Temple Of Light

Project: Bahá’í Temple of South America, Santiago, Chile 

Architects: Hariri Pontarini Architects, Canada

- Saimak Hariri

Set within the foothills of the Andes, just beyond the metropolis of Santiago, Chile, the Bahá’í Temple of South America uses light for its spiritual and design inspiration. Nestled in the rolling topography of the mountains and surrounded by reflecting pools and a landscape of native grasses, this complex-curved temple of light acts as an invitation for spiritual contemplation and architectural pilgrimage.

Fourteen years in the making, the house of worship represents the last of the eight continental temples commissioned by the Bahá’í Community. The Bahá’í faith is built on the tenet of universality; therefore, the architectural challenge is to create a design that would be welcoming to people of all faiths and cultures; recognisable as a house of worship without referencing specific iconography.