Back to Reality

My experience in Chile was everything I had hoped and more. I can say I definitely received the culture immersion that I had desired and included everything from language to food. This was especially apparent when I walked into a restaurant for lunch the first day and nobody there spoke any English. I will say, the Chilean people were very patient with us “Gringos” and our broken Spanish. Also, I noticed a large part of Chilean cuisine was either very meat or fish heavy, this was fine by me as I am relatively open-minded when it comes to food.

The one thing that really stuck out to me about Santiago and Valparaiso was their proper use of all the land available to them. Santiago was the most expansive city I have ever seen, I don’t think I was able to see all the way to the end of it even at the top of the Costanera Tower. And in Valparaiso, with the steep landscape, they were able to build up to use all the space they could in a very dense landscape.

Even with all this dense urban environment, the idea of a natural landscape was never lost on the Chilean people. This is an idea that I think needs to make its way to America more, it seemed like everywhere I was in Santiago, I was only a short walk from the nearest park. There were numerous parks all throughout the city, some with wide open areas, and some with much more condensed space. The important thing was that there was a space for everyone’s wants and needs in these parks.

First time in Chile but not my last…

The Santiago trip exceeded my expectations immensely. As my first study abroad trip, I’ve never expected to have such a entertaining time in Chile yet still be a teaching experience. I not only gained an understanding of the Chilean culture, but I also gained insight on architecture from a different continent. I understood the difference and between Chile and Ohio in terms of architecture and I’d admit that Chile is way beyond Ohio in design. Chile has been undertaking these urban ideas that have a SOCIAL PURPOSE and creating a meaningful architecture, which the landscape and climate having a huge role.

The landscapes of Chile incorporated throughout all of Santiago creates an interesting architectural promenade. Every street, every walk you took, you were surrounded by trees that bordered the road or trees/plants and created spaces for outdoor seating areas or provided shade. The heat during the day that hardly reaches 80 degrees with a constant breeze throughout the valley that keeps you cool. I’d say over all the countries I’ve traveled I’ve never experienced such an ideal weather.

One of my goals for this trip was to come back in one piece, since this was my first time traveling on the air without family members. I think I learned a lot about myself.  To be more responsible with my items. How to take care of myself independently, in terms of money. I also learned that maybe Ohio isn’t where I want to study for Graduate school… I was really impressed by the programs offered for architecture, more specifically Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, and they how they don’t label architecture as it is, but into multiple categories of design, philosophy, engineering, etc.

Santiago reminded me of a cleaner New York…. I won’t forget the guy who was selling ice cream on those hot days, screaming “HELADOHELADOHELADO!”. I definitely won’t forget the food, which were mostly meat based, really heavy to digest and was always too much to take in, but never regretful. The people of Chile were patient even with our language barriers, they always tried to understand or communicate even if it was through hand motions.  It felt more like New York when we took the metro bus and artists were performing on the bus. But what Chile has that New York doesn’t is green spaces; hills, trees, multiple parks, mountains in the distance and a whole body of ocean along the country.

I don’t think I can pinpoint a favorite project we visited or restaurant we ate, but I know I had special memories that I hold for ever place. I won’t forget this spring break trip!

¡Adiós Chile!

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. 

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.

 

The Houses of Pablo Neruda

Visiting two of Pablo Neruda’s houses, La Sabastiana in Valparaiso and La Chascona in Santiago, I was able to get a better understanding of Neruda’s design style and how site was influential to the architectural design of the buildings. Both of these houses make use of a concept of stacking, in La Sabastiana with the stacking of floors and in La Chascona with the stacking of buildings up the hillside. The small plot that La Sabastiana sits on makes for a very claustrophobic floor plan and a need for the house to rise vertically to fit in the necessary programs. La Chascona has much more space on its site to spread out and makes use of that by dividing the programs into 3 different buildings connected by a central garden. These buildings were also both designed with a focus on the views. La Sabastiana and it’s very vertical form allow for many widespread views of the hills of Valparaiso and the ocean below. La Chascona focuses instead on the views of the central garden and courtyards. Besides the floor plans, the interiors of both buildings were very similar. They were very eclectic, combining many different styles and cultures. Each were filled with a variety of memorabilia and prized possessions that Pablo Neruda collected throughout his lifetime. The interior designs are a good reflection of Neruda’s lifestyle and the things that he found important.

Exploded perspective of La Chascona

Exploded perspective of La Sabastiana

View from window of La Sebastiana

La Chascona symbol in on the house in Santiago

European Feel in a South American City

One of the first and strongest observations I got from Valparaíso was its resemblance to small European towns. Last year, my sister studied abroad in a small French town a few hours outside of Paris, and my parents and I got the chance to visit her in the summer. I had been to France earlier in 2015, starting in Paris and working our way down and around for close to a month. Long story short, I’ve had a lot of exposure to small village architecture. Quaint facades, narrow cobblestone roads, worn-down materials, the whole Shabang.

What I found interesting, then, was that I was taken right back to my time in France while walking around the streets of Valparaíso, despite being on an entirely different continent. Of course, there were some major differences, namely the brightly colored buildings, the graffiti, and the sheer size of Valparaíso (although when walking its streets, it’s easy to forget you’re in such a large city). However, I found the similarities to greatly outweigh the differences. While you’re in both places, the age of the towns and the amount of history that surpassed in it is clear. Extremely quaint, culture-rich, old architecture, and very cute. The walls and streets are heavily worn, most the buildings themselves are originals, and if they were in fact renovated, usually only the interiors were updated to keep the its exterior charm.

One thing I was not expecting in Valparaiso was its buildings to be so worn down. At first I took this as a lack of effort by its residents to keep it up, but later I decided that although very inhabited throughout the years, this old-timey feel was what gave the city much of its charm.

Overall, I was blown away by Valpariso. I didn’t think I’d find a place so European looking in South America, but this turned out to be an incredible surprise. I feel lucky to have been able to travel to two places that are so different but still find incredible similarities, and I’m excited to be able to compare Chile to the places I travel to in the future.

View of street in Valparaíso

View of street in a small French town

French building art

Valparaíso building art

Quick sketch of street in Valparaíso

Chile: A Country of Many Identities

By spending all of our time in and around Chile’s major cities Santiago and Valparaíso, we had not gotten to see much of the natural beauty. On Friday, our free day, a group and I traveled to Maipo Valley and to the hot springs; it was unlike anything I’ve experienced before. While it was a fun day, we learned much about the Chilean culture outside of the major cities.

Our tour guide explained to us that the Maipo Valley area is experiencing an issue with the hydraulic drilling that is occurring. It pollutes their natural streams and disrupts the ecosystem. However, they don’t have many other options for income. Their income source used to be mining until it was shut down due to the danger regarding drilling and earthquakes. Now, the little Chilean towns rely on tourism. 

I found this particularly interesting that tourism is the main source of income in the smaller towns. They don’t look like typical tourist traps that one would see in major tourist destinations in America. For our tour, we stopped at the same quaint restaurant for breakfast and a nice little tapas dinner. While I was expecting the tour to be great, it blew away my expectations. 

Along with the economic aspects, we learned about the environment and the vegetation’s that can only grow in Maipo Valley due to the specific climate and altitude. We learned about the three types of trees that grow there— soap bark tree, the Baldo/doctor tree, and a litre tree that causes allergic reactions. The cacti there also only grows 900 km above sea level and can be surrounded by snow. 

With our tour, we hiked a 18,000 foot volcano and went in seven hot springs, with the hottest one being 60° celsius, or 140° Fahrenheit. It was two kilometer hike up and another two kilometer hike back down. While it was a long day, it was an experience that I will never regret or forget.

The heart of Maipo Valley, showing off it’s amazing views in the mountains and natural streams.

My sketch of my favorite place we saw in Maipo Valley.

One of the natural springs on our tour.

A City and the Sky

View of the Andes from the Benedictine Monastery Lookout

 

Sketch of the City and it’s Mountains

At this view, I was amazed at how the buildings met the mountains. The two stood apart but were understood together. Through this sketch, I aimed to capture how the two connected to one another. I imagined that the mountains were hollow on their underside, and the buildings clipped onto the end of the mountains shell. That way, the buildings do not creep onto the mountains at all, but stand at their periphery, dictated by the location and sprawl of the mountains. It is not as if the mountains are more important than the buildings, they are just much larger and the buildings must respect their space. Similarly, the mountains create valleys to respect the cities space. 

I am planning to color the sketch in with green and blue alcohol markers, so that the green foreground and blue sky will be colored and mountains and city will not. I believe the color will enhance the emphasis upon the relationship between mountain and city.

View of my sketch and the view

A City Where Buildings And Exterior Space Are One

A park sketch showing circulation through the park along with leisure areas, and buildings in the background.

An image of the plaza space in front of the PreColombian Art Museum, showing the way circulation through Santiago can occur through landscaped plazas rather than just sidewalks.

An image taken of a walk space in the Universidad Cathólica de Chile, once again showing the integration of seating, circulation, shading, and landscape.

On our first day in Santiago, I was immediately struck by the openness of the city. As I walked to get lunch, all of the stores along the way had their doors open to the street. Escalators to the mall were accessible straight from the sidewalk. The separation between indoors and outdoors was often minimal to none.

The openness of the city is difficult to describe. The word that seems to best explain it is permeability. Many of the malls in the city, for instance, do not act as one heavy volume on a city block. They are permeable in the way than the lower level has paths to cross through the block, with shops all around.

Even parks behave in an entirely new way. They don’t act as an isolated destination the way I have seen many parks in Ohio. Rather, they serve as both recreational areas and as circulation paths through the city.

The impact of all this is the creation of a blended, unified city. Locals and tourists, children and the elderly, and even dogs and humans all live as one.

Implementing this into cities like Columbus would completely transform the place, and certainly in a positive way. Take the Oval on campus, for example. It is by far one of Ohio State’s most popular spaces, and serves the dual purpose of play and circulation. Perhaps Columbus is not quite so literally possible since the climate of Ohio is nowhere near as favorable in Santiago. Still, creating spaces that are permeable as opposed to heavy volumes has the potential to create a more usable city.

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.

Valparaiso Around the Corner

I can honestly say that the city of Valparaiso is the the most beautiful and unique city I have visited. Not just because of the vibrant colors on all of the buildings, it’s the unique organization and topography that help to make the city so memorable. Being built on the side of a mountain, makes the view of the city and the navigation through the city very different from the flat Ohio fields where I grew up. Everywhere you go there are either stairs or inclines, hardly a flat place in sight. The constant changes in elevation and everything being packed so close together make it hard to see very far in most directions. This aspect allows for many hidden doorways, alleys, and drop offs everywhere you turn. Just walking through the streets of this city is an adventure. The surprises at every turn give the city a very playful and fun atmosphere.

The compactness of the city also exaggerates its eclectic nature. Everything, old and new, the wealthy and shanties are often butted right up next to one another. This allows for even more stark visual contrast. No matter where you look, you don’t know what you’re gonna get.

 

Working it Out

On Monday after a nice lunch at Mestizo we all got to take a lovely stroll through Parque Bicentenario or Bicentennial Park. The landscape of this Park was mostly flat unlike the infant park that we visited on day 1. While walking through Park Bicentenario, I was able to experience the beauty and serenity of it all. The flamingos were a nice added touch that I am not used to seeing in parks. One element that caught my eye was the workout equipment situated about one fourth of the way through the park. At first glance, it looked like more toys for the children to play on but upon closer inspection, there was a sign that read “15 years and up”. There was a machine that appeared to be an elliptical and leg lift bars among other equipment. This was very interesting to me because this Park was clearly a space for all ages to enjoy. The exercise equipment was not far from a jungle gym area that was neant for children. I thought that the inclusiveness of the  design was very practical. Adults can bring their children to the park and have activities for themselves other than sitting on a bench.

Exercise equipment at Parque Bicentenario

Flamingos

    View of Torre Costanera from Parque Bicentenario

Critiquing Public Parks and their Draw to Locals

My idea of public parks is that they are areas where people can gather and relax or play sports and games. I wanted to analyze the Infant Park and Bicentenario Park and their effectiveness in creating spaces welcome for activity as well as relaxation and overall usefulness.

Overall, I believe that the Infant Park is more successful in creating a welcoming environment that is welcoming to small children and adults alike. The water spheres were a neat area that kids can both run around in as well as sit down and relax. I even saw a local girl sitting on top of one of the spheres as chaos ensued around her. There is also seating nearby so the adults can closely supervise their kids. Even when walking through I stuck my hand in the water and enjoyed the mist this area was creating on a hot day. The wooden houses are a great example of where kids can go to relax. They are relatively private in the way that the slats have a very thin opening in between them. They are also small enough so that only kids can comfortably occupy them. This acts as almost a sanctuary for the kids from their parents. Finally, the slides in the park are easily enjoyable for people of all ages. Most of the people in our class tried out a slide as well as a parent who was there with their kid. The best part of this playground was that although there are some age restrictions, there were still areas that older kids and parents could enjoy as well.

Park Bicentenario, although a very nice space, was less successful in creating a space that was enjoyable for everyone. There was a lot of occupiable space, but it was mostly flat and difficult to let your imagination run, unlike in the Infant Park. The playground sets in Bicentenario are also very similar to American playgrounds where everything is pretty much scripted. This also conflicts with letting kids imaginations create activities in a space. I also believe the fact that is right next to a street but isn’t completely enclosed is a deterrent to parents to let their kids run around in this park. The Infant Park doesn’t have that problem as it is completely enclosed.

Overall, both parks are enjoyable spaces. I think the Infant Park was more active than Park Bicentenario due to the fact that it is more catered to kids. But I also believe the space is organizes better and more conducive to activity due to how it was designed. The designers knew that not only would kids be coming, the parents would be coming as well and they did a very good job including the parents in the design of the park . Park Bicentenario was less busy because it was very open with little shade. In a hot climate like this, shade is necessary for people to visit a park during the summer. Both parks are successful, I just believe that more can be done to help make Park Bicentenario even more successful.

Water Spheres at Infant Park

Small Wooden Houses at Infant Park

Water Landscape in Park Bicentenario

Highway Immediately next to Park Bicentenario

Small Playground Set in Park Bicentenario

Lo Contador PCU…does it work?

Section and plan of PCU Lo Contador

I really enjoyed visiting the Lo Contador PCU architecture campus today, and after analyzing the plan and section I realized that when first visit a piece of architecture it is very easy to get caught up in how it looks, and fail to consider its functionality. I thought it was interesting that when we stopped to talk to a man who worked in the building, he said “the architecture is beautiful…but it just doesn’t work, it’s not functional”. This comment made me stop and analyze the architecture more closely to see what he meant by this. Only visiting for a few hours, I thought that the buildings and landscape were beautiful and the patio was a nice place to sit. However, I put myself in the place of a student or teacher who is there everyday and I realized some of the flaws in the design. Most of the buildings are not connected, and can only be accessed by walking outside. This could become a problem in the event of rain or other weather. Also a lot of the “interior” spaces were only covered by cantilevers. Another spot that struck me as lacking functionality was the roof of the design building. It was a beautifully designed space, but the hot sun made it almost unbearable to occupy. All of these things are aspects that are very important to how the building functions for the user, which is often overlooked or compromised for the sake of an aesthetically appealing design. It was interesting to experience the architecture for the first time, and then hear the opinion of someone who uses it everyday. The campus was very unlike any traditional building or American campus, which usually has distinct floors and methods of circulation, so it was refreshing to experience a space that tested the limits of architecture.

A Park Designed For Children

Of all the places that we have visited so far I found the Parque de la Infancia to be the most interesting. As we walked along the paths I found myself comparing it to traditional parks that I have seen in America. Parque de la Infancia is a very processional park that climbs vertically up the cerro and takes up a large amount of space. This differs from the flat landscape and open layout that is normally seen in American parks. Parque de la Infancia is also designed specifically toward children and makes sure that it has engaging attractions along the whole stretch of the park. This is also different from American parks because they are usually geared more toward general recreation, with smaller designated children’s play areas. I feel as though the design for Parque de la Infancia is very successful in its context. It works with the challenging landscape of the cerro, while still creating a safe area for children to play, by including things like the enclosed jungle jim pathway that protects children from the dangers of the busy street. It also engages people of all ages, by turning traditional children’s play areas into aesthetically pleasing attractions. Visiting this park was a very thought-provoking experience and I really enjoyed my time here.

Enclosed jungle jim bordering street

Tree houses above water sphere area

Water spheres attraction

Sketch map of Parque de la Infancia

The Perfect Plaza

Analysis of Plaza de Armas and surrounding buildings

Today we visited Plaza de Armas, which was a unique landscape unlike any I had ever seen before. I included my diagram of the plaza in this post, and I found it very interesting to analyze the space and the very clear system with which it was designed and constructed. In its simplest form, Plaza de Armas is a datum of trees, however when we got the chance to walk around the plaza, I noticed that there were several other datums overlapping the datum of trees, such as benches and planters. I also found it interesting that the density of trees increased as you move southward into the park. As a class we concluded that this was to allow sunlight in from the north, but I also thought that it could have been designed in this way to allow a clear view of the cathedral, which is located at the northwest corner of the plaza. In my diagram I also drew each of the 4 facades next to their corresponding cardinal direction. I thought that this was an interesting way to view the facades because in the real world they can never be viewed all at once next to each other because of the tall trees blocking the view. When the facades are viewed next to each other I noticed several differences and similarities among them. The north and west facades are much more ornate and formal than the east and south facades, which read more as a datum of windows and don’t have any towers protruding upwards. I really enjoyed analyzing Plaza de Armas and this exercise made me realize the conscious design decisions that were made in the construction of this plaza.

Discovering Chilé’s Vibrance

      If there is one word to encompass my perspective of Chile so far it would be vibrant. I have especially enjoyed the vibrance found in the natural landscapes, the artwork displayed at the PreColumbian Art Musuem, and even the exuberant people at the Plaza de Armas. My sense of appreciation for the natural landscape of Chile started when I first opened the window on the plane as we soared above the breathtaking mountaintops and clouds. Then at the top of Cerro San Cristobal I gained a new perspective of the Andes mountains that enclose Santiago and their colossal scale and impact they must have had on shaping the city from an urban planning lense. The vegetation and landscape surrounding the statue of the Virgin Mary was a touching reminder of the beauty of God’s creation and the innate vibrance it brings to our lives.

      The exhibit “La Fiesta de Las Imagenes en Los Andes” at the PreColumbian museum is now one of my favorite art exhibits I have ever visited. I appreciated that it brought vibrance to the museum by being interactive, eye catching, colorful, insightful, full of illusions, modern and historical. I tried to capture the themes and concepts of layering, perspective, illusion, color, and movement found repeatedly throughout the exhibit in media such as the illuminated double mirrors, the hanging colorful art display in the courtyard, the maze of decorated ropes, and the layered video projectors.

A collage of diagrams showing the repeating themes of color, layering, and perspective at the art exhibit.

Amazing view from top of Cerro San Cristobal!

Beautiful weather and vibrant landscape and surrounding the focal point Virgin Mary Statue at the top of Cerro San Cristobal.