San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Created to respond to the environmental constraints of the Atacama Desert, the Alma Sports Hall designed by Benjamín Murúa Acuña and his design team at Benjamín Murúa Arquitectos is adapted to the impact of all extreme environmental conditions such as high radiation, winds, dust, or snow storms, heat, and cold.
The weight of the snow and the impact of the wind on the structure were considered, which could require over-structuring in order to prevent deformations.
Two strategies were considered, separated by layers.
The first one was to think of an aerial structure with a lower curvature that would better adapt to the wind.
The second strategy consisted of burying the main level of the program, locating the court on an underground level, and taking advantage of the geothermal energy of the place.
Both strategies resulted in a concave shape, generating a continuous space with a high degree of comfort, as it has a clearly differentiated cool underground level from the roof.
Subsequently, the curvature of the roof was reduced, making it more aerodynamic and achieving a larger thermal comfort zone in the lower level, requiring even further burying of the usable space.
Project: Alma Sports Hall
Architects: Benjamín Murúa Arquitectos
Lead Architect: Benjamín Murúa Acuña
Project Coordinators: Claudia Salinas Salamanca and Benjamín Peralta Peralta
Client: Associated Universities Inc (AUI)
Photographer: Cristóbal Correa