29/12/18
It was a bit of a schlep to get to, but the Bahá’í temple for South America is a sight to behold.
It is hidden away in the mountains, and you can only see the building when you arrive at the entrance. On days where there is no smog the view of the city is not too shabby.
It looks otherworldly; like it’s about to scuttle off. Rumour has it that it’s also the mother of drones.
The futuristic appearance is in part due to its materials which were chosen so they could capture the light; it’s skeleton is a steel structure, the inside cladding is made of translucent marble and the outside layer is made of cut- glass panels. As the Santiago sky changes at dawn and dusk, the building reflects this transformation of colour. The little legs are actually there to help the building withstand earthquakes. It was designed by Siamak Hariri and it took 14 years to be built.
I didn’t get any images of the interior because you can’t take pictures inside. It was beautiful enough to leave me gawping aimlessly at the ceiling for a while though.
The landscape architect was Juan Grimm. The surrounding gardens are really pleasant too.
Inevitably there was a good dog nearby who was of course having the time of his life, as all dogs in Chile seem to be. My photos always seem to rapidly decline in quality when a dog is about. I think both parties feel excited and frantic in that moment.
