Cultural Buildings

Building new friendships & Experiencing a new culture

It’s a little more than 24 hours since we have returned to Columbus, Ohio. The flight home was very relaxing and the meals on the plane were so much better than what we had on the way to Santiago. The flight felt shorter and I was able to fall asleep for a majority of the flight home. Looking back to our entire trip and the itinerary, I have noticed we did so much within a short period and it was such an amazing experience. 

First of all, going to Chile is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Without going on this study abroad, I would not have known where to start my research. After this trip, I can definitely say that I can definitely plan my trip when I decide to go back in the future, and let’s hope that I know some Spanish before I decide to visit again! 

Secondly, I learn so much about Chilean contemporary architecture and landscape architecture by visiting important buildings in and out of Santiago. I enjoy seeing the colorful facades of various buildings throughout the duration of the trip. It definitely adds beauty and a unique style to the architecture. It is also very cool to see how city planing and landscape architecture can come together and create so many unique and amazing public spaces and pedestrian walkways around the city. The pedestrian walkways are often shaded and allow people to take a journey through it and end up in a much larger public space. It definitely felt much cooler in the pedestrian walkway compared to being in a place like plaza de Armas. I wish that we can have more public spaces for people to use in Columbus, and I think we are moving toward that direction in recent years. 

Lastly, I am so grateful to have the opportunity to get to know everyone on this trip. I have notice I did not know anyone and was afraid to talk to a lot of people before the trip, but now it is a completely different story. A week of intensive learning, walking, sketching, complaining and chilling has definitely brought us all close together and I would not have it in any other way. I have learned so much from everyone and learned a lot more about Chilean culture since we have returned. 

Leave that building alone…

The Hapag Lloyd building in Valparaiso inspired me for this post, if you don’t remember it, I’ve included a quick sketch that may remind you of this distinct port authority office right near the coast. The glaring part of this building is the contrast between the international style of the top half in contrast to the neoclassical facade of the bottom half. Since Valparaiso is a UNESCO site, the facades of these old buildings could not be changed, so when the Hapag Lloyd company took over, they kept the old facade but built upwards, in a completely different style. The windows of the old facade now have the same blue glass windows that the top half does, making it look like someone stuffed a big glass tube into the old building, and it is full to the brim. This particular building, which is not very successful in its renovation attempts, made me wonder what other buildings that have been renovated in contemporary times did correctly. The Precolombian museum was a renovated old building, but it is much more successful in that way. Is it simply because it doesn’t have a boring glass cube sticking out of the top? Perhaps, but it comes down to decorum– is it an effective/appropriate use of the local history to make a building like the Hapag Lloyd HQ? Here the answer is no. The blue glass windows on the lower half of the building make it seem like the central glass structure reaches all the way to the ground and the stone facades are simply slapped on to the sides. There is no continuity between the two halves of this building, and it takes an interesting concept/potential and completely fails at executing it, unlike the renovations of the Precolombian museum, or so many other projects that have revived classical/neoclassical buildings in a contemporary way.

Hapag Lloyd Building

Day Opener: Eye Opener

My Day Opener as is shows the range of projects we visited starting from La Moneda ending it with the Furnicular.

My last blog in the country is about my first sketch of this trip. I think Day 1 was the busiest day yet the most diverse in terms of the projects we saw. From historical buildings to different transportations to parks, the first day of Chile gave a me a sense of the kind of architecture the city of Santiago focuses on. Chile’s architecture ranges from a traditional colonial aesthetic to contemporary modern architecture as it deals with the variety of landscapes that make up the South American country. I now end this trip finding their focus of sustainability and their use of green space. The green spaces filled the city and the mountains in the view reminded me each day how I was in a whole new place.

 

Architecture Made Human: A Pablo Neruda House Analysis

Diagrammatic sketch showing how La Sebastiana is divided by floors and La Chascona is divided by volumes.

Image showing the vibrant color and elegant water feature that help capture the essence of Neruda’s vibrant home

Image showing the connection of space through exterior circulation and landscape.

In both visits, I was completely enveloped into the world of Pablo Neruda but couldn’t quite pinpoint why. I had been on similar tours before, so it wasn’t just the fact that there were so many personal artifacts. Even the architecture itself was not something I had taken many notes on. The combination of the two, though, resulted in something that felt specially magnificent and heartfelt.

Our visit to Neruda’s La Sebastiana spurred a curiosity about the relationship between interior decoration and architecture. Is the interior of a building truly what defines its character, especially with something as intimate and personal as a home? This concept certainly is not one that would be endorsed at Knowlton. It has always seemed to me that if decor is the primary essence of a building, then the architecture itself is lacking in one way or another.

Truth be told, I initially thought that the exuberant interior completely overwhelmed other facets of the space. The more I thought about it, though, I realized that the interior is what makes the building feel alive. After all, Neruda lived in the space. The pieces there weren’t just any other decor- they were vibrant and tasteful. Nothing was there for the sake of filing the space, and everything had a meaning or story behind it. It was amazing how the memories behind each piece still could be felt in the room.

Upon visiting Neruda’s Santiago home, La Chascona, I was not surprised to see that the character of the building was still there. The design of the space, though, seemed so much different. As opposed to one five-story building on a hill, this home was composed of three separate volumes with about two or three stories each. While I would expect this separation to make the cohesiveness and warmth of the building to be challenged, especially since it was right along the edge of a busy public Santiago street, that was not the case at all. The vegetation between the three pieces was the connecting tissue that enveloped and shielded them. It was the glue, or the fabric, that unified the house and made it whole. Now it was not just the interior decor, but the landscape that helped define the home. Neruda’s personality was strong, and his homes convey that in a multitude of ways.

It is said that the architect of La Chascona originally oriented the home so it could strategically face the sun, but when Neruda saw the plans, he flipped them around completely and said he wanted it built that way to face the mountains instead. That, to me, captures the essence of Pablo Neruda and his homes. It roots down to feelings, thoughts, and emotions. It may not be what we learn about in architecture school, but it is something I want to carry with me throughout my studies. Architecture is, above all, for the people. It should read as such. A house should become a home.

Light and Perception of Space

Blue glass at church

Light at monastery

Light above statue at Pre-Colombian Art Museum

    Some of my favorite buildings that we saw on this trip were the monastery, the church, the pre Colombian art museum. A common theme in these buildings was the play of light. Each one of these buildings created three completely different atmospheres using unique techniques. 

    The Pre-Colombian Art Museum is a dark space due to the black painted walls. In the basement, the architect light the space with artificial lights. He was very particular in choosing the color, type and intensity of light. On the handrail he used a continuous light to take people down to the basement. Above the statues he used artificial light that was reflected on wood to soften the harsh light. These materials and lights allowed for a dark and heavy space.

   The Benedictine monastery is the complete opposite experience of the Pre-Colombian Art Museum. The monastery is made of a series of planes that are pulled apart to allow for light to come through. In some instances, like in the side walls, 4’ of the bottom wall is pulled in creating a slip for light to get in. The entire space is white with sublime light washing over the interior of the building and showing Gods’ presence. 

   Lastly, the church at the university used a combination of natural and artificial lights. They used artificial light on the floating roof and angled slits on the wall to bring in natural light. Additionally they used colored glass to transform the natural light into a intense blue light. This church also had a sublime effect but it was created more by the color than the puncture of light through the space. 

Light and it’s effect on shopping

As advertisers and entrepreneurs may already know, the ambience of a space can have a very direct influence on how people act and feel in that space. I think this principle was shown very clearly when we visited the two markets today. Both were technically open air markets, as they had ceilings that were not closed and minimal amounts of walls. Despite this similarity, the two markets were different in very distinct ways and I would argue these differences arise as a result of their qualities of light. Within the main Vega market the roof is formed  by slanted corrugated panels that open up, shown in the diagram below.

Diagram showing directionality of light at Vega

While some light is let in, because of the orientation of the building this light is limited and the market feels quite dark.

Looking up inside the Vega market

I do think that it contributes to it having a subterranean feeling. This is quite different in the first market we visited. The ceiling and light were treated in a very different manner.

Outside view of panels

Inverted pyramids with permeable faces allowed a diffused amount of light to enter the market, giving the space a more full, welcoming quality. The pyramids are instrumental in this, allowing light to pass no matter the time of day, as opposed to the strict directionality of the roof of the Vega market. The eating places were located on the second floor and while it may simply be correlation and not causation, I noticed many more people eating on this floor.

Elevation of pyramidal panels

what type of roof you plan to have may not always be number one concern on designers lists. However, as the case with many things, attention to detail can make a huge difference in how a space feels.

Structured for Success

Geometric patterned mosaics and truss support system at GAM

Close up view of Museum of Memory and Human Rights facade with visible structural beams.

View of Museum of Memory and Human Rights’ bar building facade with structural system clearly visible.

My quick diagram sketches of the basic truss support system and other geometric relationships at GAM

     Despite not having taken a structure course yet, I was able to gain a new understanding and appreciation for analyzing structure. I wanted to diagram and learn how structure can efficiently serve its important functional role but also greatly facilitate design themes. For instance at Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center, I noticed a design theme of geometrical patterns organized in relation to the ceiling’s steel truss structural support. The use of a truss system, in which the diagonal components allow for more space to be carved out of large structural mass, make the structure at GAM not feel overbearing and still let the mosaic pattern be the focal point. It also appeared as if the triangular shapes formed by the structural beams influenced the triangular mosaic pieces within them to form a cohesive geometric design. Also, the large circular stone seating bench I was sitting on mimicked the circular glass pattern directly above it on the ceiling and the linear block patterned flooring with metal accents related in geometry and materiality to the linear support beams directly above.
     The benefits of truss structural system were also important at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. The structure was mainly located towards the edges of the bar building which allowed for continuity of open, spacious circulation and exhibit rooms throughout the interior. Since the beams at the museum were spaced more irregular and are clearly visible from the exterior facades, they also serve as an eye catching graphic design focal point.

Nunca Mas

A site that I was looking forward to visiting on this trip was the Museum of Memory. I had done a lot of research on this topic in AP Spanish in high school and the subject weighed heavily on me. While visiting the museum, I couldn’t help but notice there were parallels between it and our 9/11 memorial in New York City.

First of all, they both use enormous scale gallery walls that can be seen from almost any part of the museum. The Museum of Memory has the enormous wall filled with many picture frames of victims of the attacks and the 9/11 memorial in New York has varying shades of blue tiles to represent what color most people described the color of the sky was on 9/11/01.

New York City 9/11 memorial tile wall

My sketch of the wall of picture frames in the Museum of Memory

I think that this large scale is used to make a great impact on whoever is entering the museum and to make them realize just how many lives each specific event has effected.

Another similarity between the two museums is the use of water. I think that the water in both museums represent the absence of those who were taken from their loved ones on these days.

Museum of Memory

Reflecting pools at 9/11 memorial in NYC

 

Copper Wall Openings

Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral’s copper surface was very interesting to me. The first sketch is showing my analysis of the panels which is being used to create the surface. I observed two types of panels. One from least to middle-level opening. The other one is from middle-level opening to a max level of openings. The surface is created by the combination of these two types of the panels by cutting in a different size, flipping upside down and gathering/scattering the same level openings.
For the wall, more north side and the top has more openings to let light into the building. Less opening panels are used on the bottom of the wall more for the privacy. The second sketch and the third diagram is showing the organization of opening levels.

it was great to learn how the simple panels can create a variety of surface expression as well as the shading system.

2 Panel types idea diagram

 

West side wall: higher it goes, it has bigger and more frequent openings. lower wall has less and smaller openings.

 

organization of opening diagram: more openings on top for light and less opening on bottom for privacy. Also north side has many openings for light.

East side wall image

west side wall image

America, Land of Who?

The United States of America or just America, that’s how I and most others refer to these 50 states. Whenever I travel abroad, I refer to myself as an American. I know my customs and traditions to be American. I remember the first time that I was introduced to the concept of “America” meaning more than just the United States of America. It was in one of my introductory Spanish classes at OSU. My professor asked us who was more American, us or someone from Panamá, perhaps. After all, Panamá is located in Central America. Ofcourse I was already aware of the existence of both Central and South America but we, the USA were the Americans, right? It was during that Spanish class that I began to challenge that idea. I was indirectly reminded of this when visiting La Moneda Cultural Center. On the glass walls, the phrase “America, Tierra de Quienes”  was painted. This translates to “America, Land of Who?”. As I was pondering on this, I began to think of the ethnic and cultural background of the people that make up “America”. Let’s think about Latin America in particular since we are in Chile. In 2019, it’s a melting pot like the United States but we know that much of the cultural make up comes from Spainards, enslaved Africans, and Indigenous peoples native to this land. I saw this cultural make up represented in the artwork all over Valparaíso which we visited on day 5. Some of the people depicted on the murals were, in my opinion very clearly of African descent and others indigenous. This experience in Chile has truly brought this concept to life for me and I will continue to learn about and expand on this idea of America being more than the United States of America.The United States of America or just America, that’s how I and most others refer to these 50 states. Whenever I travel abroad, I refer to myself as an American. I know my customs and traditions to be American. I remember the first time that I was introduced to the concept of “America” meaning more than just the United States of America. It was in one of my introductory Spanish classes at OSU. My professor asked us who was more American, us or someone from Panamá, perhaps. After all, Panamá is located in Central America. Ofcourse I was already aware of the existence of both Central and South America but we, the USA were the Americans, right? It was during that Spanish class that I began to challenge that idea. I was indirectly reminded of this when visiting La Moneda Cultural Center. On the glass walls, the phrase “America, Tierra de Quienes”  was painted. This translates to “America, Land of Who?”. As I was pondering on this, I began to think of the ethnic and cultural background of the people that make up “America”. Let’s think about Latin America in particular since we are in Chile. In 2019, it’s a melting pot like the United States but we know that much of the cultural make up comes from Spainards, enslaved Africans, and Indigenous peoples native to this land. I saw this cultural make up represented in the artwork all over Valparaíso which we visited on day 5. Some of the people depicted on the murals were, in my opinion very clearly of African descent and others indigenous. This experience in Chile has truly brought this concept to life for me and I will continue to learn about and expand on this idea of America being more than the United States of America.

America, Land of Who at La Moneda Cultural Center

One of many colorful murals in Valparaíso

Mural in Valparaíso

Contrast, continuity and cracks : a study of details

 

Little details can make a project. I think that this simple fact is true for both designers and the general public who may not be familiar with principles of design. That is to say, I think people have an inherent appreciation for some of the fleeting moments in life; nostalgia is a powerful force. In my opinion, little details can create these tiny moments of joy. 

Water plants at Parque Bicentenario

Many projects -landscape and architecture-we have visited have details that hold up under scrutiny. Starting with parque bicentenario, I was especially struck by a view in the lake. Large, dark stone lined the bottom of the lake and from it emerged a light, thin plant. It may be a variety of allium, but I can’t find the species. Contrast can be a detail in and of itself and I think that it is working for parque bicentario to both provide a striking appearance but also create a unique experience for people using the park.

Water runnel at plaza outside La Chascona

Outside Pablo Neruda’s Santiago home  I was struck by a different type of detail. This was less an aesthetic quality of design but a more functional one as well. Instead of simply having a reflecting pool, the water in the plaza outside the house is in motion; down from the reflecting pool and out between the stones that make up the seating of the plaza. This both adds beauty to a simple space but also cools down the air and stones- an important thing for an area with strong sun and limited shade. 

Gutter at San Joaquin chapel

While details can be contrasting, they may also blend into the overall style of a project. The gutters at the San Joaquin campus do just that. Looking at them one might miss the fact they are even gutters. Their form and material makeup fits with the building, allowing them to blend in. Discovering what they are is exciting though, and proves that even everyday things deserve to be examined in detail.

I have many more details I could talk about, but I hope these select few begin to show what can be done with detail and the different ways it can be used.

Accessibility at the Gabriela Mistral and the Museum of Memory

Something I noticed today was the efforts to make the areas accessible to people who are visually impaired. The first thing that caught my eye was a handrail at Gabriela Mistral that had braille lettering along it to coincide with lettering in the glass behind it. Something that interested me about this was the fact that the lettering had faded and chipped off but the braille remained intact so that in order to read the lettering one would need to know braille. They also had a map that indicated the spaces buy indenting them into the metal surface along with a braille description.

The 3D map at Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center.

The handrail with braille to match the text on the glass at Gabriela Mistral.

    I also feel like the museum of memory did a good job of integrating things that allowed people with impaired vision to access and understand the exhibits. For example there was a drawing that a child did for their parent who was imprisoned and underneath there was a 3D version with braille and important elements raised up. There was also a map of the locations of key places involving the imprisonment that was raised and indented with braille captions. The map was able to be followed by one’s finger with the key spaces being raised and numbered in braille. The floor also had strips of a different material that one could follow around the museum to experience it that way. Then on the second floor there was a ledge with captions in braille leading to the voting ballot which was completely reconfigured in braille underneath the actual ballot.

My interpretation of how the Museum of Memory made some elements of their exhibits more accessible to the visually impaired.

    Last semester I attended a Buamer series lecture about art restoration and how to make history more accessible and seeing these elements in the museum reminded me of that. I think that accessibility in historically or culturally significant spaces is something that is incredibly important. Learning about art and history can help enrich an individual’s experience and making spaces more accessible allows a wider range of people to indulge in these things. I also found that the tactile elements helped enrich my own experience as someone who is fortunate enough to have vision. Being able to actually touch the outlines of a drawing and experience it in a more tangible, hands-on, way helped make the experience more real to me. I also think that this was an especially important element at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights because it is a space that is rembering people who have been through a traumatic experience while also placing emphasis on the fight for justice. Not excluding individuals who have disabilities from this experience helps support the idea that it is a space for all people to pay tribute to the atrocities that occurred. Overall, I appreciated the efforts both of these spaces made to create an inclusive experience.