Chilean architecture firm WHALE! has established itself as a distinctive voice in contemporary architecture through its profound exploration of territory, topography, and landscape. Founded in Santiago around 2012 by architects Branko Pavlović and Luca Montanarella, the firm approaches architecture not merely as space design but as a fundamental force that shapes how humans live, feel, and connect with their environment.
The firm's unique name has an unexpectedly poetic origin story. According to Pavlović and Montanarella, the word "whale" became associated with their practice during construction of the Stranded House project. During a site visit, a friend observed that the building's exposed structure, still without cladding at the time, resembled a whale skeleton resting on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. This spontaneous observation resonated so deeply with the architects that they realized this innocent memory would accompany them throughout their professional journey.
WHALE!'s architectural philosophy centers on two fundamental concepts that drive their design process. They understand territory as a container of tangible dimensions, influenced by productive, labor, demographic, social, and economic dynamics. For them, territory acts as a transforming organism - a living record of the ongoing interaction between human beings and their environment. Meanwhile, they conceive landscape as a diverse and ever-changing scenery, enriched by flora, fauna, topography, and the infinite range of colors, textures, and physical phenomena that continuously shape and transform it.
The architects view landscape as representing the visual and sensory memory of territory, constructed from light, time, and individual perception. As the firm states, "We believe in architecture's ability to move the inner self and stir emotion, to create bonds between people and their surroundings. A conviction that guides our daily work and motivates us to continue exploring new ways of inhabiting."
WHALE!'s creative process involves conscious observation of both habitat and its particularities, considering everything from client communication to material definition, programming, and construction methods. Over the years, their architectural discourse has remained consistent with a recurring narrative where each project explores the same principles in pursuit of connecting ideas with individual experiences. The firm emphasizes that "the sustainability of collective projects, regardless of their context or location, depends on a carefully crafted, sculpted, and shaped singularity."
Among their notable projects is the Pavilion for Good Sleep, which concentrates an entire architectural program within just 35 square meters. The compact design includes a bedroom, living room with kitchen, and bathroom, while integrating a semi-covered terrace, darkroom for photography, and storage room. Constructed entirely in pinewood, the pavilion exemplifies the firm's philosophy that "a pavilion for good sleep requires an eastward orientation, to wake up with the morning sun."
The Dune House in Tunquén presents itself as a fluted body without openings on a flat plot. The building's program remains hidden from the landscape, with interiors not occupying the entire perceived exterior volume. The design features a linear, alternating sequence of rooms and patios coexisting with a simple program, arranged to flexibly reconfigure spatial relationships.
Del Peumo House, located in Casablanca, spans 127 square meters and arranges its program through tension between two analogous volumes that barely touch. The layout responds to the concave inflection of topography in relation to the surrounding landscape, demonstrating the firm's commitment to site-specific design.
The Stranded House, located 122 kilometers from Santiago in Tunquén, Valparaíso Region, stands on ravines that channel water toward the valley. Positioned where a narrow stream opens to wetland, merging with the beach and Pacific Ocean, the house features two intersecting volumes whose plan follows the concave topographical inflection.
House Tunquén showcases the firm's approach to challenging topography, situated 35 meters above sea level and 11 meters from the cliff edge within La Boca estate. Conceived as a light pinewood volume resting on a concrete plinth connected to rocky terrain, the house appears as a continuous black shell that cuts away from roof and ground to reveal window openings and light inlets.
Looking toward the future, WHALE! continues expanding their architectural research. In 2023, their proposal for a Wetland Interpretation Center in Tunquén received recognition in Tokyo. They are currently developing a Cultural Center for Arica alongside the Vox Modular project, which focuses on creating transportable and expandable prototypes for housing needs and collective programs. The firm's future work reflects ambitions to incorporate exploration of social and urban dimensions into their research, addressing new scales and construction challenges while maintaining their core philosophy of connecting architecture with territory and landscape.
