Residential

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.

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

Valparaíso’s Crafted Authenticity

Traveling through Valparaíso was a beautiful experience from start to finish. It was awe-inspiring to see the many architectural styles within such a short distance from each other. We were enlightened with views of pretty houses on a hill all leading to the big blue ocean.

However, there was this emptiness to the portion we walked through. It kept nagging me through the walk that the only people we saw were vendors, waitresses, and other tourists. Not to say that it was necessarily a bad feeling, but at some point I had to ask if I was walking through a film set. Most of the houses appear to be houses in terms of typology but had a lot of variance in the programs. It might be unreasonable to expect a majority of people to be able to afford the maintenance for such a house. Yet, at the same time I think houses built should serve their purpose as houses and not as vessels to drive the tourism market.

One of the main reasons I believe it only to be geared toward the tourism market is the emphasis placed on appearances. There were many houses empty and vacated that were being renovated to have the appearance of vibrancy even if it did not necessarily start that way. I am a fan of the appearance of the city, but I do believe it is similar to Santa Monica where zoning code drives a lot of the decisions of the outer appearance. In my opinon, giving individuals the opportunity to control their facades would be preferable. Even though the houses were eye-catching, I felt myself more moved by the murals throughout the city. That was the most authentic experience for me personally. The same energy used to paint the intricate work could be applied to the surface treatment of the facades.

Valparaíso gives an appearance of parts relating to the whole while the relation is only surface level

This door shows a treatment of surface where formal properties are overlayed with graphics

Even with a mural painted over the masonry the bricks’ pattern is still present and gives the image another layer of depth

One city, many cultures

A governmental building near Valparaíso port

View of Valparaíso hillside

Colorful historic facades

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Valparaíso, and one of the most interesting things that I learned on the day trip was the qualifications for Valparaíso becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and all of the regulations that must be followed to maintain that status. I did some more research on the UNESCO website and learned that the significance of the site has to do with the eclectic mix of culture that resulted from the many settlers from different countries stopping at Valparaíso. One thing that I found particularly interesting was the fact that in order to follow UNESCO regulations, only the facades of buildings need to be preserved. This regulation resulted in some interesting architecture, such as the first picture in this post. This governmental building still complies with UNESCO regulations because the outermost facade is still in tact, however a glass-clad building emerges out of the top. Although I was not a fan of this particular building, I think that the overall concept presents the opportunity to experiment with a blend of new and old architecture. Also, this allows architects to continue to renovate the interior of buildings to suit the needs of people living in the city, while still maintaining the iconic appearance that Valparaíso is known for. UNESCO recognizes the fact that buildings will require maintenance in order to stay operating, so specific measures have been put in place to identify where and what buildings can be amended.

I really enjoyed looking around the city and seeing the innumerable historic buildings, each with their own character. Some buildings appear very dilapidated, however it is important to remember that they serve a historical purpose as well as a functional purpose. Looking inside some of the windows I noticed interiors that had recently been updated to fit the needs of people living there. However, every building contained a historic facade, which was not only visually appealing to me as a tourist, but also gave a glimpse into the past about the various cultures that passed through the city and left their mark, creating the picture that Valparaíso is today.