This project involved the collective design and con-
struction of three small buildings in Open City, Ritoque,
Chile. The three projects house three different func-
tions:
Walk the Line
is a small accommodation for a
visiting scholar to The Open city;
Las Piedras del Cielo
comprises a small service unit with an enclosed kitchen
and a sheltered dining and meeting area; and
Hospederia
de las Alas
is a bird observation shelter. The projects
tackled context-related questions of scarcity regarding
material and construction processes, structural per-
formance for seismic and strong coastal wind loads,
and difficult foundation conditions in the sands of the
coastal dune landscape.
Each project pursued a different spatial concept:
Walk the Line
offered a small, enclosed, insulated space
and a platform for observation;
Las Piedras del Cielo
offered enclosed cooking facilities and an open land-
scaped platform for versatile uses; and
Hospederia de
las Alas
offered a sheltered but open envelope for cam-
ouflaged bird observation.
The projects were analysed regarding their particu-
lar structural and environmental exposures. The slen-
der under-spanned, bridge-like platform of
Walk the
Line
was analysed for uplift and seismic impact. The
membrane structure of
Las Piedras del Cielo
required
Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis and detailed
consideration of all 24-point foundations subject to
different combinations of tension and compression
loads.
Hospederia de las Alas
was analysed for the air-
flow conditions across the semi-open envelope and the
resulting air movement impact on its interior.
During design development the projects circulated
among student groups, as they would in professional
offices. Each group advanced the design as far as possi-
ble. This process broke down the individual feeling of
ownership of a design idea and project. The construc-
tion phase involved a one-month stay in Chile and was
developed in collaboration with students from the
School of Architecture and Design of UCV in Valparai-
so. All materials were obtained locally with the excep-
tion of the membranes for Las Piedras del Cielo, which
were cut and sewn in Oslo prior to departure to Chile.
The involvement in the design and construction of
the three projects offered a rich learning experience,
pointing to the critical realisation of the relationships
between the drawn line and the construction line, and
the flexibility and versatility needed when building
in a context where the presence or quality of specific
materials could not be taken for granted.
WALk THe LINe, LAS PIeDrAS DeL cIeLo, HoSPeDerIA De LAS ALAS
Scarcity and Creativity in Latitude 33
kazhin Al Beyboni, Anders Svendsen Almesveen, Maria Mariana calvete da cunha Pereira, katarina Sæbø Dale,
Pernille Dammann, Nora Aurora Hallgren, Astrid Tømmerås Haug, Line Mari Haugland, Mari Beate Nastad Heum,
edda Johanna Jonsdottir, kjersti Lindheim, John-roe Luna, rasa Marozaite, erik Matzow, Navid Navid, Benjamin
Norouzi, Thomas Notland, rikke christine Nyrud, robin rakke, emilie Lamer Schjetlein and Bjarte Stav
MASTer STuDIo | oNe SeMeSTer
AHO WORKS STUDIES 2011-2012
Institute of Architecture
Projects
