Valdivia is one of the most beautiful cities in Chile. Situated in the south of the country, on the banks of the river of the same name, it is a river port set in exceptional surroundings. The cold and rainy forest characteristic of the southern landscape sets off a number of beautiful islands formed among the several streams that flow into the Valdivia. The city was founded in the 16th century, as the new territory recently conquered by Spain spread gradually southward. Vestiges of that period are still visible in the forts flanking the mouth of the river, where stone walls still stand watching the ships sailing by. There are also many samples of architecture in wood and metal, which bear witness to a flourishing past at the hands of the German settlers who colonized Teja Island in the 19th century and promptly turned it into the industrial core of the area. On this island, facing the center of the city, stands the Museum of Modern Art. The site was originally occupied by the first brewery to operate in Chile, which suffered the effects of a gigantic fire in 1912 and was subsequently destroyed by earthquake in 1960. The ruins of the old facility still stand in the form of two hypostyle halls, which have been precariously repaired to house temporary exhibitions. Today the site of the project is an open plane extending towards the cityscape and the riverside, in contrast with the older, dense, and magnificent constructions that symbolized industrial prosperity in the first half of the 20th century. The project is a tribute to the traces left on the site and recalls the tragedy of 1960, eith minimal architectural intervention, so that the new landscape is closer to the natural surroundings than to the industrial splendor of the century just past. Between the inner road on the island and the river bank, the project calls for an urban boulevard extending for about 200 meters, where the city is revealed as we walk towards it. The route, which is bordered by low stone walls and dense vegetation composed of native species, leads us to an open square looking out over the river at the city. This expanse combines the roof of the museum of Modern Art, the boulevard, and the gardens of Casa Anwandter, a sample of local 19th century architecture that houses the Historical and Archaeological Museum of Universidad Austral. The building proposed rises between the island ground level and the highest tidemark along the river bank. The sole constructions recognizable from the roof are the old buildings of the neighboring museum and the Museum of Modern Art coffeeshop , designed to serve the public from both museums and the square. The main entrance to the new Museum is found at the end of a ramp that descends to a courtyard where paving and walls recall the former brewery. Inside, the project brings the old ruins (hypostyles) into the design adjoining the planned exhibition areas. The rooms are designed to meet the requirements of new plastic concepts in the way of light and neutral spaces. For circulation purposes, the more regular geometry and space of the rooms make way for the thrill of mobility, while allowing views of river and city through the windows. Seen from the town, the new Museum rises across the water bringing to mind the stone forts that the Spaniards built in the 16th century. Between the dark walls an uneven crystal-like formation sheds light on the river and allows a view of the interior comprising unfinished concrete walls, pillars, and ramps around the quiet white exhibition rooms.
