Villavicencio Tower: Multi-Purpose Vertical Complex
Location: Santiago, Chile
Software: Autocad, Revit, Archicad, Photoshop, Illustrator
Concrete, Glass, Steel, Wood
This project addresses the issue of abandoned high-rise buildings in metropolitan centers and the urban landscape strained by the housing shortage in central areas, as evidenced by the sustained rise in land values and rents, the scarcity of affordable housing units, and the expansion of informal settlements characterized by overcrowding and illegal subdivision. Taking the Villavicencio Tower as a case study—located in the heart of Santiago and adjacent to the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center—this building, with its strong symbolic significance, has, after decades of disuse, become an urban void that fragments the social and physical fabric of the Lastarria neighborhood.
In response, the proposal calls for the renovation and repurposing of the site through a multi-program vertical pavilion that integrates cultural, social, and residential uses, revitalizing the tower and the grounds, increasing program density at higher levels, and generating new dynamics in the surrounding area.
This project preserves the building’s material and symbolic value while projecting it forward with criteria of sustainability and livability; this conversion prioritizes cost and resource efficiency through rigorously scaled, minimal, and optimal interventions, maximizing the reuse of structure and systems to avoid unnecessary construction, reduce the economic and environmental burden, and accelerate the building’s return to use.
The project takes a comprehensive approach: housing management through rent control; technical upgrades that reorganize plumbing and electrical systems and optimize vertical circulation; housing design in accordance with Decree 49, which defines occupancy limits and habitability conditions; and an environmental focus on passive design, improving performance while complying with thermal regulations and Chile’s Energy Rating for Housing.
As a result, a replicable and scalable proposal emerges that addresses the housing crisis, regenerates public space, and highlights the heritage and history of the area.
