Humberto Eliash, architect, academic at the Universidad de Chile, and former vice dean of the university's Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, is the new President of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile. This was ratified following the first meeting of the national board on January 12, after the online voting held among members throughout Chile last December.
Although the position of national President is determined by an internal agreement of the board of directors, historically the candidate with the highest majority takes office. Eliash—with 21.5% of the valid votes cast—was widely expected to secure the position, as ArchDaily en Español reported a few weeks ago.
Focused on institutional architecture with projects across Latin America, Eliash previously served as a board member and Vice President of the Colegio de Arquitectos between 1994 and 1998, and chaired the XII Architecture and Urbanism Biennial (2000). Currently, Eliash is a member of Editorial Universitaria and serves on the Architecture Advisory Committee of the new Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage.
Below are the other members who make up the national board:
Vice President of Internal Affairs: Fernando Marín
An architect from the Universidad de Chile specialized in Integrated Project Management at Harvard, Marín is a partner at MAO Arquitectos, with experience in airport, educational, and real estate projects.
Marín served as Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Design, and Construction at Universidad Mayor (2011-2016), Curator of the XIX Architecture Biennial “El País que Queremos” (2015), and Director and Advisor to the Board of the Association of Architectural Offices (2007-2017), where Marín led the “Arquitectura de Chile” Sector Brand project in partnership with ProChile.
As Vice President of Internal Affairs, Marín will deputize for the President, as well as coordinate and supervise the internal activities of the Colegio, its Ethics Tribunals, Advisory Bodies, and Consultative Councils.
Vice President of External Affairs: Jorge Espinosa
An architect from the Universidad de Chile and partner at Arquitectura y Construcción Quetromar, a firm specializing in educational facilities, social housing, industrial projects, and residential buildings in the province of Chiloé.
Espinosa served as President of the Chiloé Delegation of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile (2013-2017), where they remain active in organizing local events.
As Vice President of External Affairs, Espinosa will ensure the participation and proper functioning of the Colegio de Arquitectos' various regional chapters in Tarapacá, Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Rancagua, Talca, Concepción, Araucanía, Los Ríos, Osorno, Llanquihue, Chiloé, and Aysén, in coordination with the National Board.
Secretary General: Soledad Larraín
Architect, Universidad del Desarrollo Concepción, and graduate of the Master's program in Laboratory of Sustainable Architectural Production at the Umeå School of Architecture in Sweden.
Larraín is a partner and project manager at L2 Arquitectura, managing initiatives focused on sustainable development, responsible resource use, and social responsibility.
Additionally, Larraín teaches at the Universidad del Desarrollo in Santiago and has been an active member of the Young Architects Committee of the Colegio de Arquitectos, Vice President of the New Indie Foundation, and a collaborator with the World Bicycle Forum Chile, among other roles.
The Secretary General acts as the Colegio's official certifying officer, overseeing the drafting and approval of minutes, as well as supervising the administrative units and professional association services.
Treasurer: Jorge Guzmán
An architect from the Universidad de Chile, Guzmán has served as an independent building inspector since 2009 and was previously a partner in several consulting and construction firms.
Guzmán has also taught and has been active in professional associations, serving as President of the Valparaíso Delegation of the Colegio de Arquitectos (1982-1990) and President of the Association of Independent Reviewing Architects of Chile.
In this role, Guzmán will oversee the administration of the Colegio's funds and management team regarding all financial and economic aspects, as well as manage income and expenditure accounting.
Meanwhile, Alberto Texido, who served as National President of the Colegio de Arquitectos in recent months and was Vice President of External Affairs for two years starting in 2015, joins the new Board as Past President. In this role, Texido will help ensure continuity in achieving the institution's long-term objectives across board transitions.
The rest of the national board is composed of Diego Rebolledo, Javier Contreras, Alicia Alarcón, Manuel Marchant, and Uwe Rohwedder, who will collaborate on various tasks throughout the Executive Board's term.
“We are delighted and grateful to the architects of Chile who have trusted us to lead our association for the next two years. Through unified, efficient, and transparent management, we hope to address the Colegio's challenges and meet the public's demands for a better quality of life,” said National President Humberto Eliash.
This article was written by Nicolás Valencia. The translation is powered by AI.
