Flocking Tejas: BASE Studio's Exhibit for the Venice Biennale 2021

Written by Belén Maiztegui | Translated by Maggie Johnson
Published on July 15, 2021

How does systemic thinking and generative design contribute to new forms of convivence? Can they become tools to connect tradition and identity in a modern way? Can they help to design customizable architectural strategies that offer locally accessible solutions? Can they contribute to the creation of dignified spatial experiences that can be replicated on a mass scale?

Through an installation made up of artesian clay tiles, Chilean design research firm BASE studio (Bárbara Barreda + Felipe Sepúlveda) explores the relationship between past and present, techniques and technology, and analog and digital. Flocking Tejas highlights the interaction between old and new as an opportunity to create more inclusive architecture that takes into account the complex history, traditions, aspirations and perspectives of communities and their residents. It's an opportunity to explore the balance between tradition and technological advancement.

And what if the clay tile, already a cornerstone of traditional Chilean construction, could be used on an even wider scale thanks to this exploration Would its value increase?

Flocking Tejas is an emerging and adaptable architectural system that both highlights and explores the constructive qualities of clay tiles and how their use throughout history has been, for the most part, static and predictable. The installation aims to explore new methods by combining artisanal materials and local techniques with modern digital design methods.

Related Article:
'Flocking Tejas': generar un cuerpo geométrico complejo con tejas de arcilla suspendidas

Flocking Tejas: BASE Studio's Exhibit for the Venice Biennale 2021 - Image 14 of 21 — Fotografía: © Raul Betti. Image Cortesía de BASE studio

Flocking Tejas: BASE Studio's Exhibit for the Venice Biennale 2021 - Image 11 of 21 — Fotografía: © Raul Betti. Image Cortesía de BASE studio

The goal is to render a building system that can be adopted by diverse communities with different socio-economic, cultural, and technological contexts; an accessible and customizable architectural strategy that allows the full participation of the people it serves. It's capacity to create semi-open public spaces invites members of the community to come together and awaken their curiosity in extraordinary spaces.

In the context of the Biennale, Flocking Tejas aims to raise questions and evoke images and speculation on the social, spatial, and identarian power of architecture.

BASE is a Chilean studio dedicated to architectural design and the exploration of geometric formulas, materials, and unconventional spaces, all the while maintaining a systemic focus and combining the the potential of digital design tools will low-tech, analogous processes.

Architects: BASE studio (Bárbara Barreda + Felipe Sepúlveda)
Collaborators: Miguel Reyna, Matías Ramírez, Pamela Cortez, Macarena Alvarado, Catalina Ellena, Ignacio Salinas, Rodrigo del Campo, Francisca Feliú, Martín Gómez.
Structural Calculations: Arup; Ed Clark, Chris Clarke.
Digital Consultant: PO_LLC; Kensuke Hotta, Jiang Lai, Aqil Cheddadi, Akito Hotta
Sponsors: Ministry of Culture, Art, and Heritage - Government of Chile. Carl-Stahl ARC GmbH.