The EmTech Master candidates 06/07 have completed the design and construction of a viewing platform and shelter in Hazienda Quitralco in Chilean Patagonia. Buro Happold provided the structural engineering.
The project is a shelter and viewing platform located in an immaculate location on a mountain slope of Hacienda Quiltraco, which offers fantastic views of the Quitralco Fjord.
The project consists of a generic platform on a raft foundation made from timber logs and planks. Ruled surfaces were chosen in response to the pre-manufacturing constraints of timber on site, the available construction means and local knowledge in timber construction. A ruled surface is a surface that can be swept out by a moving line in space. This implies that such a surface can be constructed from straight elements, such as, in this case straight timber planks.
The aim was to demonstrate how from one application of a relatively simple building element and method a complex form could arise that corresponds with the slopes of the mountains that frame the fjord. The two surfaces that make up the shelter are symmetrical and lean against one another. The combination of the weight of the surface and their flexible connection enabled resistance of the completed structure to thee impact of the strong earthquakes of the region. At the end of the construction phase an earthquake at the scale of 5 on the Richter scale occurred without consequences for the structure. The rotation points of the rules surfaces shift along a curve in space resulting in a surface that seems to turn up on itself. This creates a raised opening where the two surfaces meet and the timber planks cantilever. Due to the north- south orientation of the shelter and the orientation and the orientation of the opening to the south the Southern Cross can bee seen through the opening at specific time of night.
The project is the first in a series to be constructed on site over the next few years. Further interventions are planned to include a pier, a bridge, a small lodge, a platform for use of the hot springs, shelters for fly-fishing, etc.
Construction coordination: Michael Hensel and Juan Eduardo Subercaseaux
Construction team ; Maria Bessa, Bulut Cebeci, Michael Hensel, Andres Harris Aguirre, Melanie Leibbrandt, Elke Pedal Baertl, Juan Eduardo Subercaseaux, Defne Sunguroglu, Manja Van de Worp, Christy Widjaja with Jaime, Juan and Segundo
Engineering Consultancy: Buro Happold: Lawrence Friesen, Niklaos Stathopoulos, Defne Sunguroglu