Original Source: European Southern Observatory

February 07, 2002

New home for staff and visitors at the VLT Observatory

Ever since the construction of the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) at Paranal began in 1991, staff and visitors have resided in cramped containers in the "Base Camp". This is one of driest and most inhospitable areas in the Chilean Atacama Desert and eleven years is a long time to wait. However, there was never any doubt that the construction of the telescope itself must have absolute priority.

Nevertheless, with the major technical installations in place, the time had come to develop a more comfortable and permanent base of living at Paranal, outside the telescope area.

A unique architectural concept

The concept for the Paranal Residencia emerged from a widely noted international architectural competition, won by Auer and Weber Freie Architekten from Munich (Germany), and with Dominik Schenkirz as principal designer. The interior furnishing and decoration was awarded to the Chilean architect Paula Gutierrez.

copyright: ESO

The construction began in late 1998. Taking advantage of an existing depression in the ground, the architects created a unique subterranean construction with a single facade opening towards the Pacific Ocean, far below at a distance of about 12 km. It has the same colour as the desert and blends perfectly into the surroundings. The Paranal Residencia is elegant, with robust and inexpensive materials.

Natural daylight is brought into the building through a 35-m wide glass-covered dome, a rectangular courtyard roof and various skylight hatches. The great originality of this design has made it possible to create an interior with a feeling of open space, despite the underground location.

Facilities at the Residencia.

copyright: ESO

To the visitor who arrives at the Paranal Residencia from the harsh natural environment, the welcoming feeling under the dome is unexpected and instantly pleasant. This is a true "oasis" within coloured concrete walls and the air is agreeably warm and moist. There is a strong sense of calm and serenity and, above all, a feeling of coming home. At night, the lighting below the roofing closure fabric is spectacular and the impression on the mind is overwhelming.

The various facilities are integrated over four floors below ground level. They include small, but nice and simple bedrooms, offices, meeting points, a restaurant, a library, a reception area, a cinema and other recreational areas. The natural focal point is located next to the reception at the entrance. The dining room articulates the building at the -2 level and view points through the facade form bridges between the surrounding Paranal desert and the interior.

copyright: ESO

Simple, but elegant furnishing and specially manufactured carpeting complement a strong design of perspectives. The Republic of Chile, the host state for the ESO Paranal Observatory, is present with its emblematic painter Roberto Matta. Additional space is also provided for a regional art and activity display.

The staff moved out of the containers and into their new home in mid-January 2002. Today, the Paranal Residencia has already become a symbol of innovative architecture in its own right, an impressively elegant and utilitarian counterpart to the VLT high-tech facilities poised some two hundred meters above, on the top of the mountain.

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see also:

• VLT homepage