Unidad Vecinal Portales, Brutalist residential complex in Santiago, Chile
Unidad Vecinal Portales is a residential complex made of concrete containing 19 blocks that house approximately 1860 families in a mix of apartments, duplexes, and single-story homes. The buildings reach between five and seven stories and are connected by spacious open walkways and staircases.
The project began in 1954 when a university sold the land to a housing partnership in response to Santiago's shortage of homes caused by migration from rural areas. It was designed to quickly house many families in modern dwellings.
The complex was built with the intention of providing decent housing for working families and reflects how architects of that era thought community life should be organized through thoughtful spatial design. You can still see how the wide walkways and shared courtyards were meant to encourage neighbors to interact with each other.
The complex is open to the public and you can explore the architecture and layout from different angles at your own pace. The open walkways and green areas make it easy to walk around and get a sense of how the residential blocks are organized.
The project was designed by a group of architects who deliberately used concrete in ways that create an almost sculptural effect on the buildings. This intentional aesthetic choice distinguishes the site from ordinary residential blocks elsewhere in the city.
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