Ministries of Culture and Public Works begin the construction of the second GAM stage

This morning, the Ministers of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, Carolina Arredondo Marzán, and the Undersecretary of Public Works, Danilo Nuñez, together with the executive director of GAM, Alejandra Martí Olbrich, gave the go-ahead to restart the construction of the second stage of the Gabriela Mistral GAM Cultural Center.

The works, which will be carried out by the GAM Moller DVC SpA consortium, will represent an investment of more than 114 billion pesos, will be under the supervision of the MOP Architecture Directorate as a technical unit and have a completion period of 750 calendar days.

"We are proud to see how this work, probably the most important in the State of Chile in terms of cultural infrastructure, is materialized," said the Minister of Cultures, Carolina Arredondo. He added: "Its construction and completion strengthens and strengthens the axis of Alameda Providencia, which we can also project towards Matucana, where we hope the future National Cinematheque of Chile will exist. Therefore, when we talk about the budget of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, and when we say that in the government of President Gabriel Boric we double and decentralize the resources to invest in the soul of Chile, we are talking about works like these," he said.

“For us it is a pride as the Directorate of Architecture and as the Ministry of Public Works, to be accompanying the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage in resuming this tremendous work, which belongs to all the people of Santiago, after almost eight years,” said the Undersecretary of Public Works, Danilo Nuñez. "Thanks to the persistence of the Culture authorities, and with the experience of Architecture, we moved forward and can tell all Chileans that today the work of these new 16 thousand square meters begins, which are added to the 22 thousand already existing, configuring a cultural space of very high standard and of the latest generation in acoustics and technique. It is a work of high investment, with 114 billion pesos that, beyond the cultural, develops and energizes our economy and job creation,” he added.

For her part, Alejandra Martí Olbrich, executive director of GAM, commented: "This is a historic day for GAM and great news for everyone. The large hall will have an enormous impact on the cultural sector and citizens, since with it Chile will join a circuit of international stages, will receive shows never seen before and will also allow national artists and creators to dream big to develop innovative productions. In addition, this infrastructure, which will have a capacity of up to 2,500 people, will enhance the Alameda district, promoting greater circulation and citizen participation, the revitalization of the neighborhood, access to goods and services and the development of tourism.”

The project contemplates improvements in the original design, such as greater versatility of its 100 percent mobile stage, by incorporating more lifting platforms; the modification of the seat transfer and storage system, thus improving changeover times between different types of shows; and the incorporation of a stage design project to the rehearsal room, giving it more scenic features. Other improvements are the greater incorporation of LED technology into the Lighting project and the improvement of the air conditioning project, providing better performance for the benefit of thermal comfort and contributing to the parameters required in the acoustic project.

The second stage of the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center constitutes the largest work in terms of cultural infrastructure at the national level, with an approximate area of ​​almost 16 thousand m2, distributed over 6 levels and 4 underground, with which, added to the current 22,000 m2, the center will reach a total area of ​​38,000 m2.