After a fire in 1969 damaged the former School of Fine Arts of the University of Chile—located since 1910 in the Parque Forestal—the institution was forced to rent temporary spaces to continue its academic activities.
It was in the early 1970s, during the initial development of the Juan Gómez Millas Campus of the University of Chile, that architect Ricardo Alegría, commissioned by President Salvador Allende, designed and began construction of new permanent facilities for the Department of Visual Arts, which was then relocating from its historic site. Following the military coup in Chile, construction was halted, leaving several areas incomplete. The abandoned steel structures remained exposed for over 30 years, supporting only air. These structures later became the foundation for a rehabilitation project that included the construction of a new auditorium with a capacity for 250 people, the renovation of the Adolfo Couve Room (a small lecture hall), the addition of a sunken courtyard to improve light and ventilation for the existing underground classrooms, and a cafeteria space for students, staff, and faculty.
The project essentially completes the available central void with a linear volume housing the auditorium, multipurpose space, and cafeteria. The glass exterior envelope reflects its surroundings, and a sequence of nested volumes leads the visitor to the stage.
Project: Auditorium – Faculty of Visual Arts, University of Chile
Client: University of Chile
Architects: Albert Tidy, Emilio Marín
Collaborators: Rodrigo Valenzuela, Nicolás Norero
Location: Juan Gómez Millas Campus, Macul, Santiago, Chile
Area: 1,700 m²
Structural Engineering: Sergio Contreras
Construction: Sergio Villalobos, Constructora Habitex
Materiality: Steel, Glass, Concrete
Year of Construction: 2006–2007
Photography: Cristóbal Palma