Patagonian Shadow Pavilion / DRAA

Patagonian Shadow Pavilion / DRAA

+ 26

Text description provided by the architects. A particular cultural mix has provided a series of unexpected suspended objects to the Patagonian landscape. Structures that are seemingly useless or at best oversized with a single cover become landmarks, indicating ownership or marking the way.

Many times, they don’t cover anything, they just provide shade. European settlers brought architectural styles, while local carpenters taught how to work with noble woods from the area as a substitute for corresponding solid materials.

The mix became known as the Chilote/German technique due to its place of origin, characterized by ingenious carpentry made only of wood and roofs and facades made of Alerce tiles. Furthermore, there are some connections that unite the Auvernia-Rhône-Alpes region with northern Chilean Patagonia.

At the same distance from the Equator, Coyhaique and Annecy, both at 45° South and North, have a similar climate, and the objects project the same depth of shadow at opposite times of the year. While during the festival’s inauguration, we enter the boreal summer, on June 21st it will be winter solstice in Chile, the moment of greatest shadow projection, if the weather allows it.

We wanted to contribute a piece of Patagonian shadow, a few square meters of a cantilevered object that will cross the path and redirect the views. The structure portrays and boasts its structural demands and houses a minimal habitable pod to be experienced by only one person at a time, to feel and appreciate the oversized cover while enjoying the views of the lake under a ventilated shade.

The volume is simply composed of a bare structure and a roof. The efforts seem simple although there are considerable forces that bring tension to the cabin. The flaneurs will feel compelled to stop and observe the hidden tension, resolved with wooden joints and a couple of pillars that gently rest on the ground.

The uncomfortable imbalance between the cantilever and the supported section is fundamental to the sensation. The Patagonian Shadow Cabin will be a pause to broaden the vision of a particular latitude and cultural context.