Corte del anteproyecto para el concurso del Aula Magna de la Universidad Católica. Croquis de Mario Pérez de Arce Lavín, 1966. / Section of the project for the Catholic University Aula Magna competition. Sketch by Mario Pérez de Arce Lavín, 1966.
Structure and function The Gothic is for him a historical testimony of rigor, faith and structural logic as well. The finest gothic assigns structural roles to the stained glass windows that express in the mullions the structural role of the parts. Ultimately, in gothic buildings it is the structure that is responsible for the aesthetics. This idea fascinated him. He admired Félix Candela and Pier Luiggi Nervi, two structural designers who translated the wisdom of the Gothic into modern language and technology. Although he didn’t have the opportunity to develop large buildings, even the smallest structural elements were dignified in his architecture. The structure is always present and revealed in the façades, thus contributing to the enrichment of architecture. A clear example is the Nueva de Lyon Building (1967) with its system of structural walls. Clear and hierarchical circulations, lighting, ventilation, the appropriateness of spaces to their specific functions, in short, functionality is the key aspect while designing. He undertakes with great interest even the design of a parking building such as Sol de Chile, designed with Sergio Larraín and Emilio Duhart in 1954, where functional constraints were extreme. Common sense “Common sense” is the main message received by students during the 40 years of volunteer teaching (as was customary then) at the School of Architecture of the Catholic University. For him, it is a rule of life, and certainly for many students it is the core of his teaching. He does not seek novelty for novelty’s sake, a permanent temptation in the practice of architecture. Common sense is the formula to extract what is proper from tradition, imagination, culture or the repertoire of external models. Common sense is the central theme of his speech upon receiving the title of Professor Emeritus: “I want to take this opportunity to share my thoughts on
an issue that has haunted me for some time and has become more clear over the years, helping in the understanding of many issues and the decisions I have had to make concerning them. It is what we call ‘common sense’ (...) a capacity probably rooted in the ancestral instinct for survival that allows a glimpse of goodness, truth and beauty through the tangle of life.” During the difficult period when he had to undertake the deanship of the School of Architecture, his dedication to common sense allowed him to sustain positions and generate acceptance among people as diverse as those close to the Superior Council of the University in those times of extreme radicalization. Jaime Guzmán and Hernán Larraín engaged in confrontation with José Antonio Garretón, Fernando Castillo - his friend and university rector - and Cardinal Silva Henríquez, to name a few. Irreconcilable positions generated the division of the School into two rival factions. He was able to talk to everyone because his modesty and common sense were stronger than the conflicting slogans. He resigned his brief deanship after the military government designated Admiral Jorge Swett as rector and after many decisions he did not agree with. Swett had been his “client” in the project for the Naval Academy and they had become good friends, however they now stood on opposite grounds. To this day I hear acknowledgments regarding his person from those who were his adversaries. His long career as a teacher made him worthy of the admiration of many generations of architects. Always in charge of the third year workshop, he knew how to introduce students to a balanced experience of passion and reason. A humble man, he wanted his work and his message to be marked by “good sense”. His work is not to be a protest but a proposal. This attitude resulted in a permanent positive spirit, imagining a better reality and discovering value in the most insignificant places.
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