Infrastructure in Quinta los Chañares, Diego de Almagro, Atacama, Chile

The Oasis Quinta los Chañares is a place lost in the most arid desert of the planet, the Atacama Desert, Chile. It is a Cultural Landscape that has programmatic uses directly related to nature. The proposal seeks to improve the quality of the current infrastructure, in order to create a language between the natural context and the architecture.

The proposal is inspired by the geography and topography of the landscape that is part of the Oasis Quinta los Chañares and the Atacama Desert. Conceptually the project assimilates a great crevice which is born as the extension of the dry brooks, caves and cracked textures which have been affected by the extreme climate of the place. Just like it happens with the nature of the oasis, the action of the wind and the morphological effects have caused fissures on the ground’s surface. This has brought proximity to the underground waters giving life to vegetation and fauna, in other words, forming an Oasis. Something similar occurs in the project, in the interior of this crevice life also exists, only that it made up of program spaces and its users. The crevice allows for natural light to penetrate to the deepest point of the project, likewise it allows access to air circulation to ventilate the interior of the programs. In order to enhance the efficiency of natural ventilation, native trees are planted; The interior vegetation takes care of shading direct sunlight, besides contributing to the conservation and propagation of the species. The structure is pigmented with ochre and brown hues same as its context. Its relationship with the interior vegetation creates a unique atmosphere similar to the native landscape or the area. The project has only one predominant element on the surface, the Access Threshold that receives visitors to the Oasis. The underground programs are adapted to the silhouette of the crack, leaving the main accesses and views in the direction of the underground courtyards that articulate the proposal. The irregular geometry will not allow the entire project to be seen, so it is necessary to tour the floor plan in order to understand and contemplate it, in the same way that visitors explore the natural environment.