The 23rd Chilean Architecture and Urbanism Biennial successfully transformed the fire-damaged ruins of the San Francisco de Borja Church into a striking temporary pavilion, drawing approximately 70,000 visitors to downtown Santiago between September 25 and October 5, 2025. Operating under the theme "DOUBLE EXPOSURE: (re)program • (re)adapt • (re)construct," the event challenged conventional architectural thinking by focusing on reactivating existing structures rather than creating new buildings.
The curatorial team, consisting of Ángela Carvajal and Sebastián López from Anagramma Arquitectes, along with Óscar Aceves, developed an ambitious circuit of eight venues throughout central Santiago. Their innovative approach aimed to revive and reclaim urban spaces through free public programming that included talks, readings, art installations, discussions, and community events. The San Francisco de Borja Church ruins emerged as the centerpiece of this urban reactivation strategy.
The church itself carries significant historical weight, having been originally constructed in 1876 as part of a hospital complex before being transferred to Chilean police forces during the military dictatorship in 1976. Tragedy struck on January 3, 2020, when the building was set ablaze during the social unrest that began in October 2019, destroying the main nave, sacristy, offices, and parish house while leaving behind haunting Neo-Gothic walls and arches.
Architect Iván Bravo was commissioned to design the Double Exposure Pavilion, creating a lightweight, demountable metal structure that was carefully inserted within the burned interior of the church. For eleven days during the biennial, this marked the first time the former church site had been opened to the public since the 2019 social uprising, transforming it into a dynamic space for exhibitions and conversations.
The curatorial philosophy behind the intervention was deliberately respectful yet transformative. As the curators explained, the project "did not seek to rebuild or cover, but to make visible, to show how architecture can act upon damaged matter, not to restore it, but to reactivate its latent potential." This approach reflected the broader biennial theme of understanding architecture as a practice of reactivation rather than replacement.
Óscar Aceves emphasized the urban dimension of their curatorial strategy, stating, "We wanted the Biennial not to be concentrated in a single building, but to weave a living circuit that connected places, memories, and communities along the city's central axis. It was a way of understanding curatorship as a form of urban activation." He stressed that the public space activities were equally important as the indoor exhibitions.
The pavilion formed part of an extensive program featuring over 100 free activities along Santiago's Alameda-Providencia axis. Other venues in the circuit included the prestigious Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center (GAM), the offices of the Chilean College of Architects, CEINA, San Borja Park, La Veracruz Parish, Barco Gallery, and the El Cuervo Building, each contributing to the comprehensive urban reactivation strategy.
The concept of "double exposure," borrowed from photographic techniques, was reinterpreted as a sophisticated design strategy that superimposed different time periods, materials, and meanings to reveal alternative approaches to construction and renovation. Through their careful selection of locations, the curatorial team challenged the prevailing tendency to either demolish structures completely or preserve them unchanged, instead proposing a third path of thoughtful intervention and adaptation.
Ángela Carvajal articulated this philosophy, explaining that "intervening in deteriorated structures is not a nostalgic gesture, but a way of anticipating new ways of living, resisting, and projecting." She emphasized that their curatorial approach aimed to "understand architecture not as an act of substitution, but as an act of listening to what already exists and to what still has the capacity to transform."
This approach aligns with similar international initiatives that prioritize existing structures and diverse heritage concepts. Recent examples include Atelier Jean Nouvel's redesign of a Haussmannian building interior in central Paris for the Fondation Cartier, and the inaugural Bukhara Biennale, which opened in restored UNESCO World Heritage sites including madrasas, caravanserais, and mosques, featuring temporary structures like a modular musalla designed by East Architecture Studio.
The success of the Chilean Architecture Biennial's innovative approach demonstrates how contemporary architectural practice can thoughtfully engage with damaged or abandoned structures, creating new possibilities for urban spaces while honoring their complex histories. The temporary pavilion in the San Francisco de Borja Church ruins stands as a powerful example of how architecture can serve as both memorial and catalyst for future transformation.
