Creative genius and contemporary artist Alejandro Aravena of Chile has been described as dedicated to making urban environments better for inhabitants and addressing the global housing crisis through an innovative and socially conscious approach to architecture. In 2016, Aravena won the Pritzker Prize, the highest award given each year for architectural excellence. Aravena’s works can be seen on the Pritzker Prize site.
Aravena also curated the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale.
Below is Alejandro Aravena’s TED Talk “My Architectural Philosophy? Bring the Community into the Process.” TED describes Aravena as follows:
“When asked to build housing for 100 families in Chile ten years ago, Alejandro Aravena looked to an unusual inspiration: the wisdom of favelas and slums. Rather than building a large building with small units, he built flexible half-homes that each family could expand on. It was a complex problem, but with a simple solution — one that he arrived at by working with the families themselves. With a chalkboard and beautiful images of his designs, Aravena walks us through three projects where clever rethinking led to beautiful design with great benefit.”
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