The project is located at Rocha department inside Cerro Verde’s protected area. The work is framed within our Final Career Project, that took place in Facultad de Arquitectura, UdelaR, Uruguay. Having studied the area to intervene, in this case a national territory associated to the Atlantic coast, it is revealed certain infrastructural fragilities at Rocha´s coast side and particularly at the area between wellness La Pedrera. Those fragilities were associated with the lack of infrastructure where to take place activities such as control, monitoring, enjoyment, and diffusion of the importance of this kind of place.

Cerro Verde´s natural park has suffered a negative process during the last years. Native vegetation has reduced its area because of the exotic plantation of pines that invaded the place, reducing native biodiversity and endangering the natural characteristics of the area. Therefore, the program combines a didactic trail that takes place through a wooden platform, and pavilions containing divers activities of information and management of the place. Throughout this platform, the visitor experience a constant dialog between surroundings and interior, having a vivid and real contact with the place characteristics. Each pavilion is carbonized wood coated and has a special function that accompanies the principal objective that the project wants to achieve: get the visitant to generate conscience about the corresponding care and attention that everyone has to take for with all the Atlantic coast

Program

It contains a mix of programs that could cover the before mentioned facilities. Generating a place for the ranger to rest and take controll of the area, a place for research that could serve for other protected areas, didactic rooms that could collaborate on getting to know and take care of the natural surroundings as well as one accommodation for investigators.

The gate

Considering that the intervention was meant to be inside the protected area, it was taken into consideration not to affect and minimize the impact over the natural substrate and the existing fauna and flora. Two big decisions were made taking this into consideration. For one hand, the project is established near the rout and far from the sensible area. In this way the visitor is introduced rapidly to the place, getting them to interact and charge itself with information about the area so then he can use the place in the correct way. On the other hand, the platform and pavilions are totally elevated from the ground with pilotis, letting the sunlight get to the vegetal subtract without suffering many alterations of the natural flux.

Materials and construction

Having in mind the idea of minimizing the ecological footprint some desitions were taken. First of all, the main material used for the construction is the sawn timber and laminated wood for the structural pieces. Furthermore, prefabricated wood frame modules were joined at carpenters workshop and taken in parts to the final joined in the site.