Mining Camp “El Peñon” | AATA Arquitectos

The order came from the client's need to expand an existing mining camp, which consisted of 20-foot shipping containers that were refurbished and added as the camp grew, devoted to the exploitation of a gold and silver mine. The camp is located in the Atacama Desert. The driest in the world, where temperatures range from -4 º to 35º Celsius degrees and winds reach70 km per hour. To improve conditions for miners and quality housing in the camp, we proposed to reorganize and relocate the containers elsewhere. Set on two floors to improve the conditions of light and temperature inside the dorms, as in the common areas, helping reduce the energy consumption for heating and ventilation. This was a major logistical challenge, because of their 24-hour operation task. We looked at a container as a base unit, which could generate a larger unit by ordering it, that can also be attached to another and so on, creating an orderly system of grouping, delivering the guidelines for the future growth of the camp. To lower the heat we created a shadow that allows to withstand the high temperatures of the day and protects against the cold desert nights. This was done through a tarp stretched over the camp, which allows the air circulation horizontally, despite the strong winds, causing the heat to be withdrawn passively from the building creating a very pleasing thermal environment at the pedestrian level. For this same purpose, it was also proposed the creation of green areas within the clusters, so that the evaporation of water helps lower temperatures. The hotel’s capacity is for 320 people with 16 modules of bathrooms