Located at the end of the world, its idyllic landscape creates a perfect canvas for Chilean architects to express poetry in their architecture. To many, it is the utopian holiday homes that brought Chilean architecture into the international scene, and examples of these houses were previously featured in a+u 06:07 and in this book, the House for the Poem of the Right Angle and Loba House. Following 2010, however, we begin to see a different group of architects looking into less individualistic visions. Guided by a moral compass, they engage with the public or take up non-profit projects – Ruca Dwellings and Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center – that focus on social and sustainable issues which came to a halt during the time of oppression. In an introductory essay, Diego Grass, an architect and tutor at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, sets down to share with us his insights into Chilean architecture from the 1990’s. He describes how having gone through years of persistent domestic unrest, the country seeks to forge a new cultural identity that would bring a divided Chile together. 18 projects are selected in this book to broaden our perspectives into architecture found in Chile, and the many ways these architects respond to its landscape and urban territory contexts. 

Architecture and Urbanism Series

Prepared and compiled by CA-GROUP, Architecture and Urbanism Series is authorized by a+u Publishing Co. in Japan and published by China Architecture & Building Press. Established in 1971, a+u is one of the most professional architectural magazines worldwide. CA-GROUP (a+u China Editorial Department) is an international corporation founded in 2003, focusing on architecture and culture. It is committed to introducing global architecture to China and vice versa through project management and international publication. Subordinate to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People's Republic of China, China Architecture & Building Press was founded in 1954 and is the largest professional publishing institution of architecture in China. a+u China aims to introduce the most cutting-edge information and latest trends in architecture to Chinese audience.