Bahá’i Temple in Santiago, Chili
Chosen by the Corning Museum of Glass as one of 100 most innovative projects in glass in the last 40 years.
In 2018 our studio was honoured – The Corning Museum of Glass chose The Goodman Studio’s Temple glass to be included in their exhibition “New Glass Now” as work exemplifying the innovation and experimentation of artists working with the material today.
Location: Santiago, Chile
Opening Date: October 14, 2016
Architect: Hariri Pontarini Architects
Engineers: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
Superstructure & Cladding: Gartner Steel and Glass GmbH
Exterior Cladding: The Goodman Studio
Building Dimension: 30 m dia. X 30 m high
The Temple Glass product is a handmade glass surface invented and fabricated by the studio for the Bahá’í Temple of South America. Siamak Hariri approached master craftsman Jeff Goodman with a request for a translucent white glass building product that could filter natural light to create a serene environment while withstanding the rigorous weather fluctuations and seismic activity notorious in the Andes mountains of Chile.
After over 100 samples and years of testing, the Temple Glass was born, a carefully designed formula of borosilicate glass cast in custom made kilns by the team at The Goodman Studio in Toronto. The project took over 12 years to complete, with 8 years dedicated to manufacturing 55,000 square feet of 1 1/4″ thick Temple Glass. A remarkable 21,129 unique pieces were produced and assembled to create each of the nine “sails”. Every square inch was set by hand by a team of artisans to ensure consistent pattern and translucency.
Temple glass is available for designers and architects to use in retail, hospitality and residential projects as feature walls, partitions, skylights, custom tables and fireplace surrounds.
Read more about the project at Hariri Pontarini Architects. Official Bahá’í website: Bahá’í House of Worship of South America
Press + Publications
“…a Canadian-designed piece of architectural daring in cast glass is taking shape…Artisans at Toronto’s Jeff Goodman Studio, working in close collaboration with Toronto’s Hariri Pontarini Architects, have produced the thick, milky glass for a Bahai temple on the edge of metropolitan Santiago, Chile…
It took years of testing…to arrive at the 32-millimetre-thick cast glass with matte finish. That the design is finally being mocked up in Germany represents a major milestone, says Hariri…”
Excerpt from Globe and Mail article Gehry, Gartner and glass make for luminous buildings by Lisa Rochon
2019
• Hariri Pontarini Architects wins 2019 RAIC International Prize for Architecture
October 25, 2019
• New Glass Now exhibition at the Corning Museum of Glass
May 12, 2019 to January 5, 2020
Jeff Goodman Studio was selected amongst the 100 artist — representing 32 nationalities and working in 25 countries—to exhibit in New Glass Now, a global survey of only 100 examples in contemporary glass and the first exhibition of its kind organized by the Museum in 40 years. The show, includes works ranging from large-scale installations and delicate miniatures to video and experiments in glass chemistry, all of which demonstrate the vitality and versatility of this dynamic material. Work exemplifying the innovation and experimentation of artists working with the material today.
2018
• New Glass Review 39 published by The Corning Museum of Glass.
New Glass Review, a flagship publication of The Corning Museum of Glass, is an international survey of contemporary glass. Launched in 1979, New Glass Review has served as an annual benchmark for contemporary glass, documenting the innovation, dexterity, and creativity of artists, designers, and architects working in this challenging material.
2017
• Canadian Architect “In the Heights” by Francisco Díaz
• ArchDaily “Bahá’í Temple of South America Wins 2017 Innovation in Architecture Award” by Sabrina Santos
• Architect Magazine “Bahá’í House of Worship of South America”
• DesignBoom
2016
• Architectural Record “Sun Worshiper: A building with a complex skin blooms in the foothills of the Andes thanks to a multinational, multidisciplinary team” By Deborah Snoonian Glenn
• Azure Magazine “Chile’s Poetic Bahá’í Temple by Hariri Pontarini” by Noah Richler
• Globe and Mail “Spirit in the Sky” by Alex Bozikovic
• Metropolis Magazine “This Bahá’í Temple Took 14 Years To Build—It Was Worth the Wait” by Rayna Razmilic
• “Material Innovation: Architecture” by Andrwe H Dent & Leslie Sherr, published 2014
2015
• Metropolis Magazine “Sacred Structure” by Guy Horton
• Huffington Post “Breathtaking Baha’i Temple Rises in Chile” by Shastri Purushotma
Awards
• Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) : Innovation in Architecture Award
• World Architecture News : Civic Buildings—Unbuilt
• International Property Awards, Americas Architecture Award
• Architect Magazine: Progressive Architecture Awards Citation
• Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) : Ideas & Presentations Category, Honourable Mention
• Canadian Architect: Award of Excellence
• Chosen by the Corning Museum of Glass as one of 100 most innovative projects in glass in the last 40 years. Included in their 2018 exhibition “New Glass Now” as work exemplifying the innovation and experimentation of artists working with the material today.