We continue our series “Architecture from the couch”. After Bo Christiansen in Copenhagen/Malmö, Anneke Bokern in Amsterdam/Rotterdam, Boris Strzelczyk in Valencia, Bettina Johae in New York, Cristina Silva in Porto/Lisbon and Zeynep Kuban in Istanbul, we are moving on to Chile.
Next up is our Guiding Architects partner Diego Baloain from Massantiago in Santiago de Chile.
The majority of us are currently sitting in our home offices and thus have no opportunity to explore the world. So we thought we bring the world to you. For this purpose we have asked our partners from Guiding Architects a few questions about the current situation.
Read their answers here and get a few tips on how the situation is dealt with in other countries and what you can see from home.
Architecture from the couch: tips from Diego Baloain
1. what is the situation like in your city?
Here in Santiago the restrictions vary depending on the district; some are under a total lockdown and other ones are with partial restrictions. But we are mostly in a voluntary quarantine, the people in general behave responsibly and everything is closed except the basic supply stores and basic services.
Diego Baloian © Massantiago
2. how do you look into the future?
The data here is still confusing, the mortality rate is low, because we have a young population and so far the public health system has not collapsed, but the numbers are increasing and the future is very uncertain. The peak of the pandemic is estimated to arrive by the end of April, so our indoor life will continue for a few months. Thus, the economic crisis will be ruthless, especially for the poor people who live on a daily income. Nevertheless, the people in Chile are used to deal with natural disasters (earthquakes and tsunamis) and therefore, in these situations there is a strong sense of unity, which I think will really help us handle this crisis with solidarity.
Architecture from the couch: tips from Diego Baloain
3. What could be viewed digitally in your city (museum, gallery, archive)?
I recommend to visit:
– Precolumbian Arts Museum
– Nationl History Museum
– Chile Explora
Monasterio de los Benedictino © a-tour
4. name a positive initiative from your city, which has been created due to the current situation?
I don’t really find a public initiative from the city, every district is very independent here in Santiago. But the central government has initiated a series of social and economic measures and also the people are being very supportive.
5. give us 1 tip for an architecture book and/or a documentary on architecture and/or movie and/or podcast that you have enjoyed recently?
archdaily: Seoul City Machine / Liam Young for the Shenzhen Biennale