The headquarters building of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in Santiago, Chile, was designed by the architect Emilio Duhart —in collaboration with Chilean architects Christian de Groote, Roberto Goycoolea and Óscar Santelices— and is considered a landmark of enormous historical and architectural value.
Located at Av. Dag Hammarskjöld 3477, Vitacura, the building was inaugurated in 1966 by then President of Chile, Eduardo Frei Montalva, and United Nations Secretary-General, U Thant. The handprints of both men, together with those of all the workers, can be seen on the walls at the entrance of the building.
This singular structure, inspired by French architect Le Corbusier, consists of exposed concrete and interwoven volumes, and includes references to the history and art of Latin America and the Caribbean. The building is a great structure of reinforced concrete, simultaneously robust and lightweight, in which the main storey appears to be sustained by 28 pillars.
The building is remarkable for its graceful integration into a landscape framed by the Andes mountain range and the Mapocho River, fronted by an oval pool and water fountains surrounded by gardens inhabited by swans and peacocks.
In Duhart's own words, “the United Nations building is both house and monument. The house of the community of nations. The monument, a visible expression of its spiritual and social aspirations. House and monument arise as an artistic and functional unit, legible to all.”
To learn more about the ECLAC Building visit: https://biblioguias.cepal.org/cepal-75-en/eclac-building