Castaway Islands

Castaway Islands Robinson Crusoe Island Botanical Research Station Juan Fernรกndez Archipelago, Chile

Castaway Islands Botanical Research Station Juan Fernรกndez Islands, Chile

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1.

Juan Fernández Islands in the world.

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San Juan Bautista Village in Robinson Crusoe Island.

An urbanized rural path.

A bridge between urban and natural contexts, reinterpreting the existing path as place, connection and transition among them.

Robinson Crusoe Island 1. San Juan Bautista Village 2. National Park

INTRODUCTION

T

he Flora and Fauna in the Juan Fernández Archipelago (33 o50’S

80 o00’W) developed in complete isolation, some 700 km West of Santiago in Chile, on three small volcanic islands. The eldest of them, Robinson Crusoe Island, is about 4 million years old and harbours unique botanical communities with up

duction of invasive plagues such as Eu-

government and other international

to 70% endemism, that is to say, species

ropean rabbit, wild goat and blackberry,

NGO’s, have assumed the duty to take

that do not exist in any other location in

among others, pushing some of these

care of these species in the long term:

the planet. Nevertheless, this World

unique species towards the edge of ex-

the Experimental Station for Botanical

Biosphere Reserve (UNESCO, 1977)

tinction,transforming the Juan Fernández

Research and Conservation arises

and National Park (1935) has suffered

Islands into a critical conservation priority.

as a response to the requirement of

devastation of its botanical resources,

The Forest National Corporation (CONAF)

infrastructure to perform this magnificent

as a result of human action and the intro-

in association with the Netherlands'

scientific task.

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PARAMETERS

tic configuration in order to perpetuate,

As a consequence of the diverse origins of

by developing mutual conditions of humidity,

their botanical biomass -coming from

light and protection from the winds.

places as remote as Hawaii, New Zealand

Consisting of three major layers, from

and Japan, as well as continental

cringing plants, mosses and likens (A),

Chile- some naturalists have called them

through ferns and mid-size plants (B),

“Castaway Islands”, alluding Daniel

to an arboreal shroud -the canopy (C),

Defoe’s famous adventure novel.

this ecosystem provides an integral habitat.

Carried by the wind, through the sea or

Aswell as these plants, human -at his first

through some fleeting bird, each of these

arrival in 1574- had to create conditions of

"marrooned" plants had to adapt to the

habitability for his own protection and survival.

naked substrate or die. Those which survived Some achitectural elements, tangible witnesses organized a balanced and stratified symbio-

of human's presence in the Archipelago,

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C

3. Alexander Selkirk’s cavern in Robinson Crusoe Island.

B

4. Endemic flora configuration layers.

5. Spaniards’ Fort Santa Bárbara in Robinson Crusoe Island.

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A

appear mainly in MĂĄs a Terra, known today

of this project, not only as drivers of the

as Robinson Crusoe Island: the cavern

settling operation, but also of the selection

appears as the very basic and intuitive

of materials to use.

as connection,

form of inhabiting, as a result of the forced settlements of Alexander Selkirk -the real

LOCATION

Crusoe- and some Chilean patriots

Due to its program, the Station has to

deported here during the independence

articulate two different contextual

war against the Spaniards. On the other

situations: the urban one, of the only

hand, the stonewall -vestige of the Spanish

permanent human settlement, San Juan

Forts- appears as the first rational form of

Bautista village; and the natural one of

construction and establishment of a new

the Park, source, origin and reason of

tectonic order in the Islands. Both elements

the scientific work. This brings us to

will be considered during the development

consider a third element, their

as place,

as transition among contexts.

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Cumberland Bay 1. Project Location 2. National Park

7 6. San Juan Bautista in Cumberland Bay, Robinson Crusoe Island.

7. Path´s layout from urban to natural.

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connection: the path that connects the

PROPOSAL

urban space with the endemic forest,

The proposal is inspired by the naturalistic

which, around the limit of urban

concept of the Castaway Islands, as the

occupation, crosses lengthwise a

driver to approach the tectonic chassis

16.000 m2 lot, transforming it into a

that the Island constitutes.

virtual bridge among both dimensions

Consecuently, the spatial proposal is

of the island -urban and natural-

generated by the arrival of a new grand

understanding this bridge from three

architectural canopy that settles, like a wandering

different perspectives: as a connection

feather, on the insular chassis; breaking

between two points, as a place itself

down the original tripartite configuration of the

and as a transition among diverse

endemic forest in a rational-scientific operation,

situations.

becoming the major layer in a new order,

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8. A wandering feather settles down on the ground.

9. Model seen from the residence modules.

10. Front view of the Station, from the ramp.

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11. Location and roof plan.

in a preliminary operation of organic space-adaptation.

A grand ramped bridge rises reinterpreting the existing path, while keeping its original layout. Along this bridge, visitors will experience the relevance of these plants, while the grand threshold will encourage the observation of the work developed in the transparent two main buildings of the complex, which converge in one common space and functionally communicate underneath the ramp.

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13 12. Conceptual scheme.

13. Model superimposed on aerial photograph of San Juan Bautista Village.

A crystal prism arises from the ground -substrate- to harbor conservation, administration and logistic activities for both Station and Park. This giant greenhouse is divided into three staggered sub-cameras, protected by the major glu-lam canopy; a rationalized sunshade which provides the exact necessary light conditions for the conservation of species under controlled environmental conditions and, at the same time, allows permanent visual dialogue towards the insular landscape, especially

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15 14. Project model top vew.

15. Digital perspective view from the main ramp.

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/ Aerial main ramped bridge.

2.I / First Layer (c) Greenhouse - Nursery.

2.II / Second Layer (b) Greenhouse - Nursery.

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2.III / Third Layer (a) Greenhouse - Nursery.

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/ Administration (Park & Station).

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/ Natural-Historic Sample.

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Tourists’ Break Place.

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Superior Terrace.

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Water Tank.

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Gu-lam Major Canopy.

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2.II

2.I

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Level +54,00 m.a.s.l.

Level +51,00 m.a.s.l.

Level +48,00 m.a.s.l.

towards the ocean.

Each of the three greenhouses provide conditions for each of the three basic layers of the endemic forest configuration; not only through environmental conditions, but also providing tailored space and scale for each group of species (A, B, C). This allows to acclimatize species -difficult to reach in situ- in order to study and spread them according to research and conservation needs.

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Essential element of this grand threshold, is the second building; with very dissimilar

16. Aerial view (from a helicopter) of part of San Juan Bautista Village.

features to the previous one, not only from 17. West elevation. from its outward appearance but from its function aswell. It is the research and

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21 18. Section.

19. Yunquea (Yunquea Tenzii).

Endemic Fern.

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20. Chonta (Juania Australis).

Endemic Palm.

21. Set of Endemic Ferns

extension nucleus, that harbors genetic

In a farther area of the complex, the

laboratories, as well as public areas such

residence units are located. Eight residence

as library, study rooms and the cafeteria

modules respond to the form of inhabiting

-with a large terrace on top of the building-

of the first captives -the patriots and

which constitutes a superb spot for the

Selkirk, the Scottish- in a contemporary

observation of the Station and its very

and more comfortable reinterpretation of

singular surroundings. The research buil-

inhabiting in contact with the substrate.

ding overturns toward the greenhouses,

National and international scientists will stay

allowing the observation of the scientific

there for periods of up to six months, deve-

processes through their transparent

loping their work in the Station, to be shared

facades.

with the International Scientific Community.