict sense of proportion and an interest in the inherent qualities of commonplace materials. After establishing his own practice in 1943, he made frequent use of rough, exposed brickwork in his buildings. In addition, inspired by the Constructivist painting promoted by Torres García, he often incorporated the applied arts in his work, for example at the Seminario Arquidiocesano (1954–8) of Toledo and his own house (1954–5), Carrasco, Montevideo. The latter provides a clear demonstration of his principles, including a concern that architecture should be compatible with its environmental and cultural context and that design should be supported by constructional logic and a corresponding economy of means. His interest in contextual design is particularly apparent in the Banco de Previsión Social de Montevideo building (1957–72), Montevideo, where there was a clear relationship between the building and its urban setting. Later works included the Uruguayan Embassy (1978–81), Buenos Aires. Payssé-Reyes was an influential teacher at the University of Montevideo, where he taught from 1943; in 1975 he became director of the Escuela de Arquitectura there.

• Payssé-Reyes, Mario
  • Uruguay, §III: Architecture
  • Uruguay, §VIII: Art education