In Dialogue with the Rhythm: Matta sur Community Center + CESFAM

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Luis Vidal (principal, luis vidal + architects​) × Park Jiyoun

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Park Jiyoun (Park): Transforming this educational facility in Santiago, Metropolitan Lyceum, into a Community Center and CESFAM through extensions and renovation, you’ve created a project roughly twice the existing area, which is about 5,499m2 . What made you decide to work on such a huge extension project?

Luis Vidal (Vidal): We are a practice accustomed to working on large-scale healthcare projects, of which the Matta Sur Community Center + CESFAM (hereinafter Matta Sur Complex) is one. To our mind, the bigger the intervention, the bigger the challenge and opportunity to demonstrate a responsible attitude towards a given urban context and heritage. The result here was an unprecedented building refurbishment that gave something back to the city of Santiago, Chile, existing now as one of its most iconic structures. Past, present and future meet and merge in a building that combines modernity with tradition, technology with sustainability, and innovation with respect for the city’s heritage. The renovation of Matta Sur Complex was only the beginning of a series of interventions that aimed at improving the communal infrastructure. An urban development plan that targets the community’s core necessities and provides them while remaining sensitive to social, architectural and historical contexts. 

Park: In what condition was the site at the beginning of the project? What were your points of consideration when deciding between restoration and demolition? 

Vidal: As poor as the state of the site may have been when we first arrived, we sought to retain what was to be recovered, reused or readapted, in line with our long-held philosophy of ‘minimum intervention’. Years of decay and vandalism, a number of earthquakes, and the natural aging of architecture had resulted in an unsafe environment and structure. However, the then-cracked wooden structure had proven to be able to withstand earthquakes. Following the hard work of recovery, we managed to save up to 70% of the original timber and the structure. For the unsolvable elements, we opted for replacement, trying to recreate the original style without compromising on quality. Finally, we removed any non-original elements added in past renovations. As the years have passed, legislative requirements have also evolved towards the creation of more accessible architecture, so it became necessary to demolish part of the historical building in order to gain access to the new facilities. 

Park: I am curious about the master plan for the Community Center and CESFAM. 

Vidal: When facing the construction of an annexe within a historical volume, the last thing you want to do is to compete with this history. In recognition of this, we looked for a complementary approach, a dialogue between the old and the new established by certain common elements and rhythms. From the very beginnings of outlining this masterplan, we wanted to close the perimeter of a plot which was already limited by an L-shaped building (Community Center) on two sides. Hence, the logical solution was to opt for another L-shaped building (CESFAM) to close the other two sides. While the new building presents a prominent glass façade juxtaposed with the solidity of the original construction, typical wooden elements serve not only for the purposes of continuity but to allow for controlled daylight as the central guiding element in the new design. We pursue the development of our projects around the element of light, and this becomes particularly relevant when designing spaces for healthcare. Community Center includes daycare, workshops, yoga spaces, a theatre, kitchens focused on healthy-cooking, and an auditorium. All of this aims at enhancing the community’s broader sense of belonging. 

Park: I have learned that certain elements in the project were selected as part of a poll held among the local residents? 

Vidal: Matta Sur Complex is a community project. It is, in a range of ways, made by the community and for the community. In this vein, it made no sense to commission anyone but those from the local authority to carry out this survey. After attending to the impressions of certain individuals within the community, a common sense approach to need was identified as necessary to a space that was capable of enhancing the development of artistic, cultural and social activities. Those activities, in particular, advocated for a healthier lifestyle. It was the community who decided on these terms, and we merely provided a programme that would meet their needs in the most respectful way, forging a strong relationship between the building and them. 

Park: The same wooden materials inside present an open feeling and the impression of connection between the existing building and the extension building. 

Vidal: Architecture serves architecture. We were fortunate to have quite a strong building as a starting point. Conscious of this, we adopted a mirroring attitude that respected, and somehow complemented, the original architecture. The new CESFAM facility is permeable, lighter, and simpler than the original volume, yet it maintains wood in its privileging of vertical light-control elements all along the façade, adding functional value as well as visual unity. This perpetuates the solid-void rhythm throughout the old building, as well as becoming a key element in its materiality. This intervention also mirrors the historical Lyceum in its sense of inward openness. The CESFAM imitates this spinal distribution by facing the glass corridors on the inside and the enclosed consultation areas at the outer reaches of the perimeter. 

Park: The central square has a wide range of access paths and has been divided across two major levels. 

Vidal: The central square is the main articulation space, and therefore the key to dialogue with the whole intervention project. The connection between two apparently opposing volumes suggests a play of complementarity. The reason behind the decision to structure two levels was due to the initial slope of the plot. There is 2.5 ‒ 3m height difference, and that had to be dealt with in a way that allowed for emergency vehicles to access the CESFAM. Once the access and accessibility requirements had been met, all that was left was to create a new urban landmark that would be both a meeting point for the community and an oasis in a denselybuilt city that is lacking in green space. 

Park: Luis vidal + architects is based in Spain but has substantial experience with medical facility projects in Chile. Do you have any particular reasons for designing medical facilities in Chile? 

Vidal: All hospitals we designed share the same core values and respond to the essentials in a practical way that puts the patient’s wellbeing at the centre of any design, ensuring the use of daylight and visual orientation to provide a space of serenity to inpatients and their families.