The Chilean Architecture Biennial Revives a Church Ruin as a Temporary Pavilion

"Between September 25 and October 5, 2025, the XXIII Chilean Architecture and Urbanism Biennial took place in Santiago. Under the title "DOUBLE EXPOSURE: (re)program · (re)adapt · (re)construct," the event was organized around the idea of "understanding architecture not as the production of the new, but as the ability to reactivate what already exists." Based on this premise, the curatorial team, composed of Ángela Carvajal and Sebastián López (Anagramma Arquitectes) together with Óscar Aceves, conceived a circuit of eight venues located in downtown Santiago."

"The San Francisco de Borja Church was originally built in 1876 as part of a hospital complex and was transferred to the Chilean police force during the military dictatorship in 1976. The building was set on fire on January 3, 2020, destroying the church's main nave, sacristy, offices, and parish house. Neo-Gothic walls and arches remained as ruins, within which the Double Exposure Pavilion was constructed, serving as one of the main venues of the Chilean Architecture Biennial."

Between September 25 and October 5, 2025, the XXIII Chilean Architecture and Urbanism Biennial operated under the title DOUBLE EXPOSURE: (re)program · (re)adapt · (re)construct, prioritizing the reactivation of existing urban fabric over producing the new. Ángela Carvajal, Sebastián López (Anagramma Arquitectes), and Óscar Aceves organized a circuit of eight downtown venues that hosted free public activities and attracted around 70,000 visitors. The burned ruins of the San Francisco de Borja Church became a central site: built in 1876, transferred to the police in 1976, and damaged by fire on January 3, 2020. Architect Iván Bravo designed a lightweight, demountable metal pavilion within the neo-Gothic remains, opening the interior to exhibitions, talks, readings, art installations, and community events for the first time since 2019.

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