Alejandro Aravena
Recognized as one of the most influential contemporary architects worldwide, in 2016 he received the Pritzker Prize, the most important global architecture prize, the same year the New York Times chose him among the 28 creative geniuses who defined culture, along with figures such as Michelle Obama and Donatella Versace. In 2008 he received the Silver Lion at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
Aravena completed his undergraduate studies in 1992 and perfected his skills in different academies in Italy. He works as an independent architect and has taught at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Harvard University. Through his company Elemental, he is dedicated to carrying out social projects in infrastructure, transportation, public space and housing.
Among his most popular works are the so-called Siamese Towers and the Anacleto Angelini UC Innovation Center, both located on the San Joaquín campus of the Catholic University; and the Social Housing in Monterrey, Mexico.
Cecilia Puga
The architect from the Catholic University, now director of the Pre-Columbian Museum, has stood out for her work in single-family homes as well as in works of different types, such as the Cono Sur Vineyard Barrel Room and the Pedro Montt Plaza Building in Ñuñoa.
His latest work, through the recovery and enhancement of the heritage value of the Pereria Palace (current seat of the work of the Constitutional Convention), was carried out together with Alberto Moletto and Paula Velasco. Check this link for a tour of the Pereira Palace.
She was director of the School of Architecture at the Universidad Andrés Bello, and has taught at the University of Austin in Texas and the Federal Polytechnic School of Zurich.
Cazú Zegers
This architect from the University of Valparaíso has based her work on the concept of "light and precarious habitation", referring to a low-tech architecture, understanding that the greatest value of our country is in its territory.
Some of his most important works are the Tierra Patagonia Hotel (2011), which has been recognized by several international magazines, and the Magnolia Hotel (2016), internationally awarded and named as an example of conservation of a heritage building.
Cazú Zegers received the Latin American Architecture Grand Prize at the Buenos Aires Biennial (1993) for her work Casa Cala, located in Lago Ranco. She was also named among the 18 best architects in the world by Elle Decor, and among the Latin American architects who break down barriers by Forbes magazine in 2020.
Smiljan Radic
The Catholic University architect, who has exhibited at the Venice Biennale and the Serpentine Gallery in London (2014), is the mastermind behind such striking works as the winery of the Vik vineyard in Millahue (2014), the remodeling of the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the Nave cultural hall (2015), and the Biobío Regional Theater (2018), a translucent structure that at night illuminates the Concepción waterfront.
Winner of the 2018 US Academy of Arts and Letters Award for his contribution to architecture as art, in 2014 the New York Times had already defined him as "a rock star among architects".
In 2000 he won the competition for the civic neighborhood in Concepción, a project that earned him the award for best national architect under 35 years of age from the Chilean Association of Architects the following year.
Antonia Lehmann
Recognized for being the first woman to receive Chile's National Architecture Award (2004), she and her partner and husband, Luis Izquierdo Wachholtz, formed their own office -Izquierdo Lehmann Arquitectos- in 1984, which challenged the architectural standards of the time, using exposed concrete as its hallmark.
In 2011, she was called to head the Presidential Advisory Commission for Chile's New Urban Policy, precursor of the National Urban Development Council.
Theodore Fernandez
The architect from the Catholic University of Chile with studies in landscape architecture has been dedicated to social housing projects, university architecture and civil architecture. In 2014 he received the National Architecture Award.
He began to develop his professional work in the 1970s in Spain, in collaboration with Fernando Domeyko and Jesús Bermejo. Later, in Chile in the 80's and 90's, he did several works together with other prominent architects such as Cecilia Puga and Smiljan Radic.
Among his most significant works are the remodeling of the Estación Mapocho Cultural Center (1994), the Inés de Suárez Park in Providencia (1994), the Bicentennial Park in Vitacura (2007), the restoration of the Quinta Normal Park (2011), and the Bicentennial Coin Building (2014).
Fernando Castillo Velasco
One of Chile's most renowned architects, Fernando Castillo Velasco (1918-2013) began his studies in 1937 and together with some of his university classmates set up an architectural firm that was noted for its modernity and rupturism.
Some of his most outstanding works are the Tajamar Towers, the Portales Neighborhood Unit, and the Universidad Técnica del Estado (the site now occupied by the Usach). In 1983 the Colegio de Arquitectos awarded him the National Architecture Prize.
Luciano Kulczewski
Considered the Chilean Gaudi, Luciano Kulczewski (1896-1972) studied architecture at the University of Chile, standing out since he was a student with 3 medals awarded by the Museum of Fine Arts, thanks to his talent. While still a student, he built his first work: a house on Agustinas Street. His works are striking for mixing different styles with elements of neo-Gothic, Art Nouveau and the Modern Movement.
Several neighborhoods and facades in Santiago were designed by this artist, such as the entrance to the funicular railway of the Metropolitan Park of Santiago (1925), Población Los Castaños, Población Keller, the classic Conjunto Virginia Opazo in the heart of Barrio República in downtown Santiago, declared a National Monument in 1992, and the building of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile, on Alameda (declared a National Monument in 2010). The architect died in 1972.
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