Shifting Vernacular Paradigms in Contemporary Chiloé Architecture: Negotiating Territory Between Tradition and Innovation

Abstract

ontemporary Chilote architecture is undergoing an accelerated process of transformation associated with urbanization, tourism expansion, and the global circulation of architectural models. Although numerous studies have addressed these changes from patrimonial or stylistic perspectives, there is still insufficient understanding regarding the structural transformations affecting the historical relationships between architecture, territory, and culture within the archipelago. This article proposes interpreting these transformations through the concept of “displacement of vernacular logics”, understood as the process by which the territorial, tectonic, functional, and symbolic relationships that historically structured Chilote architecture are progressively recon-figured in contemporary contexts. The research adopts a qualitative case-study approach based on fieldwork, photographic documentation, comparative morphological analysis, and analytical diagrams applied to residential architecture, religious architecture, and urban landscapes across different areas of the archipelago. The findings reveal that the observed transformations do not merely correspond to formal variations, but rather to a growing autonomization between architectural representation and territorial logic. This phenomenon is manifested in the touristic reinterpretation of the palafito, in the transition from expressive tectonics toward abstract spatialities in religious architecture, and in the scale disruptions produced by new urban developments. However, the study also identifies contemporary architectural experiences capable of critically reinterpreting territorial and constructive principles linked to local tradition. Based on these findings, the article concludes that the contemporary validity of the vernacular does not depend on the literal preservation of historical forms, but on the capacity to critically reinterpret the relationships between archi-tecture, territory, and culture.