Bahá’í Temple temple of ligh

Abstract

The winning entry by Toronto’s Hariri Pontarini Architects (HPA) for the design of the BahAi’A­ Temple for South America in Santiago, Chile has not gone unnoticed by the architectural community and media. Sumptuous images of the “Temple of Light” described by Gary Michael Dault as “a soap bubble that has alighted, momentarily, on the ground” reveal a dramatic departure from the firm’s portfolio. HPA is responsible for McKinsey & Co. in Toronto and the Schulich School of Business at York University (with RYWA in joint venture). Their work is characterized by close attention to proportion and composition through the meeting of materials. Using conventional methods of construction, the firm is capable of producing a high level of detail refinement.