Governor General's Medals in Architecture - 2020 Recipient | Royal Architectural Institute of Canada

Governor General's Medals in Architecture - 2020 Recipient

Bahá'í Temple of South America
Santiago,
CL
Award Category: 
Governor General’s Medals in Architecture

Hariri Pontarini Architects

Lead design architect(s): 

Siamak Hariri, FRAIC, Partner-In-Charge

Occupancy: October 1, 2016
Construction Budget: $36 million

At the heart of the Temple there is a belief that even now, in the fractured 21st century, we can respond to a human yearning to come together and connect to one another, and to something that moves the spirit. The Temple sits on the edge of Santiago and nestles against the Andes. A human place, universally appealing in form and at one with its landscape. Inside, the building soars along with the spirit of those who enter. The interior is alive with soft light filtering through the cast-glass exterior and translucent marble interior, bathing visitors in warmth.

Jury Comment(s): 

“This building is brave, unexpected, and playful, a spectacular beacon on a hillside outside Santiago, Chile. The jury admired the translucency and magical complexity of its form, whose idiosyncrasies and deviations grow organically from a controlled radial geometry. This level of technical virtuosity is unusual coming out of Canada’s architectural production, which makes the Temple a good envoy for promoting Canada’s design expertise on the world’s stage.”

Jury members

Click for full version: 
The Temple and reflecting pool at dusk.

PHOTO: doublespace photography

A beautifully landscaped garden radiates outwards from the Temple.

PHOTO: Andrés Silva

The Temple casts a soft glow against the Andean mountain range at night.

PHOTO: doublespace photography

Looking up to the central oculus.

PHOTO: Guy Wenborne (left), doublespace photography (right)

The Temple and reflecting pool during the day.

PHOTO: Sebastián Wilson León

The Temple’s wings softly lit by the morning light.

PHOTO: doublespace photography