Alejandro Aravena, a Chilean architect respected for the social theories and philosophies underlying his work (andoccasionally compared to Wolverine), was just named the director of the forthcoming 2016 Venice Architectural Biennale. Meant to underline architecture's role and place in civil society, his selection has been viewed a shift from the more esoteric and academic approach Rem Koolhaastook in 2014. Aravena's body of work, including projects with Elemental, the firm he founded in 1994, focus on institutional and housing designs with lofty goals and real-world achievments, such as the award-winningQuinta Monroy, a residential development for former squatters in a Chilean desert town that showcased "the city as an unlimited resource to build social equity," and a college Innovation Centre in Santiago that won a Design of the Year Award from the Design Museum, in part by challenging the priorities informing other, similar structures. While a string of awards and a visiting lecturer position at Harvard have made Aravena a respected name in architectural circles, its the impetus behind some of his most important projects that may provide a better insight into what kind of programming he'll bring to Venice next May.