Arrival at the Ciudad Abierta, the open city; between research, innovation and crafting
By Clémentine Artru, Clara Gualtieri, Annabelle Thüring and Mehdi Wermuth
When we finally arrive on the site, we begin to understand and perceive life in the open city.
It is a city of free thinkers: architects, poets, musicians, living together united by the same philosophy, placing poiesis at the core of their daily lives. The Open City is now spread out in the dunes to the north of the Valparaiso conurbation. The site is both a natural park and the living space of this community.
The Book of Amereida and the route of the Cruz del Sur on the South American continent. Ciudad Abierta de Valparaiso, Chile 2019 © Mehdi Wermuth
As we meet the locals, we gradually grasp its history; the city was founded after a journey through Latin America in the 1960s. Inspired by the Cruz del Sur, this trip followed two guidelines drawn on the map of the continent.
The avant-garde group of artists, architects and philosophers has travelled this route from south to north of the continent in search of a "South American" identity and new forms of artistic expression. This journey was punctuated by poetic acts, which are still part of the daily life of the inhabitants of the open city. We had the opportunity to participate in one of them.
Carlos Covarrubias, the poet of the Open City, during one of the poetic acts in which we participated. Ciudad Abierta de Valparaiso, Chile 2019 © Lerna Bagdjian
From this journey emerged "Amereida", a text that takes its name from the contraction of America and the Aeneid, narrating through several levels of writing the discovery of America by Vespucci, their journey and their introspection. On the second day, we met Carlos, one of the poets of the open city, who read us and explained us the first lines of this epic text.
Today, following in their path, we take the road through the dunes every morning to the "Obra", the construction site. On this land swept by marine winds, things are in constant motion, we talk about the "here" and "now" because tomorrow could be different.
The view of the Portico, from the path that leads us there. Ciudad Abierta de Valparaiso, Chile 2019 © Lerna Bagdjian
This first week is about understanding this incredible site, discovering the Portico de los Huespedes, its architectural and constructive language developed over the past 5 years. We try to confront the ideas and techniques developed in Lausanne with this new context.
We are beginning to experiment with new construction techniques and are starting to understand the architectonic challenges of the Portico.
Concrete walls and columns poured into a flexible formwork made out of geotextile fabric, to define a new interior.
The articulation of outdoor spaces, through walls and floors made out of local bricks.
A thin textile reinforced concrete shell, inspired by the engineer Heinz Isler. 3 meters of diameter, which will house the new interior space.
The design of a shelf leaning against the wall of the existing interior space, built out of local wood, integrating insulation and waterproofing.
One of the research drawings from the design of the entrance area to the Portico © Open City Research Platform
Models 1:10 for columns, cast in a textile formwork. Ciudad Abierta de Valparaiso, Chile 2019 © Clara Gualtieri
Between poiesis and construction, our journey continues...
