Work and Friendship By: Sebastián di Girolamo, Cristián Valdivieso, Germán Zegers A4 arquitectos Our friendship with Borja Huidobro began in his studio in Paris, through a contact made by architect Roberto Benavente, who worked with him, and during visits we made to his works “La Gran Galería de la Evolución” (The Great Gallery of Evolution) in the Natural History Museum in Paris and the French Ministry of Finance. The relationship finally took shape during a trip Borja made to San- tiago in 1994, when we designed our first building together for the real estate company FFV, thanks to his long-standing friendship with Eduardo Fernández León. The building was “Club de Golf 1” (Golf Club 1) on Avenida Presidente Riesco and Calle Las Torcazas, now commonly known as “El Barco” (The Ship). We were surprised by his ability to express himself through freehand drawing when he sent his observations by fax from Paris. This is how we came to develop a methodology based on sketches, floor plans, and written statements of intent, given that we did not share the same workshop space. In the “Club de Golf 1” project, in particular, we were impressed by its ability to fill a completely triangular site with architecture without ignoring its geometry, incorporating the sharp western edge as a fundamental part of the north and south walls. We were also surprised by the original design of its facades, with highly original marble strips and dark brick veneers imported from Chicago. We were also struck by his generosity toward our newly formed studio of young architects, whom he respected and valued from the outset because of our passion for sketches and project management observations, and because of the rigor and respect that working with such a highly regarded professional meant to us. For many years, we carried out projects with the FFV real estate com- pany, which greatly valued our results and also opened up the possibility for us to compete for projects outside Chile. With Borja, among other things, we were able to compete for, win, and design buildings in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. In our projects with him, we embraced the relationship between tradi- tion and modernity, incorporating the cultural and spatial values of each location into construction technologies that were also geared toward sustainability. A challenge that was particularly demanding in office buildings, where the need to save energy led us to design double glass skins on the sun-facing facades, with different systems and designs, as can be seen in the BCI institutional building, “El Golf 2001,” the Chilean Chamber of Construction building, and the CAP building. We view the historical relationship between architecture and the city, in each case, as an urban and cultural reality in constant evolution, conceiving the representation of urban space defined by architecture as a relationship between the work and its surroundings in order to approach an idea of place. This is a vision that motivated us in Borja and that has to do with the possibility of creating a new urban place based on the work. Regarding the regulations for each site, in relation to constructability, the limitations—previously due to gradients and now due to the Shadow Law—are limitations that Borja does not see as restrictions but as potentialities for defining the volumes' constructive figures, which we rigorously control through the layout of the proportions. In the case of Banmédica, the curve of the volume towards the west solved the gradient restriction to reach the desired height. In the case of “El Golf 2001,” the slope of the volume made it possible to comply with buildability requirements, achieving the desired surface area and height. For the BCI Institutional building, the restrictive distance on the south side made it possible to move the structural pillars outward, which resolved the main facade on the south side, rising from the water feature. In addition, the program's management, in relation to the represen-
tation of the premises' hierarchies, allowed us to distribute spaces for radically different uses in the case of the Beauchef Faculty of Engineering. Here, we had complete freedom to use the underground space. Based on the program, we chose what should emerge and be located above and below the surface of the terrain. In relation to a concept derived from an institution's significance, we created the image of the Chilean Chamber of Construction building. For Borja, the image derived from the concept of “Chamber” was essential. The concept of the Expansion Chamber in physics led us to research its meanings and expressions, which resulted in us defining the shape of the building's floor plan based on a large harmonic spiral, from the M51 Galaxy to the spirals found in nature. For Borja and A4, seismic concerns were never something we ignored, which allowed us to also design a tuned mass damper system for this building that significantly reduces seismic vibration, thereby reducing the seismic impact on structures and facades. With regard to the intervention on an existing building, in the rectory of Universidad de Los Andes, we took advantage of the foothill slope to preserve the facades of the original buildings and the main plaza in front of the library. Side gardens were excavated, and we designed a large hall with a dome over a fountain around it to optimize natural light. This avoided blocking the orientation of the university's original architecture towards the city and the surrounding landscape. It is important to note that we admire Borja's vision of entrance halls, especially those in buildings that open up their first floor to the city, such as Banmédica or the Capricorn Tower in Dubai, which has a completely open entrance hall that emerges from a fountain and avoids commercial use on the first floor. Another example is the semi-suspended BCI build- ing, which, on the first floor facing Alcántara Street, provides continuity to the gardens of the British Embassy. Borja also considered water features to create distance from institu- tional buildings, as well as providing natural light to the basement floors, preventing them from being used as parking lots. In other words, the project was always designed with the city in mind, in order to create a new urban space; this resulted in a conference at the Architecture School of Universidad Católica about our work, entitled “La Obra Generatriz de Lugar” (The Work that Creates a Place). In 2016, marking the 20th anniversary of our partnership, we published a book featuring our work, culminating in the completion of 36 projects comprising residential, office, corporate, and university buildings, with a total of 1,100,000 square meters built. Our meetings were not always held in Santiago; we often traveled to France, where we mainly met at his art studio in Buseau, near Paris, or to the United Arab Emirates, or when he traveled to Chile to his home on Lake Ranco. These were places of conception, the origin of the concepts and figures of many of our projects. Today, after 30 years of partnership, Borja is still active, and his creative passion remains intact, which motivates us to continue working together. ! FEATURE ARTICLE Facilities, Tourism and Landscape: Changes in Chile's Tourism Concept By: Macarena Cortés. Director of the UC Cultural Heritage Center Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile The work presented here presents an assessment of the modern and contemporary experience of Chilean architecture, which saw tourism as a basis for formal, spatial, and material renewal in response to new social and cultural conditions surrounding leisure, vacations, and travel. Architecture played a fundamental role in shaping a network of tourist
destinations in Chile. To this end, it modified its design strategies as the 20th century progressed and various architectural influences resonated throughout the country. Above all, these modifications were due to strategic changes in social practices involving travel and stays at destinations. Typological and spatial modifications were the fundamental consequences in tourism architecture, which developed significantly between the 1930s and the late 1970s, and can be analyzed up to the present day. We will see how it went from monumental and grandiose conceptions to smaller-scale and harmonious relationships with the landscape, finally entering a stage seeking mass appeal, linked to social tourism and community vacations. To understand this process, other determining conditions will be analyzed, ranging from the accessibility provided by infrastructure connectivity (road and rail) to the construction of scenic landscapes around tourist destinations, both of which were decisive factors in the emergence and spread of domestic tourism. These components allow us to analyze the architectural, urban, ter- ritorial, and landscape changes involved in the formation of the tourist network that supported social, leisure, and travel activities. The period has been broadly defined as the 20th century, marked by the construction of distinctive tourist facilities that are representative of the change in the administration and management model by the State.
In terms of tourism development, the Railway Company saw this new economic activity as an opportunity to expand its use, and therefore played a leading role in the formation of various hotel consortiums and the creation of documents to promote tourism, which we will review later (Cassals: 1999, 41). On the other hand, the diverse locations of destinations, which were not always part of the railway network, required the use of road in- frastructure, which, although precarious, improved during the 20th century. The main milestone was the consolidation of the north-south Pan-American Highway, first through the continuation of what was called the Longitudinal Road, which linked Arica to Puerto Montt in the 1930s, and its subsequent paving in the 1950s, when it was finally completed and named Route 5 in 1969 (Urrutia, 2023). Different means of transportation were combined to access the facilities and connect them with the landscapes and tourist enclaves. This was essential for the infrastructure (road and rail) to be configured as a support for tourist activity, linking the enclaves, urban centers, and available facilities. 02. The Dissemination of Scenic Landscapes: The media, such as magazines, guides, and travel brochures, contrib- uted to the construction of scenic landscapes based on the country's geography and topography as a setting. This connection, together with the exceptional natural landscapes of the national territory and the ad- vances described above, defined the key aspects of the appropriation and identity of tourist destinations. Images played a role in the dissemination and configuration of land- scapes, not only through the territory's physical construction, but also through the cultural development of its appreciation, via texts that described its characteristics and qualities. In this sense, the State Railway Company, through its Propaganda and Tourism Section, had a strong editorial policy that managed to keep the magazine “En Viaje” (On a Journey), published monthly between 1933 and 1973, and the “Guía del Veraneante” (Summer Traveler's Guide), published annually between 1932 and 1962, in circulation for more than 40 years. These publications provided information to tourists in order to promote destinations throughout almost the entire country. In these publications, and others such as ”Guía de la Pesca” (Fishing Guide), ”Guía del Ski” (Skiing Guide), and ”Termas de Chile” (“Chilean Hot Springs”), images of landscapes, cities, and architecture were used extensively, but illustrations, maps, graphics, and advertisements rep- resenting the destinations were also disseminated, accompanied by practical information and real or fictional narratives (García: 2012, 5). There were also other formats, such as the 1937 Metro Goldwyn Mayer documentary, entitled “The Land of Charm,” which took viewers on a tour of our country's natural and urban landscapes, presenting a modern and developing country to international tourists. Taken together, these materials shaped tourist imagination and nar- ratives that linked the landscape with the infrastructure system, facilities, and attractions, whether urban or natural. 03. The Construction of Tourist Facilities: The construction of facilities is undoubtedly a fundamental component that guarantees the stay at these destinations and was mainly shaped by hotels, inns, and spas, but also restaurants, tea rooms, clubs, swimming pools, etc. These facilities responded programmatically to the social, sport- ing, and leisure activities associated with vacations, which also translated into formal and spatial concepts that adhered to new architectural trends with a modern bias. Some of these facilities were located in city centers, articulating urban conditions, while others were located away from the city, immersed in the natural landscape or on the coast and beaches. The construction of tourist facilities boomed in the 1930s, with notable examples including hotels built by Ferrocarriles del Estado, such as the
01. Infrastructure Accessibility and Connectivity: Supporting Tourism Activity:
At the beginning of the 20th century, Chile was a country with poor connectivity and difficulty in unified access to its territory. Therefore, the development of the railway and, in particular, the consolidation of the State Railway Company, is undoubtedly the most significant mile- stone under its management. The expansion of the lines in the central zone, towards the south, and the development of mining in the north, managed to consolidate the network to its greatest coverage by 1930, both in terms of lines and branches. This not only meant controlling the territory, but also urbanizing it through towns and cities that were strengthened by the arrival of the railroad, transporting people, services, and products etc. For this reason, it has been stated that greater productive activity and population growth occurred around the railroad, creating a territorial colonization effect never seen before (Irrizaga, Gálvez, and Silva, 1980: 144). This situation continued until the early 1960s, when the intensity of train use began to decline, giving way to the priority use of roads, and finally came to a decisive end after 1973.
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