BLANCA MONTAÑA White
Mountain ARQUITECTURA EN CHILE arChiteCture IN CHILE
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The international positioning of exports requires a close coor dination between the public and private sectors, which Chile´s Trade Promotion Bureau – ProChile is constantly working to support. One of the tools used by ProChile to promote Chilean exports is the program Chile Brands that coordinates private initiatives supported by the Government, in which sectorial brands are designed and later implemented in target markets. These sectorial brands seek to position the quality of Chile’s exports of products and services in the world, as well as align them with the image of the country.
Beginning with these concepts, one can see that Chile´s architecture is innovative sustainable, and easily adaptable to nu merous settings as seen in the diversity of Chile´s geography and climate; that it has strong experience in residential architecture, in a market with strong real estate growth, present in a country that is undergoing a sustainable process of development where material and financial resources must be used in
One of the sectors that ProChile has supported in the design and implementation of a sectorial brand is Chile´s architectural services, which is represented by the Architectural Of fice Association of Chile – AOA. In 2009 the sectorial brand “Chilean Architecture” was launched in order to promote and position our architecture as adaptable to diverse geographies and climates, earthquake resistant, and sustainable, with each one of these factors considered to be inseparable components of each project.
Chilean arChiteCture
an efficient manner; and finally, that Chile´s architecture from early stages is designed to resist the most violent earthquakes on the Throughplanet.“White
Mountain” it is easy to see what “Chilean Architecture” hopes to show to the world. The works included in the exhibition and in the catalogue truly represent the distinct architectural offerings that exist in a country like Chile, with its unique geography and whose professionals have a permanent commitment to maintaining a special respect for the environment, delivering through their projects appropriate and effec tive solutions to complex challenges.
Yves besan Ç on
White Mountain Claudia Pertuzé
In conclusion, a great debt of gratitude is owed to all the architects who so patiently, generously and selflessly collaborated on the project.
The exhibition offers an overview of the state of Contemporary Chilean Architecture by showing the work of professionals who are at the vanguard of the discipline, through an installation of a series of 12 videos, each presenting 12 major projects in context. These videos recreate the experience of physically visiting the projects. Alongside a series of photographs of more than 60 projects are exhibited that further explore the wide range of architecture and the forefront of Chile´s portfolio.
Our aim is to showcase this important moment of creativity in the architecture in Chile. This exhibition complements the book White Mountain. Recent Chilean Architecture published in March 2011 by Puro Chile and edited by Miquel Adrià.
design concept for the exhibition in conjunction with Ricard Abuauad; Mauricio Léniz and his creativity in adapting the design and realization of the exhibition space; The National Council of Culture and the Arts of Chile with their backing and support for the distribution; Pro Chile and its brand Chilean Architecture, the Association of Architects of Chile (AOA) with its essential support and belief in the project; Pablo Casals-Aguirre and his great dedication in the making of the videos; Francisco Marshall, Laurent Apffel and Matías Mahns with their fine editing and work on the soundtrack of the videos; the well-informed Editorial Committee that represented the various generations of architects presented: Montserrat Palmer, Luis Izquierdo, Mauricio Léniz and Iñaki Volante; Tomás Andreu, Bernardita Pérez, Max Montero, Wool Carpeting, Blanca Bulnes and her team from Comsulting for their generous involvements in the project.
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White Mountain is the result of the collaborative work of many individuals and institutions that appreciate and understand the importance of illustrating worldwide the current standing of Chilean architecture. Among them are: Miquel Adrià with his vision and his excellent curatorial skills; Mathias Klotz who supported the project from the beginning with a creative
White Mountain is the retrospective of the current very prolific period in Contemporary Chilean Architecture. After many years of being on the margins, Chile has become to be recognized as a small architectural hub which offers an impressively strong and unique body of work. This is largely thanks to the stable economy and a very well structured academic system. Chilean architecture is a creative mountain that is visibly emerging.
Good quality architecture is, without a doubt, a great cultural asset. The aim of this exhibition is to show the richness of the culture of Contemporary Chilean Architecture where the extraordinary is part of daily life.
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Chilean PostCards
Miquel a dri À
Five years ago we began the book White Mountain, which was finally published in 2011. Today this exhibition incorporates
Chilean architecture is born and develops from a close rela tionship with the landscape. This exhibition illustrates the best of Chile’s architecture from the last twenty years. Look ing back we are aware of an extremely prolific period in which, after years on the margins Chilean architecture burst onto the scene showcasing some of the most interesting and original work in Latin America.
unknown buildings and authors to showcase the richness of the Chilean portfolio, privileging – in this last section – not only the quality and originality of the book’s guiding princi ples, but also the public status of the works exhibited. Muse ums, libraries and cultural centers become the protagonists, over the first basic cubes to incorporate a greater a wider com positional portfolio and , urban complexity. The private works are illustrated in the book that is shown alongside the exhi bition as one complete work with the aim of showcasing the finest of architecture in Chile.
Mathías Klotz, Smiljan Radic, Germán del Sol, José Cruz, Cecil ia Puga, Alejandro Aravena, Sebastián Irarrázaval, Assadi+Pulido, Pezo von Ellrichshausen and HLPS are just the tip of the architectural iceberg in Chile from which new works and new names are constantly emerging.
Simple wooded cubic structures, basic rectangular concrete forms, archaic objects, minimal details and use of few materi als are some elements that define this period. It is with these tools with which the space is defined and the landscape is framed, this architectural language is one that is based on a discourse of geometric clarity.
This period began with the Universal Exposition of Seville in 1992 where Chile stood out in leaving behind its recent history, of dictatorship and postmodernism, to illustrate a newfound confidence in its own potential; the result of a stable economy and an academic system with a solid structure.
9 edifiCio gen associate architect David Zapata architects Felipe Franciscaassadipulido feliPe assadi + franCisCa Pulido 1
Gen is a high-rise, low-cost residential building located near the center of Santiago. It is divided into a 26-storey high main volume and two minor 12-storey lateral volumes that match the height of the neighboring buildings. The building incor porates garbage-recycling facilities and devices for energy saving in each unit`s north-facing balconies. The main volume includes a metallic screen made from iron sheets recovered from industrial processes, whose varied sizes gives a ran dom-like dynamism, and provides shade to the public-use terrace on the rooftop.
tCollaboratorrinidadSchönthaler location Santiago building Year 2010 built area 21.900m2 Photography Sergio pirrone 21 3 2 3
Santiago Baltar, maría Castelló Soledad de la Cuadra, Cristóbal Graf, Jennifer mahbubani, arturo monsalve, Soledad undurraga location del mar, Chile Year 2010-2011 area 14.500m Photography halbe
11 universidad adolfo ibaÑez, CaMPus viÑa del Mar José Cruz ovalle Y asoCiados architect José Cruz ovalle
lonG SeCtion 0 5 10
Collaborators
The underlying idea of new freedoms - contrasting to the experi ence of high school - should become apparent when inhabiting it. Thus both the act of circulating and of remaining still become multiple acts and one always has several potential routes to choose from when walking from A and B, all within a non-ho mogeneous spatiality whose turns and folds, size changes and gradations between dimness and light make the actual moving attractive: each step opens up new vistas, building what we have called spatial breathing.
Thecontemplation.variousstructures that make up the building compound constitute a sheltered patio, whose gradated openings link the prox imity with the distance, focus on the extension of space and open the patio out into a large park that stretches along the slopes.
Juan purcell ana
hernán
This new campus located on the hills above Viña del Mar on a 20-hectare plot overlooking the city, the bay of Valparaíso and the Pacific Ocean, attempts to create a unique compound for university life that allows for a relationship between study and
building
built
associates architects Cruz turell
roland
1 2
Viña
1312 0 5 10 CroSS SeCtion 3 1 2 3
barbecue
architect Germán del Sol The
Collaborators José luis ibáñez José CarlosinostrozaVenegas location parque Villarrica,nacionalXregión builing Year 2002 - 2004 built area 1.398m2 Photography Guy Wenborne 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
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gerMán del sol architecture enhances the pleasure of taking a bath in hot thermal springs surrounded by the native forests of the Villa rica National Park. A red wooden walkway connects the pools that are placed in varying degrees of privacy. Thermal water from more than sixty natural sources is collected and distrib uted by gravity towards the stone pools spaced along a 1,600 feet long ravine. There are terraces to rest and sunbathe, restrooms and changing rooms, and a covered area for eating and drinking whilst sitting chatting around the fire, or to sit in whilst contemplating the landscape. Geometrical patterns interact with natural sur roundings, highlighting all that makes this place so unique.
terMas geoMétriCas Site plan 0 10 20 comfortable
Parque biCentenario de la infanCia
location parque metropolitano de Santiago, cerro San Cristóbal 14
eleMental
Chile has experienced extraordinary economic growth in the last decade, but urban standards have not improved proportionally. Santiago for example, has not a single public area large enough for people to go for a long walk in. Such spaces tend to be associ ated with the geographical features of cities: rivers, estuaries, or hills for example, but in Santiago the riverbed has been partially appropriated for a highway. The only place left is an old aque
duct at the base of the Metropolitan Park, the San Cristobal Hill. This is a ten-kilometer horizontal, continuous pathway that could be transformed into a pedestrian promenade. A 4ha Children’s Park on the hillside, besides being included in the program for the bicentennial celebrations of Chile, can be considered as the initial phase of a promenade that will be completed in the coming years.
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architects alejandro aravena, ricardo to rrejón, Víctor oddó, Juan Cerda, Fernando García-huidobro, Gonzalo arteaga, Diego torres
km Park area 4 ha building Year 2008 Photography Víctor oddó 1 2 3 1 2 3
Promenade length
location lampa, Santiago building Year 2007 built area 230m2 Photography Cristóbal palma
afarhousefrohn-roJasrchitects
1 2 3
marc Frohn,
mario rojas
anti-insect net, the kind that is normally used in greenhouses. This generates a diffuse light on the inside and helps estab lishing a proper level of temperature control. On the outside, translucent and reflecting surfaces give the house an appear ance not unlike that of a diamond.
1 2 3 2 Collaborators natalia Becerra pablo Guzmán amy thomer
19 Wall
While the traditional single-family dwelling possesses clearly defined openings and walls, and establishes a clear separation between interior and exterior, this project seeks to integrate the exterior within the house, making that transition disappear. A four-layer sheath contains a series of distinct spaces and cli matic zones. The outer layer is both an energy screen and an isabel Zapata
architect
Felipe urrejola C location ruta 5 Sur nº 5201, nos, San Bernardo, Santiago – Chile.
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Centro de ProduCCión e investigaCión industrial Carozzi s.a
Thedesign.complex of buildings formed by the pasta and cereals factories contains between them the “civic center” and the open square where the staff meet. This public space is sur rounded by the wave-shaped forms of the factory roofs, and in the southern end by the office building, whose horizontal red volume, simple and clear, seems to float on water. The shape of the factory roofs recreates the surrounding ge ography of the Andes mountains, dialoguing harmoniously with the previously existing building, the flourmill of 1964, an icon in modern Chilean architecture.
1 2 1 2
Collaborator
building Year 2010 - 2012 built area 52.000 m2
Guillermo hevia
Site plan 0 20 40 3
associates architects Francisco Carrión G, Javier González e, maureen hänel G, Guillermo hevia García, nicolás urzúa S, tomás Villalón a.
Photography Javier González e
The Project is born out of the need to rebuild the Carozzi fac tory, which burned down in 2010. The project was both a challenge and an opportunity: new social and industrial concepts, inovation, new technologies and company sustainability are expressed in the building’s
guillerMo hevia arquiteCtos - gh + a
esCuela de diseÑo e instituto de estudios urbanos uC sebastián irarrázaval Sebastián irarrázabal
Cristian
one, and a broad one. To strengthen the character of these courtyards, their interior walls are lined with wood while the exterior steel façades distinguish themselves in color and temperature, acquiring the patina of age on their surfaces with the passage of time, as do the roof tiles of the old colo nial house. The Project adopts its sizes and proportions from the already-existing spaces of the campus, in honor of the place that this new building attemps to evoke and celebrate.
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associates architects irarrázaval FranciscaCarolinalabbéportuguiesrivera
Undoubtedly identified with the courtyard structure of the co lonial house that serves as its main building, the Lo Contador campus of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile has been built in time around the central patio that serves as the focal point of all circulation. With this reality in mind, the ar chitects proposed a new building that might retain that sense of belonging, and as such the plan was arranged around two inner courtyards of very different spatial qualities: a narrow
martín
1 32 3 2 1
building Year 2010 built area 4,716m2 Photography Sebastián irarrázaval Cristóbal palma
location
Campus lo Contador, pontificia universidad Católica de Chile. providencia, Santiago
architect
built area
Photography luis Cristóbalizquierdo,palma 1 2 1 2
from the structure with eaves, saving 25% more energy than the regular curtain-wall system. The inverted-pyramid shape of the building reduces the shadow on the square, improves the angle in which the facade structure reaches the central core, increases the window eaves on each floor and enlarges the area of the upper, more expensive surface. hurtado Condes, Santiago building Year 2008-2009 43,129 m2
location las
25 edifiCio Cruz del sur architects luis izquierdo, antonia lehmann izquierdo-lehMann arquiteCtos
Collaborator Juan
The scheme comprises an office tower with a commercial level situated on a strategic road junction, where the main eastwest axes of Santiago and their circumvallation ring actually intersect. The tower has only one central shaft, releasing sur face for pedestrian common use. Thus the tower’s structure is reduced to the core and perimetral columns, leaving the floors free of interruptions. Large windows were placed at a distance
and clear materials that reflect and filter the light have been
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This new building worked as a complement to the already com pleted Mixed-Used Building. It offers continuous movement around the interior of the block, thus establishing a secondary circulation system for the pedestrians. This new circulation sys tem is parallel to the public circulation along the street, which is full of 10,000 students that move around the neighborhood every Becauseday.this area is greatly used, both the library and the Mixed-Used Building focus on bringing in natural light and air to the interior spaces. In order to achieve that, passive systems
Theused.new building shows up as a green volume, whose vegetation works as a solar filter to the western orientated facade. It also symbolically represents the environmentally responsible attitude of the institution, which, with this building, applies for a LEED GOLD certification for the first time. The library becomes the first and only university building in Chile developed under these parameters.
Collaborators maría José Celis pedro eFranciscopedrazareyesduardoruiz location Santiago building Year 2010 built area 15,000m2 Photography roland halbe 1 2 3 3 6 4 1 2 5
thirD Floor 0 5 10
architect mathias Klotz
biblioteCa niCanor Parra
Mathias klotz
2928 CroSS SeCtionFaCaDe 0 5 100 5 10 4 56
landscape
to access areas that were previously inaccessible. The path is designed to be taken slowly, in single file, and when you find yourself face to face with someone you have to descend from the path to the untamed rocks. Tere´s work here is powerful and it illustrates in a playful way how observation of existing site features can determine a design that leaves one enchanted and energized!
Punta teresaPite Moller teresa
Punta Pite is a small 11ha site located on Chile’s central coast between the villages of Zapallar and Papudo. The setting is a protruding headland where an arm of the coastal mountain range reaches out into the Pacific ocean in amassive rock for mation. The site also includes two small beaches and a gorge dense with native plants and trees, includingmolles, ferns and a very old pear tree with a warped trunk. A stone pathway of 1.5 kilometres sews this rocky terrain together, allowing one
built area
moller
Km Photography Chloe June Brown 1 1 4 3 2
Collaborators estudio del paisaje teresa moller y asociados location punta pite, papudo, V región building Year 2003-2005 1,5
1 3 0 10 50 South Zone Detail 0 10 20
3332 2 43
The compact and autonomous volume suggests at least two things: the sensation of being on a natural podium surround ed by nothing, and the slightly more morbid feeling of standing at the foot of a cliff. The design intentionally confuses the house with a museum, an aim which embraces two conflicting dimensions: one more public and the other more intimate and informal. None of the areas have fixed names or functions, but are more or less interconnected rooms surrounded by
location península de Coliumo, tomé, Viii región
mauricio pezo, Sofia Von ellrichshausen
building Year 2004-2005 built area 180m2 Photography palma
1
2
architects
a wall of exaggerated thickness large enough to contain the building’s services; eventually all the furniture and domestic objects might be able to be contained within this perimeter. All the walls are made of reinforced concrete with a handmade effect and built in horizontal layers, creating levels with the in terplay of the moulds with panels of half planks. These same distressed wooden planks are then also used to decorate and close off the internal spaces.
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Pezo von ellriChshausen
Cristóbal
Casa Poli
3736 5 5 SeConD Floor 0 1 5 iSometriC 0 1 5 3 4 1 3 4 2
architect Cecilia
around these autonomous pavilions, in which bedrooms, the kitchen/dining area and living room are located. The system of association between the three volumes invites different kinds of relationships between the interior spaces and the outside landscape, liberating the terrain and favoring its lon gitudinal continuity down toward the ocean. A prefabricated winding staircase is introduced to vertically connect the up per volume and the one that supports it.
1 12 3
CeCilia Puga
location los Vilos, iV región
building Year 2002 built area 201m2 Photography Cristóbal palma, montserrat palmer
The extruded shape, the material continuity and the total absence of terminations suggest a basic, synthetic visual construction. Structure, color, and texture come together, like the solidified voids found in Rachel Whiteread’s work, in which architecture becomes a trace, a shadow of the mem ory. Three single-bay volumes in reinforced concrete allow for a versatility of positioning and of association between them, ensuring an absence of hierarchies as the support for the identity of the work. The architectural plan is organized
FirSt Floor 0 2 4
Casa en bahía azul puga
4140 Site plan 0 1 5 north FaCaDe 0 1 5 CroSS SeCtion 0 2 4 2 3
beams of reinforced concrete painted black were arranged so that they migth rest on boulders of granite varying sizes, weights and heights. Luckily, the project owes much to the first pavilions of Sverre Fehn, and possibly uses the same project plan and system that Josep Quetglas discerned in Ber thold Lubetkin’s Highpoint II building, with the exception that in Mestizo the caryatids have been replaced with granite from the nearby mountains.
This project is the result of a successful bid in an open com petition held in 2005 by the Municipality of Vitacura for a restaurant at the eastern end of the Bicentenario Park. The first project was envisioned as a curiosity pavilion, like the folies in yesteryear’s park. That version, though approved by the client, was never executed, for it was assumed that the Municipality would never accept its ephemeral nature. The new proposal opted to change the structure and the imaginary elements without abandoning the initial concept: structural
Collaborators Danilo GonzaloCristóballazcanotiradotorres location parque Vitacura,Bicentenario,Santiago building Year 2007 built area 652m2 Photography Gonzalo puga 1
restaurante Mestizo architect Smiljan radic sMilJan radiC
eaSt FaCaDe 0 1 5
4544 2 3 4 2 3
architect Juan agustín Soza
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was articulated through and separated by an interior light patio of an irregular ground layout, which is the structure’s main source of natural light. Sleeping, resting, music listening, bathing, drinking a cup of coffee, eating, getting dressed, reading the newspaper are all acts that coexist almost simultaneously within the project, in which the arrangement of the different elements allows for a fluid, intimate dialogue between inhabitant and home. Sofía Caña, la Florida, Santiago
Collaborator alejandro acuña location Santa
Juan agustín soza
CaJa íntiMa
The most compelling issue to be resolved for this commis sion was the very specific arrangement of the various parts comprising its architectural plan, according to the needs of its inhabitant: a single space should contain a bedroom, a living room, a bathroom, a closet and a small kitchen. The combined bed and living room was situated at one extreme of the rectangular ground volume of 32 per 20 feet, and the kitchen-closet-bathroom fitted in the other volume. The plan
building Year 2010 built area 58m2 Photography Sergio pirrone 1 2 1 2 3 3
de lo
1
architects Cazú Zegers
Collaborator aira Group estudio ai location Sarmiento lake, torres del paine national park, Xii region.
The water acts as a supporting plane for the splendid Paine massif. Its magnificence makes one think of an extended proj ect in dialogue with the vast territory. The form seeks to merge with the metaphysical landscape, not to interrupt it. The shape of the hotel is reminiscent of an old fossil, a prehistoric animal beached on the shore of
the lake, not unlike those found and studied by Charles Dar win. The building is as though born out of the land, like a fold in the terrain that the wind has carved in the sand. It is anchored to the ground with stone slopes and is completely covered in washed Lenga wood paneling. This finish gives it a silvery sheen, typical of old wooden houses worn away by winter. The spatial solution aims for warm and cozy spaces structured by internal pathways, allowing the building to in habit its extension.
building Year 2010 – 2011 built area 4.900m2 Photography pía Vergara
associated architects rodrigo Ferrer roberto Benavente
hotel tierra Patagonia
Cazú zegers
The hotel is located at the entrance of “Torres del Paine” Na tional Park, on the shore of Lake Sarmiento, one of the limits of this National Park.
3 1 2 1
GeometriC SCheme
5150 CroSS SeCtion 0 1 5
2 3 4
texture. He also encourages local communities to become involved in the management of some of his buildings, and possesses the spirit of an artisan who patiently improves his work with each successive project. Made “with his own two hands”, and many times resolved in the field without finished blueprints, his works are a never-ending dialogue with the natural environment, which comes alive again with each new commission he re ceives.
oeleMentAlfficesetup in santiago 2006
The most visible feature of their work is its tectonic char acter: it must be expressive, not just in material and tactile terms but as the result of a re flection of the survival of what is most essential. This attitude rest on an ethical sence of the architect’s work: to offer more for fewer resources, without any superfluous elements. Residences, product of a long experience, explore dwelling modes that respect the premises of each commission without renouncing to this principle. Not renouncing to the team work, although establishing beneficial debates between the two, Izquierdo and Lehmann face the particu-
FAr FroHn-roJAs office created in parallel in santiago, Berlin and los Ange les in 2005
The aesthetic of clean and modern lines developed by Assadi-Pulido has garnered a considerable international attention, both from special ized media and a variety of academic publications. As a general strategy, their archi tectural work experiments with boxes: some are set on top of one another, while oth ers may be intersected, shift ed or juxtaposed. Some are made of wood, but they might also be made of cement, stone and, in some cases, even clay. Observing the detailing, one detects other aesthetic tricks that jibe with these strategies, such as when different planes pick up the continuity on the folds of transparent boxes, or when grooved skins seek repetitive patterns of empty and full spaces. These strat egies are complemented by the creation of double-height interiors, slopes, staircases, and the inclusion of furniture elements that direct the ten sion toward the inside of the house. In this sense, their architecture is composed of simple, clear visual games associated with both flat and cubic architectural elements,
Felipe AssAdi + FrAnciscA opulidoffice
This German-Chilean team of architects is aiming for a strong international presence, and their Wall House is a first manifesto of their architec ture. The design, based on bioclimatic principles and the use of materials not frequently found in the Chilean context, allows them to experiment with the formal aspects of folding and unfolding structures. Eluding the contempo rary conception of architectur al norms and freely proposing complex formal interactions, they also make sophisticated use of materials in the domes tic sphere, including some that are rarely used, such as tensile fabrics. The transitory, informal appearance of their architectural program seeks to
achieve a strong spatial condi tion among different thematic elements. The layers, made of varying materials, overlap and then separate, seemingly at whim, but with the most precise geometry. In this way, FAR generates a series of interstitial spaces where transpar encies and truncated perspec tives bring the construction to life. This kind of architecture, with its bold, irreverent stance toward the disciplinary context, pushes the limits of ar chitectural forms with remarkably original results.
schemes that emphasize the formal independence of their elements, and at the same time aim for a balanced com position that ensures the unity of their work’s language.
The work of Sebastián Irarráza val is logic-driven and marked by duality. On the one hand he is interested in the articulation of spatial rationalization, and on the other he shows an spe cial interest in exploring the constructive –and consequently economic– rationalization of certain architectural elements. Many of his buildings, especially the private homes, reveal a particularly academic preoccu pation with the definition of a spatial proposal based on the articulation of a finite conjunction of architectural elements, namely pillars, ramps, bridges, stairways and skylights. These elements -rigorously arranged under always carefully de ployed lighting- become sculp-
biograPhies
seBAstiÁn irArrÁZAVAl
inated wood. Finally, in the second phase of the Explora Patagonia Hotel, the architect articulates the new addition with the original one, and uses a system of wooden walkways to penetrate the landscape by establishing a dialectical relationship with the terrain.
The work of Germán del Sol is a persistent search for links between architecture, human life and the geographical environ ment. Whether in the extreme south of Chilean Patagonia or the driest desert in the world, his work establishes pacts for coexistence that are not al ways easy or comfortable. To this end he relies on the skills of local artisans and builders, using a limited repertoire of materials and shapes with which he communicates a whole range of emotions and sensations in response to the place where his buildings are located. His work always goes beyond the building itself, establishing a commitment to its cultural context. To achieve this he carefully selects his materials: not just woods, but textiles and even stones and stuccoed surfaces, all of which lend his architecture a rich palette of color and
santiago, 1967. sebastián irarrázaval currently lives and works in santiago, chile
tures, true works of art, impart ing the architectural space an exhibition quality. Irarrázaval has also been working on more experimental projects related to the development of low-cost housing: in order to minimize production times and costs, he uses recycled shipping contain ers which he treats within this exercise as truly ready-made objects, thereby consciously enhancing the design process with a procedure that likens it to certain modern art experi ences.
set up in santiago in 2006
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Elemental is a group of archi tects made up of ofthatdevelopmentaimpact.publictyinnovationTheChileandadoncludeIacobelli.venaandtheELEMENTALVictorJuangaAravena(1967),GonzaloAlejandroArtea-(1977),DiegoTorres(1979),IgnacioCerda(1980)andOddó(1975).wasfoundedbyarchitectAlejandroAratheengineerAndresCurrentpartnersinprofessionalsworkingtheprojects,theUniversi-CatólicadeChileandtheoilcompanyCOPEC.group’sstrengthistheanddesignqualioftheprojects,thatareforuseandhaveasocialElementalconsistsofteamhighlyskilledintheofcomplexplansrequirethecoordinationpublicandprivateinterests
JosÉ cruZ oVAlle y AsociAdos santiago, 1948. José cruz ovalle currently lives and works in santiago, chile For each project, José Cruz Ovalle complements his architectural work with intense theoretical research as well as prolific artistic produc tion. The relationships that connect architecture to the human body constitute one of the themes that informs his work, and establish the conceptual base of his projects; the creation of fluid, continu ous space is a key theme in his architecture. The managing of space – both interior and exterior– that characterizes the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez campus – particularly in the undergraduate buildings– reflects the architect’s ability to create spaces of high plastici ty, in which material condition plays a major role. The struc tural research that characterizes both the wine cellar for the Santa Emiliana Organic Vine yards and the Centromaderas wood factory is focused on the exploration of the constructive and spatial potential of lam-
and contributions in the deci sion-making process. The group operates within the structure of urban develop ment and its capacity for generating wealth and improving quality of Elementallife.isa Do Tank, a company working on urban pro jects of infrastructure, public space, transportation and housing, using urban devel opment as a means towards greater equality.
GuillerMo HeViA office created in santiago in 1983. Guillermo Hevia current ly lives and works in santiago, chile Material and technical exper imentation appears to be one of the issues of Guillermo He via’s architectural research. This fact is evident in the numerous industrial plants carried out by his studio. The project of Cristalchile Glass Bottling Industry, the Fasa Center for Logistic and Distri bution or the Almazara Olisur, are all paneled with different materials. The façades are in charge of conveying the work, and the care with which nov el compositional solutions are explored, showing their importance in the project. This studio´s architecture is
characterized by proposing specific relations with the context: in some cases the build ings’ curved lines engage in a dialogue with the mountain range; in others, they might establish a counterpoint with the rural landscape in which they are set; while in other cases, on the contrary –by the appropriate use of the paneling materials– they acquire the ability to merge with the surrounding landscape proper of the Chilean central valley.
i ZQ uierdo le HMA nn oArQuitectosfficesetup in santiago in 1984
GerMÁn del sol santiago,1949. Germán del sol currently lives and works in santiago, chile
of construction materials. Ulti mately, their work, while incorporating some of the process es of avant-garde art, aims to elicit a reaction from the public by introducing ambiguity in ar eas where people often expect to find the comfort of predictable answers.
Since the beginning of his ca reer as a reference architect for the generation of the 1990’s, Klotz has promoted a kind of architecture that rests on the purity and simplicity of its for mal qualities, clearly defined and correct. For his range of residential projects, in which small or limited budgets are compensated with an abundance of skill rather than an economy of materials, Klotz always manages to celebrate
5554larities
of the contrast with the irreg ularity of vegetation and landscape. This allows to value the architectural project as much as the context in which it is situated, whether in an urban or rural context.
Viña del Mar, 1965. Mathias
she pushes the boundaries with poetic and sensitive designs that change with each new approach and environ ment. The constructed aspects of the designs such as paths, steps, decks and even her planting method develop from what she finds on site. This means her hand on the land is placed very comfortably within the environment, it is like her work fuses with the existing topography and the land.
of each commission and its site by means of variations, and resources such as folded covers, protruding and contrasting volumes, large openings, colors and textures, the preferred use of exposed concrete with its textures of construction, pigmentation and the contrast with other, more refined and elaborated materials such as wood. The principles of spatial clarity, formal austerity and structural frankness that character ize their work are shown in interventions on pre-existing buildings –a highly interesting subject for them– as well as in larger and more complex pro jects, generally accomplished in partnership with other architects.
In the course of her career, Cazú Zegers has successful ly built highly personal and insightful works that demonstrate a tremendous sensi tivity to the setting in which they are situated. Wood is a predominant material in her work, and by taking advantage of its multiple possibilities Ze gers offers a celebration of this traditional craft. In the finishes or the joints uniting horizontal and vertical surfaces, wood becomes a protagonist in textures and weaves, as well as within the composition of the lattices or shells she features in all projects. The mindful ness that characterizes her architectural work is also noticeable in other areas: in the design of furniture, lamps and other objetcts, and, on a larg er scale, in the intervention of the land, as in her series of works for the Kawelluco es tate at the foot of the Villarrica Volcano and National Park. The persistence of this formal approach and the expressive geometry of its ground plans
Klotz currently lives and works in santiago, chile
Teresa Moller works with a systematic and constant ap proach to all of her gardens and landscaping projects. For her, the existing features of the site wholly determine how the design can be developed. Unrestricted by the traditional boundaries of landscape design, She only interacts where the site allows and where the brief demands. In doing so,
define the main constants with which her work establishes an intimate dialogue with the sur rounding landscape.
peZo Von ellricHsHAusen office set up in Buenos Aires in 2001, now currently working in concepción, chile The work of Mauricio Pezo and Sofía von Ellrichshausen is ab stract: hermetic and enigmatic, it seems to refer solely to it self. It is, in the strictest sense of the expression, a purely disciplinary exploration that makes selective incursions into the art, in search of forms and methods that may enrich the design process. Those who view their buildings from the outside are challenged to imagine an interior that is by no means discernable from the facade. On the other hand, the games of dimension and position suggested through the windows preclude easy in terpretation, and the delicate mise en scène of their interior lighting contrasts sharply with the harsh, straightforward use
teresa Moller currently lives and works in santiago, chile
ceciliA puGA santiago, 1961. cecilia puga currently lives and works in santiago, chile Cecilia Puga’s architecture is synthetic: it is resolved with the use of few materials, and –as the architect herself em phasizes– a limited chromatic palette. The volumes of her works are precise, as her pro jects are generally resolved in the essentiality of the form. The material exploration plays a leading role, and the spaces reflect this situation by pre senting a highly plastic con dition, in which the texture of the material becomes protag Heronist.works are resolved by simple operations: she cre ates an element, multiplies it, fits it together, and situates it in place, generating a series of unique, smoothly interconnected spaces. Volumes are combined into a new ex pressivity and meaning. The straight lines that characterize her projects, and the insertion on site, are resolved by means
sMilJAn rAdic santiago, 1965. smiljan radic currently lives and works in santiago, chile Radic aims to disconcert, both in the material and geometrical aspects. Decidedly com plex in his formal operations, boxes and elements are in critical geometrical relations. Through their material and constructive characteristics, their autonomy as objects is reinforced. Wood or concrete, as lineal structural elements, destroy the evidence of or thogonal forms, while copper and PVC membranes contain clean spaces, devoid of abso lute circulations.Spaces are then articulated by elements discordant with the apparent regularity of the structures, and encounters are proposed that put in crisis the clean and transparent space. His experi ences with different materials introduce diverse spatial notions in the regular space of his projects, as the result of exploiting at the same time the sculptural, structural and dimensional conditions. His work, cryptic at times, has a
special impact in specialized disciplinal areas, which have received with curiosity the powerful work of this archi tect.
cAZÚ ZeGers santiago, 1958. cazú Zegers currently lives and works in santiago, chile
JuAn AGustÍn soZA santiago, 1973. Juan Agustín soza currently lives and works in santiago, chile Juan Augustín Soza’s work is releated to craftsmanship. This is apparent not only in his choice of materials, but more importantly in his work ing ethic of always striving for an individualised solu tion unique to every project. This has led him to develop a work methodology which pri oritises the relationship with the client. Each project is therefore approached without preconceived ideas or judge ment, and its unique theme and problematic is investi gated, so that each project’s development has its own very distinct identity. Despite this methodology there are recur rent themes in his work: the careful development of the site surrounding the construc tion; and a particular interest for spatial problems – the use of light and shadows for instance – and in the materials used (different types of wood, clay and stones). His designs appear to be formalized by the tension between the interior space created and its inser-
MAtHiAs KlotZ
the interior space and the spe cial role played by the distinct elements that make up the building. At the same time, the relationship his buildings establish with their surround ings is based on identifying –a priori–, which elements most define the context, and deter mining how they might not only be reflected in the building but serve as a starting point for the most fundamental decisions. This is evident in the structural solutions he achieves both in his private homes as well as in larger and more complex pro jects like the Altamira school, which reveal a very conscious attempt to incorporate the structural elements of a build ing into a discourse that transcends purely technical issues and transforms them into truly architectural elements.
teresA Moller y AsociAdos
tion into the location, both of which are elements that are regulated by a profound need to marry the aesthetic to the ethical in the design.
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White Mountain
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© 2012, Aedes and the authors ISBN: 978-3-943615-07-4
Aedes am Christinenstr.Pfefferberg18/1910119Berlinwww.aedes-arc.de
Ediciones Puro Chile, Sergio Ramírez printing xxx
project Management Berlin
WHite MountAin
Beate Engelhorn, Aedes Berlin
GeneralexiHiBitiondirecto r
Mathias Klotz und Ricardo Abuauad design Mauricio Léniz
Pablo Casals-Aguirre
The exhibition was made possible with the generous support of: We cordially thank the Aedescooperation partners for their support.
iMPressuMiMPrint
26.Oktober - 2. Dezember 2012
cAtAloGue Publisher
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Claudia Pertuzé, Ediciones Puro Chile concept
Kristin Feireiss, Hans-Jürgen Commerell design