In 1959, the government of Jorge Alessandri Rodriguez, a former student of the National Institute, gave the funds for the construction of a new building for the school, which would be located in the same place. The following year a national competition for the new building was launched. At the first phase, more than one hundred and thirty projects were presented, five being selected to be developed. After approximately one year of work, the winner was defined: the architect Jose Llambias Merchant takes the first prize and his project was carried out in 1962, to be delivered, in its first two stages, in 1963. A third phase was pending, that corresponded to the public program of the school, which would be shared with the University of Chile.

En 1959, el gobierno de Jorge Alessandri Rodriguez, antiguo alumno del Instituto Nacional, entrega los fondos para la construccion de un nuevo edificio para el colegio, el cual seria emplazado en el mismo lugar. Al ano siguiente se llama a un concurso nacional de anteproyectos de arquitectura para la nueva edificacion. A la primera etapa se presentan mas de ciento treinta proyectos, quedando seleccionados cinco para ser desarrollados. Luego de aproximadamente un ano de trabajo, se define al ganador: el arquitecto Jose Llambias Merchant se queda con el primer premio y su proyecto es llevado a cabo en 1962, para ser entregado, en sus dos primeras etapas, en 1963. Quedaba pendiente una tercera, que correspondía al programa publico del colegio, que seria compartido con la Universidad de Chile.

The original proposition was a school composed of three programmatic strips. One volume, along the first block facing Arturo Prat Street, contains the entire large-scale program and its services: access hall, management and administration, the library, the Camara theater, the Aula Magna, the auditoriums and gyms. This volume would communicate with the outside through the sector that linked the main access with the Aula Magna. Essentially, it was a program for specific events that could operate independently of the school, but was never completed in its entirety. The sector that should have hosted the Aula Magna, the two auditoriums and all its services remained pending. This volume serves today as a connector with the so-called “sector 2”, comprised of two five-story high bars that run parallel to Alonso Ovalle Street, at the southern end of the school; These stripes contain specific classrooms and laboratories on their upper floors, and service programs such as casinos, dressing rooms, warehouses and apartments on their lower floors, in addition to gyms and art and special technical rooms.

La propuesta original era un colegio compuesto por tres franjas programáticas. Un volumen, a lo largo de la primera manzana de Arturo Prat, contiene la totalidad del programa de gran escala y sus servicios: hall de acceso, la dirección y administración, la biblioteca, el teatro de Camara, el Aula Magna, los auditorios y los gimnasios. Este cuerpo se comunicaría con el exterior por el sector que unía la puerta del colegio con el acceso al Aula Magna. Esencialmente, se trataba de un programa para eventos especificos que pudiera operar independientemente del colegio, pero nunca seria terminado en su totalidad. Quedo pendiente el sector que debio haber acogido el Aula Magna, los dos auditorios y todos sus servicios. Este volumen sirve hoy de conector con el llamado “sector 2”, comprendido por dos barras de cinco pisos de altura que corren paralelas a la calle Alonso Ovalle, en el extremo sur del colegio; estas barras contienen aulas y laboratorios específicos en sus pisos superiores, y programa de servicio como casinos, camerinos, bodegas y departamentos en sus pisos inferiores, además de los gimnasios y las salas de arte y técnicas especiales.

Ground Floor
Second Floor
Third and Fourth Floor

The second strip, parallel to the “public one”, contains the Courtyard of Honor. This is the place established for ceremonies, celebrations, parties and recesses. The third strip corresponds to the classrooms, organized in independent blocks and parallel to each other. The first three blocks, smaller in size, corresponded to what was called first cycle. Today it is known as “sector 1”. These bodies are linked by a patio that runs under them, called “zocalo”, and by two galleries, one that contains extension programs (thematic rooms) and constitutes the facade towards San Diego Street, and another that serves as a connector between the blocks and the bars. This last gallery is also part of the Courtyard of Honor.

La segunda franja, paralela a la “publica”, contiene al Patio de honor. Este es el lugar establecido para las ceremonias, celebraciones, partidos y recreos. La tercera franja corresponde a las aulas, organizadas en bloques independientes y paralelos entre si. Los tres primeros bloques, de menor tamaño, correspondían al que se llamaba primer ciclo. Hoy es conocido como “sector 1”. Estos cuerpos se encuentran unidos por un patio que corre bajo ellos, llamado “zocalo”, y por dos galerias, una que contiene programas de extension (salas tematicas) y constituye la fachada de San Diego, y otra que sirve de conector entre los bloques y las barras. Esta ultima galería, ademas, es parte del Patio de honor.

Text by Patrimonio Chileno

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Informes de la Construcción Vol. 28, nº 278