Written By: Pablo Lituma
Architect: Estudio America Architects: Mario Figueroa + Carlos Dias + Lucas Fehr Architecture consultant: Roberto Ibieta
Contractor: MOP _ Dirección de Arquitectura Comisión Presidencial de los Derechos Humanos
Location: Matucana 501, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile GPS: 33°26’23.4″S 70°40’45.6″W -33.439843, -70.679333
Year Completed: 2010
The project was conceived as An Ark, which collects the trauma in Chilean society. It is also thought of as a glass box where the building becomes a delicate memory device supported by the pools of water under it which levitates a large box approximately a 3 ft. distance. The experience desired from this project is meant to create a place to remember the past as a way to address the traumatic experience of Pinochet’s regime. The architects chose to address this in multiple ways: in a non-linear time, fragmenting memories, evoke transparency and create a response to history.
This form can be broken into three parts: Two massive pillars and one glass box hovering over the support mass. The larger being the glass box cantilevers on opposite sides from four concrete pillars that emerge from the two base pillars, 2 on each.
History:
The identity of the architecture is composed and stems from the Paulista school style of Architecture from Brazil. As a result, the design presents the characteristics of exposed structure, exposed concrete masses, large mass in form, and rough finishes.
The commission for the project emerges within Part of a global attempt to get global atrocities to light (Estefane 2013). The human rights violations which occurred during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship of (1973- 1990).
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References:
Estefane, Andrés. 2013. “Materiality and Politics in Chile’s Museum of Memory and Human Rights.” Thresholds, no. 41: 158–171.
“Estudio America de Arquitetura.” 2017. Accessed May 30. http://www.estudioamerica.com/en/projects/4d8e0f406b7c97222e000005/desenhos.
Jaar, Alfredo. n.d. Photo Courtesy of Alfredo Jaar.
“Museu de La Memoria Y Los Derechos Humanos / Mario Figueroa, Lucas Fehr Y Carlos Dias | Plataforma Arquitectura.” 2017. Accessed May 30. http://www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/cl/611010/museo-de-la-memoria-estudio-america.
