Alejandro Aravena

Pritzker Prize winner

What is the architect’s role in improving living conditions in cities around the world? Alejandro Aravena, who directed the 2016 Venice Biennale, has spent his career answering this question. Join us Day 1 for a powerful keynote—Anticipate Need: Design That Cares—where he’ll share his philosophy and why it’s important to bring the community into the process.

Architect, author, professor, and firm founder Alejandro Aravena has spent his career focusing on projects of public interest and social impact, including housing, public space, infrastructure, and transportation. His work isn’t just about buildings—it’s also about anticipating need, shaping lives, and using a collaborative community process to solve key challenges.

Recipient of the 2016 Pritzker Prize, Alejandro’s work has been featured at MoMA and published in over 50 countries. He has taught at Harvard University, founded the Do Tank ELEMENTAL with Andrés Iacobelli, and received awards including the Curry Stone Design Prize, the Index Award in Denmark, the Silver Lion at the XI Venice Biennale, the Marcus Prize, and the Erich Schelling Architecture Medal.

After the earthquake

The 2010 earthquake that rattled central Chile was one of the largest ever recorded. The ensuing tsunami devastated the small mill city of Constitución, Chile. Alejandro’s sustainable reconstruction plan for the town of 25,000 embodies the process, priorities, and philosophies that anticipate the deeper needs of communities and architecture of the 21st century. His other projects include the Bicentennial Children’s Park, Villa Verde Housing, and the UC Innovation Center—Anacleto Angelini, all in Chile. 

“My architectural philosophy? Bring the community into the process.”

Keynote details

Alejandro shares the keynote stage with Francis Kéré, Hon. FAIA, Elizabeth Diller, and Michael Murphy on Day 1 of the AIA Conference on Architecture. Don’t miss their powerful, short-form talks happening Thursday, April 27. The event begins at 8:30am.

See Alejandro:
Thursday, 8:30am, Hall C
Anticipate Need: Design That Cares