Calama Tea House
Unbuilt
Graduate Studio | Woodbury
2015
This Northern Chilean city is situated in a valley within the Andes Mountain ranges. The location relative to the ocean paired with the mountainous land creates a rainshadow effect in the Atacama Desert. The severe lack of moisture in the air, high amounts of solar radiation, and rocky terrain causes daily temperatures to fluctuate 40°C daily. This makes the region one of the most extreme environments inhabited. The city is pushing to establish itself separate from its mining town identity. This project aims to synthesize existing contextual elements to complement and strengthen the existing landscape, activity, and identity of central Calama. The site is situated on a commercial pedestrian corridor that hosts the extremely diverse activity center fluctuating based on personal routines, tourism, political tensions, thermal comfort, and cultural traditions. This design is rooted in observation of existing patterns and extracts characteristics to design a new landscape.
