Abstract

In 1977, with the establishment of the Puertazul (Blue Door) Architecture Workshop together with architect Renato Vivaldi, Edward Rojas Vega began an architectural production particularly focused on the condition of the insular culture. Among other things, this activity has collected and placed value on Chiloe’s architectural and cultural heritage, the permanent tension between tradition and modernity, the relentless search for a locally-based modernity and the dialogue with the Latin-American context. These concerns have brought about an uninterrupted professional practice of more than 40 years. For this reason, we took the focus of this interview away from the most recent events of his career to further encourage his reflections, and eventually, drive a new attempt for explanations which we hope will help our readers sift through the unique architectural universe of this profesional of southern Chile. His work has been displayed in publications, interviews, videos and exhibitions in Chile, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Spain, France, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Korea and China. In the academia, he was founder and director of Universidad ARCIS Patagonia, Castro (Chiloe), y and professor of Workshop X and Dissertations at Universidad ARCIS, in Castro and Santiago. He is professor of the Master’s Degree in Integrated Design - MIDA (Escuela de Arquitectura de la Universidad de Santiago), professor of the Master’s Degree in Environment and Latin American Bioclimatic Architecture (APUS Foundation and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid), professor of the ISTHMUS Workshop (Escuela de Arquitectura y Diseño de América Latina y el Caribe, Panama City), visiting professor of the Master’s Degree on Cultural Heritage (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) and professor of the Master’s Degree on Sustainable Environment Design - MADE (Universidad Austral de Chile). In 2015, he was appointed Professor Extraordinaire by Universidad Austral de Chile and in 2016 the Association of Architects of Chile honored him with the National Architecture Award. Currently, he can still be found working in his vaulted ceiling indoor workshop in a narrow alley of the city Castro, Chiloe.