Architecture’s Top Prize Went to an Incredible Chilean Architect You Probably Haven’t Heard Of

The Pritzker Prize was herald this morning , an award many consider the highest purity for aim . This year ’s prize went toAlejandro Aravena , a Chilean designer you may not know — but definitely should .

The Santiago - based architect is young as far as Pritzker laureates go ( 48 ) , and he might not have a famous fire - ignite skyscraper to his name . But like Shigeru Ban , theJapanese designer who make headway in 2014 , Aravena is known for building transcendent computer architecture for some of the planet ’s communities who are most in need : marginalise citizen , depressed - income families , and people who have lost their homes in disaster .

TheUniversity of Chile Innovation Centeris designed to be a giant natural air conditioner

Raised in Chile , Aravena became know for designing notable public buildings and outdoor plazas throughout South America and Mexico . Even as his committee have become more mellow - profile — he late designed Novartis ’s raw campus in Shanghai — his work still uses endemic materials and concentre on socially conscious node . He established his current practice session , Elemental , as a “ do tank ” ( not a “ think storage tank ” ) with a shipping engineer , with the intention of working to meliorate civil base .

A mere concrete anatomical structure creates anature lookoutin Jalisco , Mexico

He ’s not a global household name , but Aravena ’s employment has received plenty of tending in architectural circles . In fact , he designed one of my favorite project of all time : a housing development for 100 families who previously lived in Chilean slum . Instead of building the distinctive soulless building often associated with affordable lodging , Aravena used an idea that hail from the next residents themselves . The dish of living in the favela was the informality of the architecture — house could be enlarge as families grew or fund became useable to animate . Aravena mimicked this flexibleness by designing course houses that include quad to bestow extra rooms , balcony , or storage as need . Not only was this a more affordable result than a high - rise , but it have the residents a good sense of possession .

Starship Test 9

The housing unit atQuinta Monroyand how they were adapted by occupant

Thissimple idea for housingalso belies the genius of Aravena ’s work — this sort of result can be double intimately anywhere . Elemental has since taken this solvent to other communities in Chile as well as body politic like Mexico . The construct has even been commission for higher - income developments because it cause so much sentience for residential architecture .

Watch Aravena explicate his affordable living accommodations projects in this TED lecture from 2014

Lilo And Stitch 2025

Aravena ’s work also glitter in the area of disaster rilievo . After the Chilean city of Constitución was rocked by an 8.8 earthquake and subsequent tsunami , the governance name Elemental to create amaster design for the urban center ’s recuperation . It turned out the residents were n’t as apprehensive about the reconstructions of the buildings as they were about the heavy flooding that would arrive with the showery season . Aravena propose naturalizing the landscape around the water into nature and recreation refuges .

An oceanfront promenade from thePlan for Sustainable Construction forConstitution and a Santiago park to observe Chile ’s bicentennial

There ’s much debate aboutwhy the Pritzker might not matter as much these days , but it ’s in force to see the booty diversify when it comes to nationalities and backgrounds . Aravena will have yet another luck to make a splash on the global stage this twelvemonth : he ’s direct the big outside architecture biennale in Venice , Italy this summertime . Thetheme , of form , is showing how architecture can make a difference .

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