Santiago, Chile
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Chockablock with high rises, downtown Santiago at night is a sight to behold, particularly given the building boom the Chilean capital has experienced of late. Yet the glass, steel, and concrete can’t fully distract one from the city’s natural heights: the ever-present peaks of the snow-draped Andes in the distance. -
Palacio de la Moneda, a late-18th-century colonial presidential palace, is now the government seat. A stroll through the inner patios is particularly serene. -
The city’s second highest point, Cerro San Cristobal, with its Swiss-style gondolas, rises some 1,000 feet above the rest of the city and is where Santiaguinos escape the urban bustle to picnic, swim, hike, and wander through gardens. Metropolitan Zoo is at the base of the towering hill. -
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The subterranean Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda lies beneath an esplanade but is awash with natural light. The galleries display an array of Latin American art. -
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The city’s heart beats in the palm-dotted Plaza de Armas, where even a brief visit reveals a slice of Santiago culture, from painters to musicians to chess players. -
Despite globalization, Santiago still retains examples of postage stamp–size streets, each selling one type of goods, whether leather, wicker, car-repair paraphernalia, or other sundries. -
The cube-like exterior of Los Benedictinos. -
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The west side of Plaza de Armas reveals Santiago’s juxtaposition of old and new. The Plaza de Armas building, a mirrored glass edifice by Echenique Cruz Boisier Arquitectos, rises above the grand Catedral Metropolitana. The cathedral’s main altar was recently renovated, and many Santiago luminaries are buried on the church’s site.
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Santiago, Chile
Santiago may be a tamer city than its South American brethren, but as architect Sebastián Irarrázaval tells us, there's change afoot where colonial legacy meets modern urban design.
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Finnish Wood in Design Biennial in Chile
Finnish wood is the focus of the Light | Wood design exhibition in Santiago de Chile in January. This exhibition, one of the main events of Design Biennial in Chile, shows furniture and lighting fixtures from eighteen Finnish designers and craftspersons. The exhibition is curated by Kirsi Gullichsen and produced by Design Forum Finland.
Light | Wood 3–13 January 2013, Centro Cultural Estación Mapocho
Bienal de Diseño Chile, Santiago de Chile
Modern Architecture Hill Climb: Bicycle Ride
Gear up and join architects David Baker and Robin Levitt and planner Rob Bregoff for a guided ride past some of the city’s most spectacular post-earthquake homes. The tour will focus on notable modern residential architecture outside of San Francisco’s downtown core and will cover 15 miles, including steep hills. It will look at works by Second Bay Area Tradition architects and contemporaries, including buildings by Richard Neutra, William Wurster, Gardner Dailey, Henry Hill, and Anshen + Allen. Part of a rich architectural tradition, these buildings are also a feature of our everyday landscape. Viewing these houses through the focused lens of local architects and planners, our daily city becomes a richer, more revealed place.
Total tour time is four hours. Ride will cover 15 miles, including hilly terrain. Riders must provide their own bicycle (low gearing recommended), lock, and sufficient water, and must wear comfortable clothing with layers and a helmet. Riders will be provided with a route map, a reflective limited-edition laminated spoke card for their bicycle wheel, a souvenir T-shirt and a small snack. The tour will stop for lunch: Please bring your own lunch or cash for an inexpensive lunch purchase.
Tour led by architects David Baker, FAIA, and Robin Levitt and planner Rob Bregoff.
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