by Alejandro Aravena (Text by (Art/Photo Books)), Michael Holm (Editor), Michael Holm (Text by (Art/Photo Books))
Led by Pritzker Prize-winning artistic director Alejandro Aravena (born 1967), the Elemental studio, based in Santiago, Chile, possesses a diversely skilled staff whose analytical approach has produced highly original solutions to social challenges such as the housing shortage in Santiago's poorer neighborhoods. Instead of designing cheap housing, Elemental builds "half houses" at the same cost and enables buyers to build the other half themselves. This combination of good design with the engagement of the buyers creates more sustainable housing areas. The studio works on both large and small scales in Chile and in the rest of the world; all projects bear the marks of their pragmatic approach. Alejandro Aravena: Elemental portrays the company's working methods and provides examples of its most important projects.