Mario Pérez de Arce Lavín

Mario Pérez de Arce Lavín (1917–2010) was a Chilean architect known for his contributions to modern architecture and urban planning in Chile. In 1989, he was awarded the Chilean National Architecture Prize in recognition of his professional work and influence on the country’s urban landscape.

Biography

Pérez de Arce was born in 1917 in Santiago, Chile. From 1947 to 1995, he served as a professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC), where he also held the positions of Director of the School of Architecture in 1954 and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Design, and Fine Arts from 1973 to 1975.

Career and works

Pérez de Arce’s architectural approach aligned with the principles of the modern movement and was influenced by figures such as Le Corbusier. His designs emphasized the relationship between built space and its urban context, integrating functionality with the aesthetic language of his time.

One of his most well-known urban proposals was the Mapocho River Integrated Parks System, presented in 2010 at the PUC’s Lo Contador campus. The project proposed transforming the banks of the Mapocho River into a 32-kilometer-long public space. Developed in collaboration with PUC, the plan aimed to reinsert the river into Santiago’s daily life and increase public access to green space. After the presentation, Pérez de Arce donated his archive of architectural plans to the Sergio Larraín García Moreno Documentation Center at PUC.

Philosophy and reflections

Upon being named Professor Emeritus in 1993, Pérez de Arce gave a speech on the role of “common sense” in architecture, describing it as a foundational principle in his practice. He emphasized the balance between functional needs and aesthetic and social values, reflecting his modernist alignment and socially conscious design ethos.

Legacy

Pérez de Arce died on August 13, 2010. His work has been the subject of academic studies, such as Mario Pérez de Arce Lavín: la permanencia de la arquitectura moderna en Chile by León Rodríguez Valdés, and Confesiones de tres arquitectos: vida y obra, a book co-authored with Fernando Castillo Velasco and Héctor Valdés Phillips.