Miguel Lawner
Miguel Lawner Steiman (Santiago, 10 August 1928) is a Chilean architect who has received several national awards—including the National Architecture Award in 2019—for his projects, both in the public and private sectors.
Miguel Lawner | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 10, 1928 |
| Nationality | Chilean |
| Alma mater | University of Chile |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Notable work | Subsidized housing in Santiago and Valparaíso |
| Spouse | Ana María Barrenechea Grünwald |
| Children | 2 |
He served as executive director of the Corporation for Urban Improvement (CORMU) during the Popular Unity administration of Salvador Allende, until the 1973 coup d'état led by Augusto Pinochet. Afterwards, he was arrested and imprisoned in various concentration camps until his release and exile in Denmark. Both from abroad and after his return to Chile in the 1980s, Lawner has continued to work in architectural projects with a focus on social interest, as well as investigating and denouncing the human rights violations perpetrated during the dictatorship.
Lawner also served as editorial assistant at AUCA architecture magazine, as national director of the Architects' Association of Chile, and of the NGO Taller de Vivienda Social (a low-income housing workshop).