Archinect - News

The War on Cliché; A Conversation with Alejandro Aravena

2019-09-20T18:46:00-04:00

On this episode, we're joined by Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena. A long-familiar name to most of our listeners, Aravena’s work gained significant media attention upon winning the Pritzker Prize in 2016, elevating his reputation for working to address some of today’s most difficult issues through participatory design, engaging users, groups, experts, and the public-at-large. His most notable projects are his “incremental housing” developments, a partially subsidized low-income solution for displaced families providing half-built homes for families to complete on their own, within their own budgets and tastes. Elemental has since released the plans for these projects for free, via download from their website.

Quinta Monroy, by Elemental

Villa Verde, one of the four projects whose plans have been released to the public by Elemental. From Archinect's article "Inside Aravena's open source plans for low-cost yet upgradable housing"

This week Aravena was awarded another significant priz...

Architect Alejandro Aravena receives 2019 ULI J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development

2019-07-23T20:35:00-04:00

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) is a nonprofit organization that focuses on education and research initiatives supporting responsible land use and sustainability practices. This year the J.C. Nichols Prize has been awarded to Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena.

In a recent press release ULI trustee Jodie W. McLean shares, "One of Alejandro's greatest accomplishments is the process in which he's connected architecture and working with communities, taking care to include people's ideas on how to make a better environment to improve all parts of the community. He doesn't just draw solutions, he strives (for his work) to be part of the solution."

UC Innovation center - Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago. Image © Nico Saieh

Founder of the Santiago-based architecture firm ELEMENTAL along with Gonzalo Artega, Juan Cerda, Victor Oddo, and Diego Torres, many of Aravena's projects, have reflected a simplistic and holistic design approach. Aravena has shared with the UCI, "When we crea...

Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, director of this year's Venice Biennale, named 2016 Pritzker Prize Laureate

2016-01-13T11:39:00-05:00

The Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena has been named Pritzker Prize Laureate for 2016. The 48-year old is known for his socially-minded work at various scales in Chile, produced under two forms of practice – principal of his private firm, Alejandro Aravena Architects, and executive director of the “Do Tank”, ELEMENTAL, both based in Santiago. He is the first Chilean architect to receive the prize, and one of the youngest.

↑ Anacleto Angelini, 2014, San Joaquín Campus, Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago

↑ Siamese Towers, 2005, San Joaquín Campus, Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago

Although Aravena's most recognizable work might be his multiple projects for Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago – the UC Innovation Center includes Anacleto Angelini (2014), the Siamese Towers (2005), Medical School (2004), School of Architecture (2004), and the Mathematics School (1999) – the most significant note mentioned in the jury's citation is his commitment to social housing, mo...