construction sites, accompanying him, and getting hands-on with the materials,” they recall. Today, their father’s affinity for wood is evident in their practice. To this we can add the importance of transitional spaces and light. They explain that, since they have generally been tasked with projects in rural, fragmented, and rugged settings, they choose not to have the structure simply sit within the landscape; instead, there must always be a gradual transition between the two. “And that is why, in general, we try to design enveloped spaces—in the sense that they are places that create that gradual transition between the interior and the exterior. This can be achieved through a system of plazas or courtyards, or through a covered space such as a large over- hang or a large roof that encloses an area which, in a certain way, also serves as a threshold to the exterior. This will be reflected in the vast majority of our projects. And the issue of light as well, to give prominence, especially, to communal spaces,” they state. !
Valparaíso: City and Port—Where Less Is More If we add to this the progress made on flagship projects within the UNESCO site—such as the new Regional Archives in the ruins of the Subercaseaux building, the restoration of San José Castle, the reno- vation of Plaza Sotomayor, the transformation of the German School into a culinary and cultural hub, the conversion of the Tassara building into new housing, among many others; as well as the new momentum we are building toward the passage of the cultural heritage law in the National Congress—a process that began in 2019 and is now entering its final stages—we can confidently say that today we have enough reasons to speak of Valparaíso once again, not from a place of nostalgia or frustration, but from a vision rooted in action—one that can restore hope to the residents of this port city. ! These contributions are relevant not only in a disciplinary and aca- demic context, since, at the same time, the corporation that manages the World Heritage Site—composed of the Municipality, the Undersecretar- iat of Heritage, the Regional Government, the Presidential Delegation, universities, trade associations, and neighborhood organizations—has begun a process to amend the Municipal Zoning Plan to harmonize, in the historic area of the Barrio Puerto neighborhood, heritage preservation with a vision for the future and development.
feature article The Valparaíso Project
By: Emilio de la Cerda E.
By: Alberto Texidó. Special thanks to José Rosas
This text aims to demonstrate a strategy and scenario in which the design and location of the port expansion can become the prima- ry tool for reversing the urban decline of the Puerto and Almendral neighborhoods, revitalizing employment linked to the port’s diverse economic activities by restoring public access to the sea. To this end, the background will be reviewed; the alternatives under discussion will be compared; and an argument will be made as to why reduced use of the amphitheater and greater sheltered continuity can lead to greater port efficiency and a better city. For more than a decade, the debate over the expansion of the Port of Valparaíso has been structural in nature. What is at stake is not merely how many linear meters of berthing space are needed, nor how many millions of dollars must be invested, but rather what urban transforma- tions the bay will undergo in the second quarter of the 21st century. In a city whose identity, economy, and landscape are inextricably linked to the sea, infrastructure design shapes the amphitheater, determines accessibility, affects land values, influences the location of jobs, and will ultimately determine the possibility of repopulation and revitalization of the area. The failed and redesigned Terminal 2, which has been criticized for its unavoidable impacts on the heritage landscape, and the successive attempts to impose piecemeal solutions, have shown that size alone does not solve the logistical or urban equation. On the contrary, in sensitive heritage contexts such as Valparaíso, efficiency may depend on more precise and appropriately situated decisions. Today, with the imminent new tender of berthing facilities in the central region by 2029 and the possibility of establishing a new single-operator model, an opportunity has arisen to critically re-examine more than a decade of assumptions. The shift from a dual-operator scheme with separate berthing fronts and scattered platforms to a single, continu- ous, and fully sheltered berthing front allows us to rethink not only port competitiveness within the Valparaíso–San Antonio system but also the urban regeneration of the waterfront. This text aims to demonstrate a strategy and scenario in which the design and location of the port expansion can become the primary tool
Reflecting on Valparaíso is always complicated. What more can be said about this exceptional place after so much analysis—of its lost heritage; of its physical decay, poverty, and depopulation; of the successive efforts to stem the deterioration and capture its beauty; of the failed proposals; of the unfinished restoration projects; of so many announcements that ultimately clash with reality? Why talk about Valparaíso again? Do we have anything to say today that would justify it—that would help restore hope, foster a forward-look- ing vision, and begin to reverse the deterioration that has accumulated over decades in this port city, whose historic district was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003? Through the four texts presented below—which offer complementary perspectives from academia, institutions, the professional world, and civil society—the Association of Architectural Offices takes the risk of once again placing Valparaíso at the center of the debate. It does so not only by acknowledging the city’s main challenges but also by offering, from the discipline’s unique perspective, possible paths forward using the transformative tools of architecture and urban design. The issues addressed here are fundamental and urgent for the future of Valparaíso, as they concern the ongoing transformation of the waterfront with the expansion of the port terminal, the regeneration of the Barrio Puerto and Almendral neighborhoods, the vulnerability of the hills and ravines, the allocation of housing in historic areas, and the governance needed to address these challenges. Each of the perspectives present- ed here adopts the methodological recommendations of UNESCO’s Historic Urban Landscapes (2011), by situating cultural heritage within development dynamics that must balance economic, environmental, technological, social, and cultural aspects.
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AOA / n°54
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