warnings have really helped Chile get its act together, as we would say. It seems to me that the plans I was able to discuss with them are heading in the right direction. AOA R One of the things UNESCO has asked Chile to do in order to preserve Valparaíso is to finally pass a new cultural heritage law, which remains stalled in Congress. Mario R That is what I was told. Many privately owned properties cannot be touched, so some are falling into disrepair, and the owners cannot do anything about it. AOA R That is the main excuse for doing nothing at the national level. Mario R In the United States, tax incentives are quite effective. And in Belgium, there is an organization called Anonymous Watch, a nonprofit where you can register as the owner of a historic building, and they guarantee that every three years an inspector will assess the building’s condition and provide you with a report. You can then present that report to a contractor to have the repairs done. AOA R What would be your general assessment of the situation in Valparaíso? Mario R I think there are good plans and intentions. But the legislative aspect is extremely important, and I believe that when it comes to her- itage, we must always work with interdisciplinary teams, since there is a social and anthropological dimension that we, as architects, are not familiar with. There is always room for improvement. The situation is dire now that it is on the list. And if it is removed, it will be lost forever. But it is not on the list of endangered sites; it is at an earlier stage. Sites on the regular list are monitored every 6 years, and sites on the list of endangered sites must be reported on every year. AOA R So, Valparaíso isn't in danger; they're just asking for a status check? Mario R It is not on the endangered list. In 2024, a delegation submitted a 16-point petition, which included the heritage law and the management plan, among other things. We must move forward. AOA R You mentioned that during this visit you had explored Valparaíso in person. Mario R Yes, I walked from the bus stop to downtown. I went up to the Immigrant Museum, Cerro Alegre, and Cerro Concepción. I also went to Cerro Cárcel. I saw a lot of interesting projects. You can also see a lot of decay in the ports—not just in Valparaíso. But I really liked the area around the Immigrant Museum. !
self-published works he produced during those years—such as Arp and Tristán —which foreshadowed a publishing career that continues to this very day. His participation, alongside Cecilia Puga, on the team led by Teodoro Fernández that won the competition for the Sergio Larraín García Moreno Information Center brought his name to the public’s attention and linked it to one of the most significant buildings constructed in Chile in the mid-1990s. Several of his early works were linked to the idea of shelter. This theme continues to resonate as one of the key elements of his work: a search for refuge—in a broad and transcendental sense—associated with an intentionally sought-after material fragility and with remote locations that lend a sense of discovery. One of these shelters, known as Casa Chica, was included in an anthology of domestic structures curated by Montserrat Palmer and published by ARQ. Conceived as a DIY project, it foreshadows some of Radić’s concerns in the years that followed. The text accompanying the publication is radical and profound. Eschewing any discursive effort, it limits itself to a list of the elements and materials used to build this sort of primitive hut. His way of associating these sparse and fragile materials with their origins—the hand that crafted them or the place from which they come—establishes a perspective that would remain throughout his career. The series of lithographs that make up Poema del Angulo Recto is the work that launched Smiljan Radić’s collection on “improbable architec- ture”—as he likes to call it—which he developed over several decades and which eventually gained international recognition. His latest exhibition, at the National Museum of Fine Arts, showcased both his interest in this subject and the breadth of his work. For Radić, however, collecting is not a hobby—an afterthought to his work as an architect—but rather a key element of his creative output. He has taken it upon himself to clarify how his architecture relates to the discovery, interpretation, and association of specific elements that he weaves into his work. There is no complacency here, nor a feigned renunciation of creating a language of his own. Rather, it is an aesthetic ethic of what is strictly necessary. Radić seeks not so much to invent words as to make new proposals using existing ones. This would not reach the level it does were it not for the artistic backdrop of his work, including the decisive collaboration of Marcela Correa on many projects.
2026 pritzker prize The Radić Behind Radić By: Fernando Pérez Oyarzún
It is difficult to say anything more about Smiljan Radić at this point: the jury’s statement awarding him the Pritzker Prize; the press coverage; and the three features devoted to him in El Croquis magazine speak for themselves. Online media outlets such as Arch Daily and many others are also doing their part. Given all this, it may be useful to look back at his career, starting from his student years. Doing so may help shed light on the progression and depth of his work beyond its success and widespread recognition, culminating in the 2026 Pritzker Prize. Even during his student days, Smiljan was a prominent figure: for his involvement in student organizations; for being part of the team that won one of the first CAP steel construction competitions; and for the unique
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