first heritage restoration project I ever participated in. From that point on, I never strayed from construction.
complex project involving 160 apartments in a sprawling building. That’s when we started working with David Díaz. We designed approximately 35 different unit types. I don’t know how they even approved that! The project was located on the site of the former German Hospital. We tried to preserve as much of the hospital as possible, but in the end, only the section housing the main room and reception area remained. The project is called Parque Magnolio; it was our first major project, and it turned out really well. AOA R Why did they want to create so many different types? JV R The building types are designed to address the challenges posed by the terrain. The beauty of this project is that it revives the courtyard, which was a hallmark of buildings in Cerro Alegre, and we faced the challenge of creating the continuous facade that is characteristic of Valparaíso. For 15 years, we have been building continuous facades in both new construction and renovation projects. AOA R What were your next projects?? JV R When we started building Magnolio, the opportunity arose to create this coworking space on Dinamarca Street. But first, we worked on a multifamily housing project with a continuous facade on Mena Street. These are triplexes with access to an upper terrace. If I had to name one that stands out, it would be that one, because it was our first high-density project—a low-rise building. The site was the former stables of the Police prefecture, which is located across the street. It’s one or two blocks from Pablo Neruda’s La Sebastiana. The property was acquired at auction and later put up for sale with the project included. AOA R Describe what the coworking space at Dinamarca 399 was like. JV R It came about thanks to a family initiative and “Plan Cerro,” a group of architects working for Valparaíso. We would meet to discuss what we could do to revitalize the city and the areas surrounding our own projects. We’d meet in the lobby of the Cirilo Armstrong Hotel and invite neighbors, professionals, and officials. That’s how the story began to take shape. There was Matías Swinburn, who designed Loft Aduana, an incredible project; ReArquitectura; Raúl Besoaín and Giselle Zernott; us; and Gonzalo Undurraga, who focused more on urban issues. One day we said, “Why don’t we restore a space where we can all work together, think about the city, and open it up to the creative community?” We found this house on Dinamarca Street and bought it. AOA R Did you achieve the project´s objective? JV R Once we finished it, everyone came. We even set up a sort of cafeteria, so we weren’t just working there. We also had lunch there. People from the neighborhood started coming, and it got packed! A lot of creative encounters and projects sprang up there. We kept it running for five years, but then the protests and pandemic hit, and we had to close it down. AOA R What other projects would you like to highlight? JV R Bettina. We decided to take on the challenge of creating the first multifamily housing project made of metal. That’s not common—how could there not be one? Besides, we said to ourselves: we’ve built apart- ments, but everyone keeps asking us for houses. We set out to develop a project featuring houses with patios in Valparaíso, on Cerro Jiménez, with Daniel Presmitta, who took a chance on it as the developer, and with David, we designed our most “Porteño”-style project. AOA R And when did the Immigrant Museum arise? JV R We met Eduardo Dib at the Architecture Biennial held in Valparaíso in 2015. He suggested we form a team with architect Harken Jensen. It was a process that took years due to the project´s complexity, which involved bringing together a variety of disciplines—the most complex of which was clearly museography, which was ultimately led by ENCAJE.
AOA R What were your next projects? JV R A couple from Switzerland (Saga and Rodrigo) came to me and commissioned my first single-family home design. We built a massive house on a rock—and I was in my fifth year of university! We constructed a curved structure, which we eventually clad in copper. I was just out of school, full of enthusiasm and ideas, so I said, “I’m going to build a house where I can bring all these ideas together.” It’s still in impeccable condition to this day. AOA R After that, you went to Europe. JV R I went on a month-long vacation to France. And when I went to visit Bjorn, Saga’s brother, he told me he had bought a 40 x 5-meter boat and wanted to turn it into his sculpture studio and home. I started giving him ideas, and he said, “Why don’t you stay and we’ll do it together”? I was traveling with two close friends, and the three of us ended up settling in France for several years, working on the boat project alongside Hermann and Sebastián. Later, I met Elisa (Assler), my wife, in Barcelona, where I returned to study. AOA R What was your experience like as a student at Politécnica de Cataluña? JV R It wasn’t easy at first. Once in Barcelona, I met Cristóbal Molina, who first told me about the doctoral program *LA FORMA MODERNA*, directed by Helio Piñón. I could have chosen Josep Quetglas’s studio, where I might have fit in better, but I was really interested in design and construction details in architecture, and that was at the Helio Piñón's and Teresa Rovira’s studio. But then the day of the first assignment arrived, and Helio tore me apart… “What is this?!” The word “idea” was off-limits in his class, so I put everything else aside and devoted myself to studying. I spent a year holed up in the libraries at COAC and ETSAB (both highly recommended). After four years, I had completely reoriented myself toward MODERN ARCHITECTURE. AOA R What were the key differences between the way Piñón taught and what you had experienced at PUCV? JV R At PUCV, observation combined with sketching is always empha- sized as a method of study and creation. In Helio Piñón’s workshop, the focus was on construction details. He wouldn’t give you more than three hours to work on a project’s floor plan. And then there was his course, “INTENSIVE VIEWS,” where we’d go out into the city to take black-and- white photographs and thus understand the features, the lines of each project, and its composition. You start to sharpen your view and realize that architecture is there, too. AOA R Did you have the chance to work in Spain? JV R Yes, I worked at Juan Ramón Freire’s firm in Barcelona. I arrived in 2005 looking for work, and there were thousands of architects in the same situation. I’d been living there illegally for several years, so it was very hard to find a job. That is, until I mentioned my experience in con- struction. I was working about 10 hours a day, and then I started spending more time on construction sites. Juan Ramón suggested that I stay, but Elisa and I had already decided to return to Chile. AOA R What were your first steps in your profession when you returned to Chile? JV R I worked with my father for a year, but Piñón had already shaped me as a professional. After that, I decided I had to go out on my own. We could have continued working together, but I wanted to forge my own path. It was around that time that I designed the Cirilo Armstrong Hotel in Valparaíso. Shortly afterward, we were commissioned for a very
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