small pieces of a city completely developed by the state, based on a Corfo company that linked development and housing, occupying the urban periphery to guide the city's urban expansion. For decades, IANSA was used for all kinds of activities by the surround- ing communities: sports, social, and union events, consolidating a sense of local identity. IANSA went beyond its relationship with farmers and established ties with their families, granting benefits to consolidate the desire for social welfare promoted by Aguirre Cerda. Through newsletters, reports, and programming, IANSA not only built a city but even its own world. As with the establishment of national industry, the tools used to communicate and consolidate this idea were propaganda and graphic design, using illustrations and symbols characteristic of the area, such as the Chilean huaso or others related to the agricultural world. LESSONS LEARNED The industrial cases mentioned above are examples of a strategic State that combines opportunities linked to the growth of national production with the location of housing complexes, demonstrating the capacity and conviction of public institutions to finance and implement initiatives with high social value. This is evident in the urbanization of new settlements and the relocation of families from other areas to populate these areas. This pattern of state action, which has consolidated part of the built heritage of our cities, raises opportunities and guidelines for future action of our cities and, specifically, for continuing the work of reducing the housing deficit. The annexation of new areas, the rehabilitation of degraded areas, and the search for centrality in the city, which are signs of integration, connectivity, and comprehensiveness of urban life, must be guiding principles in this work. The housing problem is not solved by delivering units to families, but by building sustainable cities. Although CORFO was not a housing institution, it was a strategic platform for the country's urban development, and its actions made it possible to create material and institutional conditions that reduced the housing deficit at different times during the 20th century. This reinforces the idea that housing policy is not only the responsibility of housing agencies but requires an integrated vision of productivity, territory, and social welfare. Based on data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and other official sources, the construction sector's share of total employment has ranged between 6% and 9% since 1990. The highest recorded figure was approximately 9% in 2012, coinciding with a boom in infrastructure and housing investment in response to the 2010 earthquake. In recent years, the share has declined, standing at around 7.6% in 2024, due to factors such as the economic slowdown and rising construction costs. In this scenario, the need to incentivize housing construction is not only evident but also timely since, as Corfo points out, it is an exercise that combines productivity and housing deficit. To this end, it is essential to plan, alongside housing, productive spaces that contribute to the employability of those who receive them, facilities that promote community development and social cohesion, consolidate the connectivity of new urban sectors, and provide quality construction to buildings and public spaces to establish harmonious environments. ! Mauricio Sánchez An architect from the Universidad Católica, he holds a Master's degree in Architectural Restoration from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. He is head of the Project Management Department of the Undersecretary for Cultural Heritage. He is also an adjunct professor at the UC School of Architecture. Santiago Canales An architect with a master's degree in architecture from Universidad Católica, he works as an architect in the Project Management Department of the Undersecretary for Cultural Heritage and is a member of the Heritage and Modernity Cluster of the UC Cultural Heritage Center. References - Boris Cvitanic, Architecture, Modernity, and Project in Magallanes: The Work of Miguel García Fernández (Biobío: STOQ Editorial, 2020).
- Boris Cvitanic and Daniel Matus. “Housing and Industrial Heritage: The Oil Camps in Magallanes,” Sophia Austral 23, (2019). - National Institute of Industrial Property (Chile) (2010) Graphic History of Industrial Property in Chile 2010 [online]. Available at: http://repositorio.cultura.gob.cl/handle/123456789/4565. - Juan Bravo, “Labor Focus No. 42: An X-ray of Employment in Construction,” Economic Context Observatory, Universidad Diego Portales (2024): 3, https://ocec.udp.cl/cms/wp-content/ uploads/2024/03/Enfoque-Laboral-42-VF-comp.pdf. - Leonel Pérez, Marco Morales, Boris Cvitanic, and Daniel Matus, "Villa Cerepec-Chiguayante. Cooperativism and collective housing in Greater Concepción," Arquitectura del Sur 63, (2023): 122–135, https://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0719-64662023000100122. - Memoria Chilena. “Chillán Earthquake,” in Earthquakes in Chile (1570-2010). Available at https://www.memoriachilena.gob.cl/602/w3-article-97948.html. Accessed on 5/14/2025. - Patricio Bernedo, “Economic Prosperity under Carlos Ibañez del Campo, 1927-1929,” Historia 24, (1989). - “2012 Annual Report. Committed to sustainable development,” on the official IANSA website, accessed on May 14, 2025, https://empresasiansa.cl/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Memoria- Iansa-2012.pdf. - “A Chilean company at the service of Chile: IANSA,” accessed May 14, 2025, https:// obtienearchivo.bcn.cl/obtienearchivo?id=documentos/10221.1/37240/2/248510.pdf.
INTERNATIONAL INTERVIEW
Hashim Sarkis
"Every time I come to Chile, I discover new talent and amazing work."
During an interesting conversation with this great architect, dean of one of the world’s leading architecture schools, we were able to ad- dress key topics when analyzing the present and future of architecture worldwide. Among others, the importance of Artificial Intelligence, design, and research.
By: Pablo Altikes + Yves Besançon + Gabriela de la Piedra Edited by: Bárbara Vicuña
Hashim Sarkis has been familiar with Chilean architecture since he was 18 years old and a first-year student at the American University of Beirut’s School of Architecture. “A professor who was a great admirer of Valparaíso would show us architectural projects and read us poems from the Valparaiso School,” he says, settling into a chair to begin the interview. “Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to closely follow what’s happening in Chile and have met and become friends with some great Chilean architects,” he notes. His tone is gentle and kind. And his English is perfect, albeit with a slight foreign accent. Let’s not forget that Hashim Sarkis is of Lebanese origin. He was born in Beirut in 1964 and began his architectural studies Acknowledgements: Ricardo Abuauad, Dean of the Creative Campus of Andrés Bello University, and Gastón Cañas, Internationalization Coordinator of the same entity.
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