Extractive Archipelagos

The Extractive Archipelagos project reclaims the most altered zone by the aggregate extractions in the Mapocho river. The project transforms this zone in a park for the reclaiming of this productive landscape by means of ecological restoration of the river and the conversion of artificial lagoons produced by the extraction in a new public space.

The proposal consists in a Park of 120 ha. With 16 ha of artificial lagoons in the most altered zone of the 55km. of the Mapocho River Downstream by the extractions.\nThe project proposes 3 strategies to confront the situation: First of all it is proposed the extraction landscape, as a form of memory of its productive origin, the reclaim of the lagoon before they are filled and the consolidation of existing topography. Second it is proposed the river and soil restoration ecological process like phytodepuration, ecological islets, vegetal buffer and slope stabilization vegetation. The last one proposes to give new uses to a site that today is only a place of extraction. It is proposed to formalize the zone of bath and create new ways of contact with water. For this, the redefinition of 3 edge are proposed:\nLagoon Edge, Docks and terraces as bath infrastructure: nowadays the border of this artificial lagoons area steep, heights between three and four meters make impossible to touch the water, so for this the project proposes docks and terraces as bath infrastructure that allow the access to the water and set zones for phytodepuration. River Edge, The dike as a promenade: consists in a longitudinal path along the river that defines a width that contains the flow variations and restrict the extractions. The space between the both dike, one on each side of the river will be a vegetal buffer and a space for ecological restoration of the river. Limit of Extraction Zone, Channel as a scenic balcony: this border is the limit of the project, in this border it is proposed a path beside an existent channel in the border of the hill, ten meters above the river level. The path and channel work like a balcony over the landscape. The greatest potential of the proposal already exists and it is at risk of disappearing, these lagoons remain by themselves with due to the recharge of the groundwater. The project opens a discussion about the model of generate parks and the politics about regulation of segregate industry in a country like Chile with a mainly extractivist economy.