In August, the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile celebrated its 81st anniversary at its National Headquarters in Santiago. To mark this anniversary, the 2023 CA Awards ceremony was held.
This recognition is one of the most important in the Chilean architectural scene, honoring only eight architects who serve as benchmarks for the profession due to their excellence, work, and contribution to architecture.
Every year, various entities such as regional delegations, architecture schools, members, and committees submit nominees they believe deserve recognition by the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile. During its session on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, the National Board of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile decided that the CA Awards will become biennial starting with this edition. Additionally, the CA Distinctions will be awarded during the National Congress of Architects on the same biennial schedule.
Meet the winners of the 2023 CA Awards, along with the information provided by the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile, below.
Alberto Risopatrón Award (for professional association work in the CA)
Cecilia Leiva
A permanent collaborator of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile through the Sports Architecture Committee and, for about 20 years, the driving force and promoter of the Universal Accessibility Law. She has represented her field at international events and was the creator and president of the Universal Accessibility Coordination Committee.
Architect from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (1977) with postgraduate studies in Urban Violence, Insecurity, and Discrimination at the Center for Urban and Regional Studies (CEUR-CONICET) in Argentina and the UN Fund for Women BRAZIL-SOUTHERN CONE (2008).
Throughout her career, she has stood out for her professional dedication to association work, promoting universal design across various fields. She has championed social integration and universal accessibility, sharing her knowledge, updating standards in line with international regulatory frameworks, organizing meetings and seminars, and educating new generations on these subjects.
Fermín Vivaceta Rupio Award (for applied technology)
Diego Mellado
Architect from the Universidad Central de Chile and Master of Science in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency from the Politecnico di Milano. He is widely recognized as one of the architects with the most experience in the design and development of buildings using prefabricated systems—an expertise that earned him the 2010 ICH-CChC Technological Innovation Award for his work in developing and implementing seismic isolation systems for prefabricated buildings.
He has also participated as a speaker at various fairs and has delivered multiple lectures both in Chile and abroad. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Chilean Cement and Concrete Institute (ICH), and between 2017 and 2020, he served on the Board of Directors of the Industrialized Construction Council (CCI) under the CONSTRUYE 2025-CORFO program.
Alfredo Johnson Award (for public officials)
Diego Rebolledo Flores
Architect from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Master in Pedagogy, with postgraduate studies in the Rehabilitation of Historic Centers in Italy. With over 15 years of experience as an architect, he has always combined independent practice with public service.
Among his achievements in public administration, a standout is spearheading the international project for the new Tarapacá Regional Anthropological Museum on behalf of the Municipality of Iquique. Designed by world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, the project is currently under development.
Manuel Moreno Guerrero Award (for architectural heritage)
Natalia Jorquera
Architect from the Universidad de Chile and PhD in Architectural Technology, specializing in the Recovery and Valorization of Cultural Heritage, from the University of Florence, Italy.
An academic at the Universidad de Chile and Universidad de La Serena, and founding partner in 2019 of the architecture and restoration firm Arquitika (from the Quechua “tika” = adobe), she has deeply dedicated herself, from various perspectives, to safeguarding vernacular and earthen heritage across different regions, particularly in northern Chile.
She has successfully developed numerous intervention projects to enhance earthen heritage, including the restoration of Historic Monuments, the Heritage Inventory of the Atacama region, and currently, the transformation of the ICH Casa Novella into the new CECREA (Center for Creativity for Children and Youth) in the Coquimbo region, thereby contributing to local development and job creation.
Promoción Joven Award
Ana Paz Casimino
Architect from the Universidad de Chile (2018). She holds diplomas in Housing and City Policies from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and in Citizen Participation, Governance, and Municipal Management from the Universidad Autónoma de Chile, where she also earned her Master's in Municipal Public Management and Local Development.
She is a member of the Movimiento de Arquitectas y Arquitectos por un Chile Digno, working to raise awareness about paradigm shifts in housing, urbanism, gender, and other areas, putting the profession at the service of the community.
Regional Architecture Award
Architect with a Master’s in Architecture from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (2012), presenting the thesis “Architecture, Domesticity, and Heritage: Rural Housing Typology for Central Chile.” He was a partner in Colectivo MURO, an association of architects for post-earthquake reconstruction in Chile, with projects exhibited at the Venice Biennale, the Chilean Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, and the Ibero-American Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism.
His work seeks to progressively explore the relationship between constructive and spatial matter, contributing to a critical discussion of the architecture developed in this region, specifically in southern Maule.
The Sergio Larraín García-Moreno and Eliana Caraball Awards were declared vacant.
This article was written by Magdalena Casamitjana. The translation is powered by AI.
