Project implementation: Chile
Project development: Chile
Students by devices: 1.Varenka Garrido, 2.Arturo Villanueva, 3.Sebastian Coria, 4.Aron Fuentes
In the citizen participation project, together with the CENEU Talca group (Group for the Conservation of Native Species of the Urban Environment), as well as undergraduate Architecture students from the Universidad Autónoma de Chile, mapping work was carried out in the sector known as “El Bajo”, identifying and recording key points in the territory that were fundamental for the development of individual projects.
This activity allowed us to understand the dynamics, characteristics, problems and opportunities of the place, and then apply them to intervention proposals that would highlight the importance of the wetland in peri-urban life.
From a selection of various projects, four devices were proposed for collective construction on a 1:1 scale, with the dynamic of traversing "El Bajo" around the wetland and the water, in addition to adapting to the special conditions of each proposed site. The devices were named: "EL BAJO" URBAN WETLAND VIEWPOINT, "LOS PATOS" WETLAND AUDITORIUM, STOP BETWEEN TRAIL AND RIVER, and "LAS RANAS" WETLAND SOUND STATION.
The construction of four devices in Talca's "El Bajo" urban wetland represents an important step toward its revaluation, transforming the space into an active, accessible, and meaningful place for the community. These devices, designed and built by undergraduate architecture students from the Universidad Autónoma de Chile in collaboration with the community, not only respond to the wetland's natural and cultural characteristics but also encourage its conscious and respectful use.
By integrating meeting areas, environmental education, and recreation, the projects revitalize the relationship between people and their natural surroundings, raising awareness of the importance of protecting and conserving this ecosystem. Thus, the wetland not only recovers some of its ecological vitality but also consolidates itself as a space of social and cultural value for the city.
Finally, during the application stage of the São Paulo Biennial Architecture School Competition, each student had submitted an individual work. However, the committee opted for the proposal by student Aron Fuentes, in which this collective work could represent all first-generation students in the Architecture Program at the Universidad Autónoma de Chile in Talca (2023-2027).