Interview with architect Néstor Holzapfel Gross

Abstract

Architect Néstor Holzapfel Gross1 (Carahue, 1927) was one of the first architects in graduating from the University of Chile – in 1952 – under the new academic scheme resulting from the University Reform of 1944. He conducted a long professional career in Puerto Montt and southern Chile, at first linked with architecture and then with tourism – up until today. He implemented the nascent tenants of Modern Architecture reinterpreted in the local building material available to him: wood. The text is a transcription of two extensive interviews (February 5, 2017 and June 4, 2017) conducted in Ensenada, Province of Llanquihue, where he lives today. Here, the architect speaks about his work and the PRELACO System, a prefabricated wooden board with which he has built more than 100 schools in the area.