Cristián Undurraga


Cristián Undurraga is a Chilean architect.

Early life

He graduated from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 1977, with highest degree. That year he earned first prize at the Chilean architectural biennale.

Career

In 1978 he founded Undurraga Deves Studio. Among his foundational works is the ‘House on a Hill’. Its particular dialogue with geography and its balance between tradition and modernity led it to be recognized with the Andrea Palladio International Prize, juried by James Stirling, Rafael Moneo, Manfredo Tafuri and Francesco Dal Co in 1991.
Recently, the civic center at Santiago was reshaped with the completion of the Plaza de la Ciudadanía by Undurraga. His work won the gold medal at the Miami biennale in 2004, and the International Award in the Biennale Iberoamericana de Quito, 2004. In 2005 was recognized in the Ten Winners Entries Honorable Mention for the New Multi-functional Administrative City of Korea International Competition.
Three monographs about his work and projects, published in Chile, Colombia, and South Korea, and many articles show Undurraga's commitment to excellence in architecture. He has played a significant role in Chilean and Latin American architecture as an architect, as President of the XV Biennial of Architecture, as Professor in different periods at the Universidad Católica School of Architecture and as lecturer at national and foreign universities and educational centers.
In 2009 Undurraga was recognized as Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

Awards