Eduardo Vargas Herrera (Valparaíso, May 4, 1933 - Hannover, January 18, 1996) was a Chilean architect and professor of architecture at several universities in Chile and Germany.
Biography and work
Contenido
Eduardo Vargas Herrera nació el 4 de mayo de 1933 en Valparaíso, como hijo de Alfredo Vargas Stoller, arquitecto y urbanista, y María Herrera Palacios. Vargas estudió arquitectura en la Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso entre 1950 a 1957[1] y continuó sus estudios entre 1957 a 1958 en la Escuela de Diseño de Ulm.[2].
Ulm School of Design
At university, Max Bill and Horst Rittel influenced him, and the mathematical orientation of Rittel's scientific method connected with his prior knowledge and set the path for his future development. At the university he also met Cornelia Vargas (born Cornelia Koch), she was a student in the information department. In 1958 Eduardo Vargas and Cornelia Koch married. They both followed Max Bill after his retirement as director of the Ulm School of Design and worked in his studio in Zurich in 1959.[3].
Professional career
After his return to Chile in 1960, Vargas dedicated himself mainly to the construction of social housing "Viviendassociales (Chile)") and developed a cooperative housing model that was first carried out between Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, specifically in the upper part of the Recreo "Recreo (Viña del Mar)"), Esperanza and Los Placeres hills.[4] In this initial phase, 2,000 homes were planned and built with the active participation of future residents. inhabitants,[5] and self-construction assisted by teams of professionals was implemented in some cooperatives. The first houses are one-story semi-detached constructions, measuring 70 m with two patios that allow for later expansion. The modular design allowed the use of prefabricated elements, which reduced the cost and allowed the construction of the aforementioned footage.
Assisted self-construction
Introduction
Eduardo Vargas Herrera (Valparaíso, May 4, 1933 - Hannover, January 18, 1996) was a Chilean architect and professor of architecture at several universities in Chile and Germany.
Biography and work
Contenido
Eduardo Vargas Herrera nació el 4 de mayo de 1933 en Valparaíso, como hijo de Alfredo Vargas Stoller, arquitecto y urbanista, y María Herrera Palacios. Vargas estudió arquitectura en la Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso entre 1950 a 1957[1] y continuó sus estudios entre 1957 a 1958 en la Escuela de Diseño de Ulm.[2].
Ulm School of Design
At university, Max Bill and Horst Rittel influenced him, and the mathematical orientation of Rittel's scientific method connected with his prior knowledge and set the path for his future development. At the university he also met Cornelia Vargas (born Cornelia Koch), she was a student in the information department. In 1958 Eduardo Vargas and Cornelia Koch married. They both followed Max Bill after his retirement as director of the Ulm School of Design and worked in his studio in Zurich in 1959.[3].
Professional career
After his return to Chile in 1960, Vargas dedicated himself mainly to the construction of social housing "Viviendassociales (Chile)") and developed a cooperative housing model that was first carried out between Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, specifically in the upper part of the Recreo "Recreo (Viña del Mar)"), Esperanza and Los Placeres hills.[4] In this initial phase, 2,000 homes were planned and built with the active participation of future residents. inhabitants,[5] and self-construction assisted by teams of professionals was implemented in some cooperatives. The first houses are one-story semi-detached constructions, measuring 70 m with two patios that allow for later expansion. The modular design allowed the use of prefabricated elements, which reduced the cost and allowed the construction of the aforementioned footage.
The success of the pilot project continued, when President Eduardo Frei Montalva created the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism "Ministry of Housing and Urbanism (Chile)") in 1965. Eduardo Vargas was appointed as the first Zonal Delegate of the Ministry for the Province of Valparaíso "Provincia de Valparaíso (1842-1976)") and Aconcagua, a new and unique experience of decentralization of power, financial and human resources.[6] One task was to lead the reconstruction after the 1965 earthquake. Working for the ministry, the construction of 30,000 homes was achieved in the next 3 years.
In 1966, students from the architecture faculty of the University of Chile in Valparaíso approached him and asked him to become a professor of architecture and urban planning at their faculty. Vargas was appointed professor of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Chile, a position he held until 1977.
In 1969, he also assumed the position of director of the television channel Canal 4 (UCV TV), a television channel of the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso. Vargas restructured the channel into a public law corporation with an educational function.[7] In the following years, the reach of the signal was expanded and the number of viewers increased from 500,000 to 3,000,000. The restructuring of the administration allowed finances to be reorganized and cooperation with foreign cultural institutions was managed to train and professionalize their staff through scholarships in the United States, England, France, Italy, Spain and Germany.
In 1975 the Vargas-Koch family went into exile in Germany, where Vargas was appointed professor at the University of Hannover and received the Federal Cross of Merit. At university he worked at the Institute for Architectural Theory, a central theme of his teaching and research was design methods and design in developing countries.
In 1993 Eduardo Vargas was invited to direct and co-found a new school of architecture in southern Chile, at the University of Los Lagos.[8] In the following years, he traveled back and forth between Germany and Chile, and in 1995 he also developed the concept for the founding of the Department of Architecture at the Federico Santa María Technical University in Valparaíso.[9][10].
Eduardo Vargas Herrera died in Hannover in January 1996. The family and colleagues developed the exhibition "The Social Space. The teaching of Eduardo Vargas" which was exhibited in various universities in Chile. In 2020, a street named after him was inaugurated in the German city of Hannover.[11].
[3] ↑ 60 diferentes autores, "Prof. Eduardo Vargas, Arquitecto", Instituto de Teoría de Arquitectura y Planificación, Universidad de Hannover, mayo de 1993, páginas 6-9.
[4] ↑ Carolina Paredes, "El despliegue de la memoria ferroviaria en el territotrio de Valparaíso", Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile 2018, página 185.
The success of the pilot project continued, when President Eduardo Frei Montalva created the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism "Ministry of Housing and Urbanism (Chile)") in 1965. Eduardo Vargas was appointed as the first Zonal Delegate of the Ministry for the Province of Valparaíso "Provincia de Valparaíso (1842-1976)") and Aconcagua, a new and unique experience of decentralization of power, financial and human resources.[6] One task was to lead the reconstruction after the 1965 earthquake. Working for the ministry, the construction of 30,000 homes was achieved in the next 3 years.
In 1966, students from the architecture faculty of the University of Chile in Valparaíso approached him and asked him to become a professor of architecture and urban planning at their faculty. Vargas was appointed professor of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Chile, a position he held until 1977.
In 1969, he also assumed the position of director of the television channel Canal 4 (UCV TV), a television channel of the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso. Vargas restructured the channel into a public law corporation with an educational function.[7] In the following years, the reach of the signal was expanded and the number of viewers increased from 500,000 to 3,000,000. The restructuring of the administration allowed finances to be reorganized and cooperation with foreign cultural institutions was managed to train and professionalize their staff through scholarships in the United States, England, France, Italy, Spain and Germany.
In 1975 the Vargas-Koch family went into exile in Germany, where Vargas was appointed professor at the University of Hannover and received the Federal Cross of Merit. At university he worked at the Institute for Architectural Theory, a central theme of his teaching and research was design methods and design in developing countries.
In 1993 Eduardo Vargas was invited to direct and co-found a new school of architecture in southern Chile, at the University of Los Lagos.[8] In the following years, he traveled back and forth between Germany and Chile, and in 1995 he also developed the concept for the founding of the Department of Architecture at the Federico Santa María Technical University in Valparaíso.[9][10].
Eduardo Vargas Herrera died in Hannover in January 1996. The family and colleagues developed the exhibition "The Social Space. The teaching of Eduardo Vargas" which was exhibited in various universities in Chile. In 2020, a street named after him was inaugurated in the German city of Hannover.[11].
[3] ↑ 60 diferentes autores, "Prof. Eduardo Vargas, Arquitecto", Instituto de Teoría de Arquitectura y Planificación, Universidad de Hannover, mayo de 1993, páginas 6-9.
[4] ↑ Carolina Paredes, "El despliegue de la memoria ferroviaria en el territotrio de Valparaíso", Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile 2018, página 185.