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Bio:

Camila  Mancilla is a licensed Chilean architect and Ph.D. candidate in Architecture & Design Research at Virginia Tech’s Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center. Formerly contributing design proposals at Senermann Architects, she also collaborated with Cazú Zegers and National Architecture Award recipient Edward Rojas. Her practice spans residential, cultural, and industrial projects in Chile, Croatia, and the United States. Camila’s academic focus explores collage and “the cut” in architecture, bridging vernacular heritage, advanced technologies, and community-based research.

Teaching:

Mancilla is a licensed Chilean architect. As an instructor, she has taught design studios and theory courses at both Virginia Tech’s Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center and Southern University of Chile. Her pedagogy focuses on creative representation techniques—especially collage and transdisciplinary methods—to deepen students’ critical engagement with architecture. She has led students in exploring cultural heritage, emergency design, and fictional architecture, drawing on international collaborative research and her broad professional background. 

Research/Creative Activity:

Mancilla's research interrogates the concept of “the cut” through collage, inspired by Gordon Matta-Clark. She analyzes how fragmenting images and spaces can expand architectural discourse on heritage, memory, and representation. Her scholarly work has been presented at conferences in Italy, Canada, USA, and published in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes. As an artist architect, she has exhibited across Chile, Nederland’s, Croatia, and the U.S., using mixed-media collages drawings including new technology  and site-specific installations to connecting academic research with practice.

Practice:

Mancilla leads her own architectural practice, designing small-scale residential spaces, cultural installations, interior renovations, and industrial solutions across Chile, Croatia, and the United States. She gained experience at Senermann Architects, collaborated with renowned Chilean architect Cazú Zegers, and partnered with National Architecture Award recipient Edward Rojas on vernacular-inspired endeavors. Beyond architectural design, she creates agricultural and livestock machinery that balances engineering needs with creative vision. Her exhibit-design work includes contributions to the 2023 Frascari Exhibition (U.S.) and the “Comparative Urbanism” show at the Goethe Institute in 2022. Through all her projects, Camila integrates local craftsmanship, heritage influences, and experimental representation, striving to enrich built environments and engage communities.

Publications (Selected)

1. Associate Editor, The End of Architecture.
   Co-edited by Paul Emmons, Marcia Feuerstein, and Negar Goljar.
   London: Routledge, Forthcoming 2025.
2. Silva Poblete, K., Olivares Toledo, J. C., & Mancilla Vera, C.
   The Architectures of the Drizzle: Learning to Value Vernacular Architecture.
   Volume I (2019) & Volume II (2023). Universidad Autónoma Editions.