Wind Farm Visitor Centre
Emilio Marín and Juan Carlos López
Atacama, Chile
To help lure and orientate tourists to the desert region of Atacama, a visitor centre by Emilio Marín and Juan Carlos López was built on the land as part of a wind farm. Commissioned in 2013, the Corten steel building makes a strong but welcome intervention on this windswept plain. The architects describe the project in terms of the relationship between landscape and architecture. Six ‘wings’ – perhaps better understood as petals arranged around a central core – form wedge-shaped structures, linked by an internal corridor but reading as an abstracted series of forms from a distance, united by the common cladding material.
Photography: Felipe Fontecilla
Wind Farm Visitor’s Centre
Emilio Marín and Juan Carlos López
Atacama, Chile
Marín and López’s structure does nothing to conceal itself, echoing instead the peaks of the surrounding volcanoes, while also framing the landscape from within. ‘The strategy is not so different from what can be found in the archaeological remains of settlements in the area, like those at Tulor,’ Marín continues, pointing out that these Mesolithic sites often featured circular enclosures arranged around a central space. With the plan established, a tough material was needed. Corten steel wasn’t just a functional and economical choice, it also evoked the blank solidity of the surrounding rock formations.
Photography: Felipe Fontecilla
Desert Nomad House
Rick Joy Architects
Tuscon, Arizona, US
This house constructed of three cubed volumes clad in plate steel sinks in its bowl-shaped site. The three forms hold separate spaces for living, sleeping and a small den. Each volume has a single aperture from which to watch the position of the sun and shadows across the landscape. The volumes were carefully positioned to open up close and far views to the inhabitants.
Photography: Jeff Goldberg/Esto
Desert Nomad House
Rick Joy Architects
Tuscon, Arizona, US
Footpaths connect each of the volumes, which are all elevated and independent from each other – this was designed by the architects to reinforce the house’s sense of isolation. The landscape is retained in a natural state and was as undisturbed as possible by the architecture. The simple interior of maple panels includes subtle translucent glass partitions and a kitchen island rendered in plate stainless steel.
Photography: Jeff Goldberg/Esto
Bulcke House
Hrdalo
Las Araucarias de Linderos, Chile
This concrete and corten Chilean retreat is designed by Chilean architectural firm Hrdalo, founded in 2005 by Cristián Hrdalo. The Bulcke House in Las Araucarias de Linderos, a golf club 30km south of the Chilean capital of Santiago, was conceived for a Belgian couple who, having lived in Chile for years, opted to return to Europe; their daughter and her small family decided to remain, so the couple embarked on the creation of a second house in the country, which would be used during family visits.
Photography: Nico Saieh
Bulcke House
Hrdalo
Las Araucarias de Linderos, Chile
Bulcke House is composed of corten steel, poured in-situ concrete, incast wood panelling and polished concrete floors, the latter chosen to offset the warmth of the walnut furniture and doors. The house also features a series of inner courtyards and a generous, private terrace, which acts as the home’s in-between space, separating the interior and exterior areas.
Photography: Nico Saieh
