Architecture and forma urbis: The Work of Brunet de Baines in Santiago de Chile: 1848, 1855 and 1864

Abstract

This article addresses the architectural and urban transformation of Santiago de Chile in the mid-nineteenth century, during a key decade for its consolidation as the capital and for Chile’s consolidation as a nation-state. Of particular significance in this process was the arrival of Claude François Brunet de Baines in 1848 as the State architect, charged with designing and constructing the main institutional buildings of the new republic. The analysis of this transformation thus raises a theoretical problem related to the interdependence between buildings and urban form, as well as a historical and cultural problem linked to the political vision and the new ideals of the social elite. The research methodology is based on architectural representation, supported by historical cartography of Santiago, and on the planimetric reconstruction of Brunet de Baines’s work through the digital processing of period images and the use of complementary information. Through these methods, the study confirms that during the 1850s the urban structure of Santiago was significantly modified, enabling the Chilean capital to project itself as a city with a modern character and to move beyond its colonial condition. This process was driven by Brunet de Baines’s architectural projects, which, although discrete and localized, transformed the urban form, redefining its meanings and, more importantly, the experience of inhabiting the city.