It is fascinating to delve into the practice of Iván Bravo, firstly because the path taken towards his architectural work immerses us in a vast creative universe through the architect's interest and curiosity in various tangential disciplines directly reflected in his built work. A constant reflection on the methodology of the making, the processes, the pieces, the design, and the materiality converges into a noble and honest architecture.
Born in Santiago, Iván Bravo is an architect, graduated from the Central University of Chile and is the founder of the office that bears his name, currently working with Martín Rojas Ortiz as an associated architect and Juan Oyarzún Vial as a collaborator. In addition to his title as an architect, Bravo has studied photography at the Barcelona School of Design and the University of Valencia, and has an extensive academic career as a teacher in design and architecture programs in various institutions in Chile, such as the Adolfo Ibáñez University, the Creative Campus of UNAB, the University of Chile, among others. In recent years, the work of Iván Bravo Architects has been internationally recognized with awards such as the Design Vanguard by Architectural Record magazine, and his project Casa Humo has been nominated for the upcoming cycle of the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize.
Iván's production focuses mainly on small and medium-scale projects of various kinds, from art installations and exhibitions, and curatorial exercises to houses and pavilions, where an exploration of different areas is evident, not only within architecture but also by blending the creative aspect found in disciplines such as art, industrial design, and engineering. He began his practice shortly after graduating in 2002, dedicating himself mainly to construction for external clients. In 2014, he closed the construction company to focus fully on his architectural studio.
Initially, I carried out projects when I had time, in between other jobs. I mainly took on projects that I could manage and complete by myself, such as design pieces or small architectural projects. In those days, I was mostly dedicated to construction, always looking to work on projects that interested me from a design perspective and where I could contribute my experience and passion for architecture.
Iván's artistic creation appears at some point as a response to the development of creative projects that did not require a client or a formal commission and where production times were faster. In this way, a relationship between art and architecture begins to intertwine, along with an architectural methodology for making art.
Although I would like to be able to define the relationship between art and architecture, I don't have it completely clear. I believe that each discipline informs and refers to the other in some way. Both are very autonomous, with different methodologies and rules, but at the same time, I think it is possible to blur the boundaries between them a bit. It is easier to imbue a work of art with architectural elements than to do architecture from an art operation. That's why the relationship is delicate and nebulous. What I am sure of is that I am interested in proposing with a certain freedom, thinking that it is possible to cross and contaminate both disciplines without worrying too much about the boundaries between them.
The design process of the works, particularly speaking of the houses produced by the studio in recent years, begins with an analysis of the specific commission, the client's needs, and the geographical environment. The design methodology addresses a list of factors that cannot be overlooked, such as the relationship with the landscape and its climatic conditions, the material construction possibilities, and the financial condition of the project. In this way, the houses are a formal and literal response to the specific requirements of the commission, and at the same time, surprise with the innovation achieved both in the typological form, the use and treatment of materials, and the technical construction details.
There are always multiple possible responses within any rule system. Once we clearly understand what can and cannot be done, we can move more freely. An important part of our design process is to demonstrate that our proposals are sensible, austere, and rational responses to the client's commission.
A fundamental resource when designing, also associated with art and craftsmanship, is the three-dimensional experimentation through models: "The project develops from a strategy that attempts to solve multiple variables simultaneously, and we quickly move on to test models in different scales to visualize the architecture in its fundamental conditions: space, form, and light."
Consequently, the confluence of all these elements: the commission, the design process, and artistic and artisanal experimentation, combined with experience in the field of construction, leads us to focus on the predominant material in Iván Bravo's works, wood. The use of wood is not only due to the tradition of Chilean architecture with this material but is also strongly linked to the architect's family history and a special interest in engineering and technical knowledge of wood. Acting as both a studio and a construction company, they can exert greater control over the construction of their works, which demonstrates a coherent treatment of wood from a constructive standpoint in the structure of the project, the final image of the work, as well as in the details and furniture.
The material and technology directly influence all aspects of the work, from the standard and finishing possibilities to the structural conditions. We do not predefine the material of each work; this is decided according to what we consider appropriate for each project. Chile still has relatively low technical expertise in construction compared to other countries, especially in small-scale and low-budget works like ours. This limitation has preserved certain construction techniques and knowledge that today are a fundamental part of what could be understood as 'Chilean architecture'.
Within the projections of Iván's studio for the near future is the desire to develop larger-scale projects that present interesting challenges in various themes within the field of architecture. There is also an interest in strengthening ties with professionals and artists from other countries, relationships they have built over the years, intending to materialize collective projects outside Chile.
Recently, together with Martín, we formed the BARO project, which is a parallel studio that concentrates on interdisciplinary projects that we develop sporadically, bringing together our concerns and creative interests beyond architecture. This year we led a workshop in Geneva and held an exhibition in Zurich, and we plan to consolidate it as a fully active studio. In relation to art, we have scheduled an exhibition for this year in Montevideo. I have no further plans afterward, but a goal would be to be able to work with one branch of the office constantly in art and another in architecture.
Below is a selection of works built by Iván Bravo Architects in recent years.
Humo House
Aladino House
El Gauchal House
Installation of Micro Greenhouses
Enfermedades Preciosas Installation
Orqe House
Zupe House
This article is part of an ArchDaily series titled Get to Know the Works of, where we look at the built portfolio of a studio, explore their creative process, and highlight their approach. As always, at ArchDaily, we greatly appreciate the contributions of our readers. If you think we should highlight a particular architectural firm, send us your suggestions.
