Hariri Pontarini Architects wins 2019 RAIC International $100,000 (CAD) prize for Excellence in Architecture

Instilling Communal Harmony

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) has announced the Baha’i Temple of South America in Santiago, Chile, as the winner of the 2019 RAIC International Prize. The design of the Baha’i Temple aspires to commonality within diversity, and has attracted over 1.4 million visitors since opening in 2016. It was commissioned by the Bahá‘í House of Justice and is the eighth and final continental temple for the Bahá‘í Faith.

The jury said: “The building uses a language of space and light, form and materials, to express an interpretation of Baha’i philosophy and teaching that becomes universally accessible as a shared spiritual and emotional experience. The architects resolve a challenging and prescriptive program for a new Baha’i Temple near Santiago with a powerful form that creates a new landmark — a jewel — in a dramatic natural setting. During the day, the striking form is animated by the variations of light and shade on the building’s softly turning surfaces. At night, it stands like a lantern, lit from within.”

Instilling Communal Harmony

The temple’s nine gracefully torqued wings, bound to an oculus at the top, are made of an outer layer of cast-glass panels and an interior layer of translucent marble from Portugal. The invention of this new material – cast-glass cladding – took four years of experimentation and collaboration with a Canadian glass artisan. In the interior, the arced lines of the wooden benches invite people to come together in quiet contemplation. An alcoved mezzanine offers a space to seek solitude while remaining connected with the community below.

Instilling Communal Harmony

The building holds an important place in the Chilean community, hosting community clubs, youth outreach programs, and children’s activities in partnership with public schools.
Source: V2Com
Photo credit: doublespace photography