Modern Architecture in Punta Arenas: The Housing of Miguel García Fernández

Abstract

Towards the end of the 19th century until the mid-twentieth century, architecture in Magallanes was developed by experts who arrived in the region bringing skills, knowledge and models from other parts of the country and abroad. From then on, architects trained in Chile began their practice in the region, developing public and private infrastructure. These architects placed on scene the search for their own expression of regional architecture, particularly in dwellings, based on the tenants of the modern movement. Among them, one of the most outstanding was Miguel García Fernández; as part of a unique and historical national and regional process, he managed to articulate his work with a critical shift in architecture training and practice in Chile. Using Miguel García Fernández’s housing projects, this work aims at showing the impacts of the training model and its implications for housing architecture in Magallanes.