The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) have revealed that the Baha’i Temple of South America in Santiago, Chile is the winner of the 2019 RAIC International Prize. Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects of Toronto, Canada, the challenging program is accommodated within a powerful landmark form. It has attracted over 1.4 million visitors since opening in 2016.
Commissioned by the Bahá‘í House of Justice, the project marks the eighth and final continental temple for the Bahá‘í Faith. Central to its brief and its design is that it be a place of welcome, community, and meaning for everyone.
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. The interior spaces of the temple are designed to invite people to come together and sit in quiet contemplation. An alcoved mezzanine offers a space to seek solitude while remaining connected with the community below.
During the day, the form is highlighted with variations of light and shade on the building’s surfaces. At night, it appears like a lantern, softly lit form within.
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.
The jury said: ‘The result is timeless and inspiring, a building that 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 prize consists of a monetary award of CAD $100,000 and a sculpture designed by Canadian designer Wei Yew. It celebrates a single work of architecture that is judged to be transformative within its societal context and expressive of the humanistic values of justice, respect, equality, and inclusiveness.
Now in its third cycle, the biennial prize received submissions from 12 countries across six continents. The prize is open to all architects, irrespective of nationality and location, for a building anywhere in the world. The winner is selected in an open, juried competition.
