Municipalidad Alto del Carmen
Studio: Espiral+ Iglesis Arquitectos
Project: Municipalidad Alto del Carmen
Location: Alto del Carmen, Atacama, Chile
Year: 2016
Project Category: Dreaming
Photo credits: Espiral
The town hall is immersed in the Andes Mountains, inserted in an area contrasted by the arid, and the green of the valley of the Carmen River. That and the climate allow us to think about materiality, structure, spatiality and atmospheres. We projected a clear and absolute volume adopting colors and textures. The Huasco Stone was used as an identity element, adapting the shape of the building.
The project is planned as an urban offer of spaces and views; both to the valley and to the mountains; capable of creates a new spatiality for the town center. Consolidating the town square and generating a new and unprecedented spot for citizen´s meeting.
The stone is work as a structuring wall, picking up the vernacular architecture. Which articulates the public-private relations of the building. Making up a deep volume, hermetic and protected from solar radiation by thickness, but torn by controlled openings. The building is organized in two hemispheres: the architectural program and the connections. The working block is designed as an open space while the atrium connects all the levels to the exteriors. The circulation differs in a double system that manages the public circuit towards the atrium and the private circuit towards the inside, optimizing the functionality of the system.