Chile has a rich and vast heritage architecture, which is gradually gaining relevance through different initiatives that seek to renovate these buildings to give them a second life. The buildings and infrastructures were in disrepair, disused, or damaged, but have great architectural value, being an important contribution to the reconstruction of the history of Chilean cities.
Here are 5 conversion projects that you can't miss. These public and heritage buildings were given a touch of modernism in their design to respond to the requirements of current habitability and, at the same time, sustain the structures and traditions of the past.
After a fire in 2016, where only the perimeter walls of the heritage mansion on Avenida Republica, declared a historic preservation building at the beginning of the last century, the heritage renovation project led by the MSRAA office is constituted. The project is based on a central structure that supports the perimeter walls, with emphasis on the recovery of the main neoclassical façade, which builds part of the identity of the university neighborhood in which it is located.
Designed by the architect Lucien Ambroise, the Pereira Palace, built in 1872 in neoclassical style with elements of the French Renaissance, reflects the architectural expressions of the period. Today, after having been abandoned for 30 years, it is possible to visit the restoration work that involved the renovation of the façade, structural elements, and interior elements. The structure that was added is made of reinforced concrete and consolidates a total of 7 floors and 2 basements, as well as having a contemporary language that blends harmoniously with the historic building.
The museum is located in the old engine house of Temuco, a building that was completed in 1941. After the collapse of the railway system, this building fell into disuse and the municipality of Temuco was responsible for rescuing the building, but after the 2010 earthquake, it became uninhabitable. The intervention seeks to rehabilitate the structure and cover the central void of the building to house the cultural activities of the region in the face of the changing climate of southern Chile. The tensile structure covered in white fabric, which is installed as a dome, distinguishes the building from the landscape, and the Corten steel reinforcement walls seek to represent the characteristic rust of the railway world.
The lifts/funiculars of Valparaíso are important elements of its urban landscape and are part of a diverse public transport network. Being one of the most characteristic symbols of Valparaíso, out of 30 lifts that were distributed throughout the hills of the city, only 6 were operational and others were in extreme decay, but after the public tender promoted by the Government of Chile, some of them were restored in order to put them into operation and insert them back into the transport network and enhance their heritage characteristics.
The museum closed its doors for 2 years to receive the extension and remodeling of its facilities. Delicate spatial operations were necessary in order not to intervene in the building in relation to its urban and historical context, being necessary to make use of the subsoil for a permanent exhibition hall of Chilean pre-Columbian art. Emphasis is also placed on the design and enhancement of the colonial courtyards as classics of the architecture of the time.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on November 02, 2022.
