huellas artes by 100architects highlights infrastructure of santiago

huellas artes by 100architects highlights infrastructure of santiago
all images courtesy of 100architects

as part of their ‘urban footprints’ series, ‘huellas artes’ by 100architects is an initiative that interprets the human footprint as an artistic trail in santiago city. it is a cultural engine fueled by the passing flow of citizens and visitors from around the bellas artes metro station, a highly cultural area of downtown. the urban footprint is a non-built configuration that creates and defines an environment without restrain or enclosing it. the studio says the project is ‘an architectural intervention that proposes a new-use scene in a fully unclosed outdoor space. it is a sign or trace that recognizes spontaneous functions performed there daily and expressed it graphically, complementing them with new social dynamics absolutely intended to public interaction.’

the endeavor is developed over the underground transportation hub, using the surrounding area, which currently operates as a non-functional plaza. the idea is to revitalize the site as a catalyst of activities related to the constant flow of people that the location attracts. thus, the entire land surface is used, highlighting the main circulations that occur on a daily basis. this establishes a series of functions that encourage the development of social relationships, evidencing the possibilities of spatial transformation by colors, words, photographs, and lines.

view from above

a band playing at the spot wall

the main material used is cloth tape coated with polyethylene. furthermore, the design implements no additional volumes to the existing infrastructure. the firm reads this intent as a metaphor: ‘in this sense, it acts as a costume, a dress for the plaza placing itself on top of the existing and awakening new spatial possibilities on a given structure.’

the work has been integrated into the city

the circulation routes have been highlighted

the uses and activities proposed are a ‘selfie’ wall, where passersby have a playful approach to a large massing, a stage for diverse street artists and musicians to express themselves freely, and a meeting point, which allows recognition from the people that come out of the metro station. other informal, spontaneous functions are demarcated, such as street vendor spot, ‘directional arrows’, ‘seating benches’ and more. these uses naturally complement the forces that arise spontaneously on the site. on another hand, these amenities act as bridges of constant transition between the virtual world and the material space.

a musician and a bicyclist taking a photo in front of the selfie wall

a dog-walker mimicking the graphics

a group of friends capturing a selfie

a pedestrian taking a photo

information about the project

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.