Revitalizing History: UMWELT, PRODUCTORA, and LANDMRX to Restore Chile's State Railway Headquarters

UMWELT, a Chilean architectural practice, along with the landscape architecture office LANDMRX and the renowned Mexican firm PRODUCTORA, have won first place in the competition to transform the former Correos de Chile (Chilean Postal Service) building in Estación Central, Santiago. In 2021, EFE (Chile's State Railway Company) acquired the property to convert it into their new corporate headquarters, where employees will work in close proximity to the railway operations.

A total of 22 proposals were submitted for the competition to transform the iconic seven-story triangular concrete structure located at 221 Exposición Street. Designed by architect Boris Guiñeman and constructed between 1970 and 1974, the building was originally intended to be the Central Sorting Office of Correos de Chile.

The jury of the competition highly praised the winning proposal for its urban integration, preservation of architectural heritage, spatial innovation, and functionality. The entrance plaza, sun protection, open terraces, and the creation of a panoramic public space were the key aspects that were appreciated. The evaluation team was composed of renowned national architecture award winners Miguel Lawner, Antonia Lehmann, and Fernando Pérez, as well as Tomás Villalón, Francisca Pulido, Horacio Torrent, José Solorza, Loreto Wahr, Rosario Olivares, Gabriela Elgueta, Camila Castro, Felipe Gallegos, and Juan Jiménez. The executive director of the competition was Luis Eduardo Bresciani, the director of the School of Architecture at Universidad Católica.

UMWELT, founded by Ignacio García Partarrieu and Arturo Scheidegger, is an architectural and territorial design practice and research office based in Chile. Their work spans multiple scales and formats, resulting in a diverse range of projects, explorations, books, classes, and exhibitions that form part of the same overarching project. In 2020, ArchDaily recognized UMWELT as one of the best new architectural practices.

PRODUCTORA, a Mexico-based collective composed of Abel Perles, Carlos Bedoya, Víctor Jaime, and Wonne Ickx, strives to create projects that are both legible and timeless. Notable works include the Teopanzolco Cultural Center, the Houston Endowment Headquarters, and the Pilares Priani Social Infrastructure. Their designs are characterized by clear gestures and material and programmatic resolutions that stand the test of time.

LANDMRX is an award-winning landscape architecture office, founded by Pablo Alfaro, Diego Labbé, Valentina Rozas Krause, and Kushal Lachhwani. Their work focuses on the design of ecological infrastructure projects that combine art, ecology, and technology.