The Temple?s translucent envelope emits a soft glow at night. Photo: Vanessa Guillen
Bahá?í Temple of South America

by Hariri Pontarini Architects
The Bahá?í Temple of South America, by Hariri Pontarini Architects of Toronto, is a domed structure set in the foothills of the Andes Mountains outside Santiago, Chile. Nine monumental veils frame an open worship space that expresses a faith of inclusion and accommodates up to 600 visitors. Surrounded by reflecting pools and a landscape of native grasses, the temple acts as an invitation for spiritual contemplation.
The realization of the architecture depended heavily on innovations in three primary areas: materials, technology and structure. The vision for the Temple began with the concept of light?to design a building that would allow light to move through its surface and structure. An intensive investigation into materials that capture, express, and embody light resulted in the development of two cladding materials: an interior layer of exceptionally translucent marble from the Portuguese Estremoz quarries, and an exterior layer of cast-glass panels developed exclusively for this project. An intricate steel structure supports the outer skin of custom cast glass panels and interior skin of Portuguese marble slabs. Photo: Office of External Affairs – Templo Bahá?í
The research for the cast-glass exterior cladding took nearly four years, working in collaboration with artisans at Jeff Goodman Studio in Toron-to. By f...