A cluster of mono-pitched volumes clad in earthy pre-weathered steel shelters a mini oasis at the centre of this cultural facility in Chile's Atacama Desert.
Santiago-based architects Emilio Marín and Juan Carlos López collaborated on the design of the centre, which was built alongside the first wind farm to be installed in northern Chile.
该基地位于Antofagasta地区，它是世界上最干旱的沙漠贫瘠地区，一直延伸到远处的安第斯山脉。
建筑师被要求建造一栋建筑，它让游客有机会感受“沙漠的自然，文化和活力”等特点。
The site is located in the Antofagasta region, in a barren area of the world's driest desert that stretches away towards the Andes mountains in the distance.
The architects were asked to develop a proposal for a building that offers visitors an opportunity to engage with the "natural, cultural and energetic" properties of the desert.
The Centre of Interpretation of the Desert was designed in direct response to the landscape, with its form echoing the slopes of the mountains and its materiality referencing the monochrome yet textured surface of the desert.
The volumes surround a planted patio garden that is protected from the wind and demonstrates how alternative ecosystems can be helped to flourish in this hostile environment.
"The project aims to extend the boundaries and expand the modern vision of the interplay between architecture and landscape," said the architects, "where the main characters are two elements in a relationship of opposites."
该中心包括六个位于圆弧上独立但相互连接的体块，它们的坡屋面朝着开放的中心空间。
两个体块包括主持展览和活动的空间，而其他有着玻璃表皮的体块沿线排列，提供与沙漠的直接联系。
The centre comprises six individual yet interconnected volumes arranged in a circle, with their angled roofs sloping towards an open central space.
Two of the structures contain spaces for hosting exhibitions and events, while others are lined with glazed surfaces providing a direct visual connection with the desert.
The facades and roofs are all clad in pre-rusted Corten steel to create a homogenous aesthetic that accentuates the angled forms and the interplay of light and shadow on their surfaces.
建筑师说：“为了适应Atacama沙漠的巨大而不成比例的单色纹理的外观，这栋建筑用一种材料覆盖。”
“Corten钢包裹了整个建筑形式，使它在沙漠的广阔地带中好像钢铁岩石。”
在建筑的中央，一个开放的混凝土走廊庇护在悬垂的屋顶下，连接着各个房间的入口。
建筑摄影为Felipe Fontecilla。
"Fitting the appearance of the large and disproportionate monochrome textures of the Atacama Desert, the building is covered in one single material," said the architects.
"Corten steel envelops the whole of the architectural form, causing it to appear as a rock of molten steel in the vastness of the desert."
At the centre of the building, an open concrete-lined corridor sheltered beneath the overhanging roof connects the recessed entrances to the various rooms.
Photography is by Felipe Fontecilla.
