Torres Del Paine National Park

Torres del Paine National Park is a national park encompassing mountains, glacier, lake, and river-rich areas in southern Chilean Patagonia. The Cordillera del Paine is the centerpiece of the park. It lies in a transition area between the Magellanic subpolar forests and the Patagonian Steppes. The park is located north of Puerto Natales and north of Punta Arenas. Bernardo O'Higgins National Park is its neighbour to the west, while Los Glaciares National Park is located to the north in Argentine territory.

Torres del Paine National Park

Lady Florence Dixie, in her book published in 1880, gives one of the first descriptions of the area and refers to the three towers as Cleopatra's Needles. She and her party were the first tourists to visit what is now called Torres del Paine National Park. Several European scientists and explorers visited the area in the following decades, including Bryce Bruce, Carl Skottsberg and Alberto María de Agostini. Gunther Pluschow was the first person to fly over the Paine massif.

The park was established in 1959 as Parque Nacional de Turismo Lago and it was given its present name in 1970. In 1977, Guido Monzino donated 30,000 acres to the Chilean Government, and its definitive limits were established. The park was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978. The landscape of the park is dominated by the Paine massif, which is an eastern spur of the Andes located on the east side of the Grey Glacier, rising dramatically above the Patagonian steppe. Small valleys separate the spectacular granite spires and mountains of the massif.

The head of French Valley is a cirque formed by impressive cliffs. To west rise abruptly the colossal walls of Cerro Cota 2000 and Cerro Catedral. Cerro Cota 2000 is named for its elevation; its highest contour line is about 2,000 meters. To the north stands the granite arete called Aleta de Tiburon.

Silence Valley is where standing face to face the gigantic granite walls of Cerro Fortaleza and Cerro Escudo with the western faces of the Torres del Paine. Ascencio Valley is the normal route to reach the Torres del Paine lookout, which is located at the bank of a milky green tarn. The highest mountain of the group is Paine Grande, although its elevation has not been determined with precision yet.

The Southern Patagonian Ice Field mantles a great portion of the park. Glaciers include the Dickson, the Grey, and the Tyndall. Among the lakes are the Dickson Lake, Nordenskjöld Lake, Pehoe Lake, Grey Lake, Sarmiento Lake, and Del Toro Lake. Only a portion of the latter is within the borders of the park. All are vividly colored, most due to rock flour suspended in their waters. The main river flowing through the park is Paine River. Most of the rivers and lakes of the park drain into Ultima Esperanza Sound via Serrano River.

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Churches of Chiloe

The Churches of Chiloe represent a unique example in Latin America of an outstanding form of ecclesiastical wooden architecture. They represent a tradition initiated by the Jesuit Peripatetic Mission in the 17th and 18th centuries, continued and enriched by the Franciscans during the 19th century and still prevailing today. These churches embody the intangible richness of the Chiloé Archipelago, and bear witness to a successful fusion of indigenous and European culture, the full integration of its architecture in the landscape and environment, as well as to the spiritual values of the communities.

Chiloe Wooden Church

The Churches of Chiloé are outstanding examples of the successful fusion of European and indigenous cultural traditions to produce a unique form of wooden architecture. The mestizo culture resulting from Jesuit missionary activities in the 17th and 18th centuries has survived intact in the Chiloé archipelago, and achieves its highest expression in the outstanding wooden churches.

In the 16th century the inhabitants of the Chiloé archipelago, which extends from the Chacao Canal to the Corcovado Gulf, followed a sedentary way of life, based on a mixed farming and fishing economy. Spanish navigators had discovered the archipelago by the mid-16th century, but colonization did not begin until 1567, when Martín Ruiz de Gamboa founded the towns of Santiago de Castro and Chacao on the Isla Grande de Chiloé.

Following an exploratory visit in 1608, the Society of Jesus began sending its members to initiate the process of evangelization that was to shape the cultural features of the Archipelago. At first these missions were not permanently inhabited, but over time the Jesuits began building chapels and lodgings for their members, constructed by the local community using local materials and techniques. They appointed laymen, chosen from the leading families, to serve as fiscales, to care for the church and its cemetery and to minister to the basic spiritual needs of the community. This was in the Jesuit tradition, which encouraged active development of their social and religious life by indigenous communities. By the end of the 19th century over 100 churches had been built; between 50 and 60 survive to the present day, and 14 of these constitute the World Heritage site: Achao (Quinchao); Quinchao; Castro; Rilán (Castro); Nercón (Castro); Aldachildo (Puqueldón); Ichuac (Puqueldón); Detif (Puqueldón); Vilipulli (Chonchi); Chonchi; Tenaún (Quemchi); Colo (Quemchi); San Juan (Dalcahue); and Dalcahue.

The traditional Chiloé churches are located near the shore, facing an esplanade, which in some cases has been developed into a true plaza (Achao, Dalcahue), but elsewhere is no more than an open space defined by a fence or trees (Quinchao). Its size is determined by the importance of the religious festivals that take place there. The churches consist of a large volume with a pitched roof. The most typical feature of these buildings is the tower facade, on the side facing the esplanade, made up of an entrance portico, the gable wall or pediment, and the tower itself. This became the focus of urban development in these communities.

The portico is a characteristic feature of the earlier churches, but is lacking in those built in the 20th century. The tower is the dominating vertical feature, both as a religious element supporting the cross and also as a beacon for sailors. Most are of two or three storeys, with hexagonal or octagonal drums to reduce wind resistance. Only at Tenaún are there smaller flanking towers. The horizontal volume of the church varies, but depth is favoured over width. They conform with a basilican ground plan with three aisles, only the central one extending to the back wall. The aisles are separated by solid wooden columns on stone pads; these support a huge beam that forms the ridge. In most cases the main nave is barrel-vaulted, the flanking aisles having flat ceilings. Achao with its segmented ceiling and Rilán with fan vaulting are rare exceptions. The latter is clearly influenced by Gothic architecture, and elements of other major architectural styles can be recognized - Classicism at Chonchi, Renaissance at Nercón and Baroque at Achao. Everywhere there is abundant evidence of the Chilota mastery of working wood. The characteristic form and materials of the churches show virtually no variation over four centuries.

The ornamentation of the churches is profuse and varied. All the churches are adapted skilfully to their physical environment. They are built on hillsides, so as to avoid flooding during heavy rains, and are raised off the ground. The north sides are protected against storms, which generally come from this direction. They are fully enclosed structures, as protection against wind and rain, which can be heavy in this region.

Church in Castro, Chiloe, Chile

The church of San Francisco

Caguach Church

Typical Chiloe Island church

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Modern House Renovation into Two Stories Cube House Design

This house originally was built in the 70s with gable roof, the new cubical shape is the result of the renovation done by architecture firm “Blanca,” the architect built and raised the house into two stories based on the original rectangular plot of the first floor. the new renovation also centered the interior design around the existing double-height circulation (the only double-height room inside), that acts to link and separate public and private areas in the house. The result is a simple modern cube house design with beautiful wood accents which come from flooring and the staircases. Project Name:  Casa Muñoz.   Architects: BLANCA (Rodolfo Cañas, Hans Madariaga) + Raúl Salinas.   Location: Las Condes, Santiago, Chile.    Year of design and construction: 2007-2008.    Predominant materials: Masonry reinforced and metalcom.   Photo: Rodolfo Cañas

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Modern Single Storey, Simple yet Beautiful Wood House Design on a Slope (Cliff) in Amazing Landscape in Chile

Guayacan House is located in San Jose de Maipo, a privileged environment in which the ecosystem are lush and evocative. Therefore both the material and design are based on the co-existence with the kind of place where the complexity of the ecosystem was used as creative elements of design. Symbiosis with the addition, the clear materiality of respect and balance, both in terms of volume and tone for the environment, wood is the main component, connect the house with the ecosystem. In addition to concrete and glass, 60% of the material comes from the reuse of phenolics plates. (click images to enlarge)

Thanks to the maximization of the resources when the project was planned, the plates have their place in the house in their original sizes, because the format is used n production. This resulted in measures that address the design of spaces, to avoid unwanted waste.

Using the irregularity of the topography as raw materials, the house rises above pillars, to minimize interference in the ecosystem. It also means managing the dialogue with the ubiquity of the hill, turn the house on a balcony waving to the Maipo Valley. This condition rewards contemplative spaces on the terrace and inside, where a corridor  is designed longitudinally with the valley, capturing its views through the windows, refusing the hill on the opposite side.

However, to provide privacy, the only two bedrooms are located at its poles, These two poles are connected by a corridor that is independent from both and the exterior. Guayacan House is the result of the rise of the environmental protection, an exercise of symbiosis in which the skillfully author uses the proposed architectural resources to offer a constructive, coherent, effective and honest design within the community and the environment, making the three as a development axis. This is a home that is an ally of simplicity to both highlight the quality of the environment as it is and the house itself.

Architect: Matias Ruiz Malbrans
Location: Guayacan / San José de Maipo, Chile
Date of design: 2010
Year: 2011
Surface: 5300 m2
Project Area: 62 m2
Materials: wood, recycled phenolic plate, structural plywood
Contractor: RUIZSOLAR
Manufacturer: Eric Solar Salvo
Structural Analysis: Gerardo Fercovic Mucre
Photo: Matias Ruiz M.



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