Cazú Zegers (Santiago, 1958) is a Chilean architect who sees valuable sources of inspiration for its design process and poetry. His work revolves around an architecture closely linked to Chile and Latin America, Its territory, landscape and traditions. He studied architecture at the Catholic University of Valparaíso and opened, in 1991, his own architecture office at a time in which Women had little space in the field. After touring southern Chile on a motorcycle, he could see the value of the territory closely and translated it into his famous phrase: “The monuments are to Europe as the territory is to America”
Her connection with nature and concern for the environment have led her to develop a Sustainable approach architecturebeing the wood the recurring material in its works, as in the case of the Hotel Tierra Patagonia, located at the entrance of the Torres del Paine National Park. In addition, in 2023, the Cazú Zegers architecture studio was the winner of the international competition to build the Red Cross Memorial in Geneva, Switzerland.
To better understand the development of their projects and what inspires one of the most outstanding women in Latin America, we leave you a tour of six of the most iconic works in Cazú Zegers From his own look.
The Tierra Patagonia hotel was recognized with the National Geographic Unique Lodge of the World & Travel award.Courtesy Addison Jones
Hotel Tierra Patagonia
Considered as its most iconic project, the hotel materializes as «the absolute synthesis of wood architecture with cultural identity», in the words of the architect. “With my architecture I establish a dialogue with the landscape, where one is not imposed on the other but both are in one Loving dialoguealways thinking about wood as Chile's material, ”he says. “When I get there and see this impressive landscape, I say, how do I put five thousand square meters in this place and not kill it, but I enhance it? And that's where it appears The way the wind draws. I realize that the wind is the most present element and that is why it is called the Hotel del Vientoas poetic name. And I do another dune of the topography of the place. ”