Cultural Center
site planning + landscape + architecture Our involvement began with a donation from a local citrus farmer of three acres in the highlands for a community center and holistic wellness center. Since human inhabitants only recently migrated en masse to the Galápagos, the current elders on Santa Cruz are the first generation to grow old on the island and they have petitioned the government for a public facility to serve their needs. We are dealing with the issues presented and how solutions could physically manifest on this site. Manuel and his wife Villamina represent a way of Galapagueño life that is rapidly disappearing. Younger
generations have abandoned their families’ highland farms in favor of easier, more lucrative jobs in tourism. Food imports skyrocket at the expense of locally-grown food. Around 1100 crates of food and drink are imported to the archipelago per day, bringing with them modern health issues that come alongside processed foods and a more sedentary lifestyle. In their 80s, Manuel and his wife Villamina are active, healthy and happy. The strategies for holistic health and wellness that the center promulgates are inspired by their lifestyle.
Site + landscape When we visited, the site was host to dozens of Galápagos tortoises. They were scattered across the field, mostly hanging out in small wallows on the main portion and in the ditch along Manuel’s driveway. The tortoises particularly liked a large depression dug by Manuel during construction. Our priority is rehabilitation of the landscape in a way conducive to the wellbeing of the native ecosystem, especially the tortoises. To facilitate this, our first step was to dig a series of wallows across the site. We neither bring nor remove earth from the site, so the creation of the wallows inherently leads to a network of land bridges. Pavilions for the diverse programming required of the site are located on the six of these nodes where the bridges intersect.
Structure + biomimicry Life’s principles stress local attunement and processes that utilize locally-available materials and efficiency. A simple and modest construction method takes this to heart. Current construction in the Galápagos is primarily concrete, requiring the import of large amounts of plywood for formwork, which is then discarded. In this project, mounds of earth formed with a backhoe are cast with a localaggregate-based concrete to create free-standing shells. To ensure the pavilion shells are structurally sound we looked to the local environment for structural inspiration: the shells of the Galápagos tortoises.
Hotspot: Connection through Food The visitor center, community center and education pavilions surround a simple amphitheater space leading into a naturally-planted crater. The community center and education pavilions have open floor plans to foster interaction with each other and with nature. Visiting guests will be coming to the site for their introduction to their Galápagos experience with Vidamos. At “Table at the Farm” at the community center, tourists and locals meet to cook fresh, local, healthy meals, learning about nutrition at the same time as learning about the tradition and culture of the Galapagos. Food from the community garden is harvested. Elder Galapgueños contribute to the lesson.
plans n.t.s.
Clinic
Community Center
Education
Residential
Residential
Visitor Center
Presentation
final presentation/immerse experience A unique, fully immersive final presentation was crucial to our studio’s work. Students built three large projector “screens,” custom projector mounts and fully darkened a room in preparation. A CNC-milled and painted model served as the backdrop for a projection mapping of the site plan changing with the seasons and the years.
Map hat eco-tourism
The “map hat” is a locally-made, biomimetically-inspired souvenir and essential item for a Galápagos tourist. The hat utilizes the most common way nature expands and contracts surface area: folding. Specifically, the Miura-Ori pattern allows for a tessellated folding that efficiently folds the hat out into its full size. Along the edges you can find information about common endemic Galápagueño species. The packaging of the hat itself doubles as a map.
ADE 621: Fall 2018 Global Engagement Studio: Galapogos
Student: M. Ali, A. Amundsen, J. Bloker, J. Bradley, P. Brunn, B. Cantin, H. Diaz, S. Dicke, S. Fattahi, G. Garcia, C. Strauss Instructor: D. Petrucci, M. Fehler, A. Fischer