Chile displays its architecture at seminar in Shanghai

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With over one hundred guests made up of Chinese authorities, architects and engineers, the seminar “Chilean Architecture, Engineering and Infrastructure and the Concessions System” was held this Tuesday in Shanghai. The event is part of the “Architecture and Engineering Services Promotion Week” organized by ProChile, CORFO’s Committee of Sector Brands and the Architectural Office Association of Chile (AOA).

The activity was led by the Minister of Public Works, Hernán de Solminihac, who talked about the concessions system in Chile and the opportunities it offers. “We are motivating Chinese investors to participate in the tenders aimed both at the country’s reconstruction and also at carrying out new projects to develop Chile,” he explained.

The meeting served to compare the Chilean and Chinese experiences in terms of earthquake prevention and reaction. It was also used to promote the brand “Chile’s Architecture”, supported by CORFO’s Committee of Sector Brands, whose objective is positioning Chilean architecture in the Chinese market.

Anti-seismic experience

As has been habitual during the “Architecture and Engineering Services Promotion Week”, this year’s February earthquake and its consequences in Chile has been one of the points of interest.

“We have held meetings with different authorities, with whom we have shared experiences on how to prevent and react during different emergencies and natural disasters,” said the Minister. “Therefore, we are evaluating different exchange alternatives in that respect,” he asserted.

“We have learned to be respectful of the ground,” said Tang Shouning, a Professor at Tongji University, referring to his experience in several reconstruction processes in Chinese cities. “We have restored the ecology of the localities and used the rubble to build monuments to pay homage to the victims,” he added.

The Chilean experience was illustrated with the cases of the Titanium and Costanera Center buildings, which were shown as examples of high-rise construction in one of the most seismic countries in the world. They explained the different alternatives that permit reducing damage in these types of natural disasters, like seismic buffers, which successfully passed their most important test on February 27.

“We are deeply satisfied with the good reception we have had in Shanghai,” said Fernando Marin, the head of Chile’s Architecture project, “and we have realized that the excellent work of our architects and engineers is an asset that will permit us to gradually position Chile at an international level.”

After the seminar, the Minister of Public Works and principal AOA representatives participated in a luncheon with authorities of the International Association for Economic and Technological Cooperation of Shanghai. A visit to some of Shanghai’s principal infrastructure works is organized for Wednesday, July 7, including the Maglev train, the fastest magnetic levitation train in the world.