Architecture’s Biggest Prize Goes To Alejandro Aravena of Chile.

You probably haven't heard of that name before now.I must admit same here. He is a non celebrity Architect if you know what I mean.(you are probably wondering : so there are celebrity Architects?) Well, yes.

Alejandro Aravena of Chile has been selected as the 2016 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, Tom Pritzker announced on 13th January 2016. Mr. Pritzker is Chairman and President of The Hyatt Foundation, which sponsors the prize. It was announced in Chicago. Alejandro Aravena, known for his pioneering social housing projects in Latin America. 

It is noteworthy, Aravena is an architect based in Santiago, Chile. He becomes the 41st laureate of the Pritzker Prize,
the first Pritzker Laureate from Chile, and the fourth from Latin America, after Luis Barragán (1980), Oscar Niemeyer
(1988), and Paulo Mendes da Rocha (2006).

Last year laureate, German Architect/Engineer Frei Paul Otto at age 89 died two weeks after the announcement and never made it to the award ceremony.   ARCHITECT Aravena is a 48th year old and is unlikely to suffer the same fate.

While Alejandro Aravena may not be popular around the world he is quiet famous in his native Chile and Mexico, where is designs are social and public driven. He is a credible architect and design, consequently —he was recently named curator of the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale —but his own mode of architectural practice is what sets him apart. Aravena is the owner and moderator of Elemental, which bills itself as a “do tank”—not a think tank—and which sort to  creates “projects of public interest and social impact, including housing, public space, infrastructure and transportation.”
A hallmark of the firm is a participatory
design process in which the architects work closely with the public and end users.

Elementals.

ELEMENTAL is also known for
designing social housing that they call “half of a good house,” in which the design leaves space for the residents to complete their houses themselves and thus raise themselves up to a middle-class standard of living. This innovative approach, called “incremental housing,” allows for social housing to be built on more expensive land closer to economic opportunity and gives residents a sense of accomplishment and personal investment.

At the announcement, Mr. Pritzker said, “The jury has selected an architect who
deepens our understanding of what is truly great design. Alejandro Aravena has pioneered a collaborative practice
that produces powerful works of architecture and also addresses key challenges of the 21st century. His built work gives economic opportunity to the less privileged, mitigates the effects of natural disasters, reduces energy consumption, and provides welcoming public space. Innovative and inspiring, he shows how architecture at its best can improve people’s lives.”

His most striking body of work is a
series of thoughtful, monumental structures for his alma mater, Santiago’s Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. These projects resonates sustainability, using practical means expressed in radically bold forms. Aravena has also tackled social housing with a deft hand that produces complexes that are both inventive and ennobling on tight budgets. Beyond his native Chile, Aravena has built projects in Texas, Mexico, Switzerland, and China.

In response to being named the 2016 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, Mr. Aravena emailed: “Looking backwards, we feel deeply thankful. No achievement is individual. Architecture is a collective discipline. So we think, with gratitude, of all the people who contributed to give form to a huge diversity of forces at play. Looking into the future we anticipate Freedom! The prestige, the reach, the gravitas of the prize is such that we hope to use its momentum to explore new territories, face new challenges, and walk into new fields of action. After such a peak, the path is unwritten. So our plan is not to have a plan, face the uncertain, be open to the unexpected. Finally, looking at the
present, we are just overwhelmed, ecstatic, happy. It's time to celebrate and share our joy with as many people as possible.”


Nina VidicUC Innovation Center—Anacleto Angelini in Santiago, Chile
Cristobal PalmaSiamese Towers at the Universidad Católica de Chile San Joaquín Campus in Santiago, Chile

His works so far includes the Metropolitan
Promenade (1997 - ongoing) and Bicentennial Children’s Park (2012), both in Santiago. After the 2010 earthquake and tsunami that hit Chile, ELEMENTAL was called to work on the reconstruction of the city of Constitución; their work there includes emergency relief work, a master plan, Villa Verde (incremental housing, 2013), and the Constitución Cultural Center (2014). Other works include a Montessori School (2001) in Santiago, Chile; “Chairless” furniture (2010) for Vitra in Weil am Rhein, Germany; Monterrey Housing (incremental housing, 2010) in Monterrey, Mexico; Las Cruces Pilgrim Lookout Point (2010) in Jalisco, Mexico; Calama PLUS master plan (2012 - ongoing) in Calama, Chile; Writer’s Cabin for the Jan Michalski Foundation (2015) in Montricher, Switzerland; and Ayelén School (2015) in Rancagua, Chile.


 Cristobal Palma
Quinta Monroy Housing in Iquique, Chile
Medical School at Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, Chile(Roland Halbe).

Villa Verde Housing in Constitución, Chile In(incremental housing, the owners will developed the other side). 2014

Sherigu Ban won the prize and his works is social and public responsible. Fast forward to 2016, exactly two year after, an architect with radical approach to social and public housing gets the nod. Well, this may suggest where the jury's search light is beam. Well that is just my opinion.

Congratulations to Alejandro Aravena. To our readers, welcome to the first article of the new year. Hope you liked it. Stay tune.

Cheers
Klem

Credits.
Vanityfair
The Pritzker Architectural Prize
Architect Magazine