Teatro Real, Santiago: Movie Palace, Patents and Air Conditioning, 1929-1931
Authors
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Renato D’Alençon Castrillón
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9069-8021
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Camila Salinas Moraga
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4788-9428
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Claudio Vásquez Zaldívar
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5962-2291
- Valentina Belmar Reyes Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
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Abstract
The use of air conditioning in buildings in Chile has become a prevailing standard and is found in many buildings, especially office buildings. However, the transition from conventional buildings to the current air-conditioned standard is mostly unknown. In this paper, we explore the implementation of the first air conditioning system in Chile in the Teatro Real, in Santiago, and the innovation it entailed for the building. Based on building surveys of the still standing building, on the availability of archive material, patents and other documents in Chile and abroad, the present work seeks to understand this case as a scenario for a process technical and organizational innovation in the field of construction. Teatro Real was Santiago’s first ‘Movie Palace’ conceived and built to be the flagship theatre of Paramount Studios in Chile, in line with the most current technical standards at the time, particularly the projection of sound films. This meant the import of a technical expertise to a local context with specific building practices and, on the other hand, the necessary implementation of this innovation in the building processes used at that time setting the standard for this new architectural and construction typology in the making.
