Spanning over 20 million square kilometers and featuring nearly all the climates of the world, the Latin American region is home to endemic biological wealth and geographical diversity that ranges from some of the most significant rivers in the world to the mountain range of the Andes, the Amazon rainforests, the plains of Patagonia, the coasts of the Caribbean Sea, and more. In light of a collective effort involving local communities and new generations, the construction of installations and structures in these natural environments is aimed not only at meeting functional needs but also at educational, research, and environmental conservation purposes.
According to the 2024 Revision of World Population Prospects launched by CELADE – Population Division of ECLAC and the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, the population of Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024 reached approximately 663 million inhabitants, representing about 8.1% of the global population. With a growth outlook ahead and in a region with significant food, energy, and mineral resources, the scope for intervention is immense; so, why not explore the use of natural materials and learn from local construction techniques to produce outdoor installations in relation to nature? Why not integrate different stakeholders and disciplines into the construction process?
Wood, like many other materials, presents a variety of finishes and treatments with each species having different characteristics that can be used for various purposes based on its physical and mechanical properties. In addition to being heterogeneous, hygroscopic, anisotropic, and porous, it is an organic material whose main component is carbon, followed by smaller amounts of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and other mineral elements. Studying its capacity for conditioning, specific weight, moisture content, shrinkage, and swelling, along with its thermal, acoustic, electrical, and friction properties, is essential when selecting species for use and the technologies that will enable their application in construction.
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From Tradition to Innovation: How Modern Technologies are Transforming the Potential of WoodOn the Treatment of Wood and its Exposure to the Elements
Analyzing feasible treatments for wooden surfaces or elements and anticipating their exposure to the outdoors and direct contact with the natural environment contributes to prolonging the useful life of constructions while reducing the need for future maintenance interventions. By understanding the scientific and technological properties of wood, it is possible to predict the material's behavior and determine the qualities of the species that will vary according to the geography and climate of each region.
As the primary material of study in YAF Constructo 2: El Pesar del Viento Pavilion in Chile, wood is affected by exogenous phenomena that constitute a process of natural transformation and deformation over time, highlighting the dynamism of the material. Wind, humidity, heat, steam, temperature, and usage are some of the factors that cause wood to bend, twist, curve, move, and even make sounds. Just like in the TAKUAPÍ Covered School Patio project in Argentina, research and experimentation on the constructive possibilities of wood can provide various spatial qualities that are structurally efficient, environmentally friendly, and economically viable. For example, in this case, the in-situ laminated wooden arches have a curvature radius that balances the elastic limits of the wood with the adopted sections, while the wooden support elements are placed indoors to protect them from the weather.
On the other hand, the Learning Viewpoint project in Ecuador serves as a prototype to understand the potential of technology using a wood preservation method where the surface layer is burned, then mineralized, and protected from future pests. Additionally, the wooden structure is shielded with a fabric impregnated with cement mortar held by a tensioned structure.
On Wooden Structures and Their Ephemeral or Permanent Nature
More and more practices are exploring different techniques and tools to adapt the characteristics of wood to the demands of modern design and construction. In fact, beyond the contradictions or debates that persist about this material in the construction industry, various events, exhibitions, conferences, and festivals annually receive the collaboration of professionals, academics, companies, and organizations seeking to train and reflect on the opportunities and potential of wood in terms of its assembly, design, installation, joints, properties, and more. For example, at the 2020 edition of Hello Wood Argentina, the Ginga Pavilion by Giovanna Taques, Guilherme Schmitt, Victor Escorsin, and João Vitor Sarturi, and the Itinerant Tent by Fabrizio Pugliese and Gabriel Huarte, among many other projects, were built. The Itinerant Tent was conceived as a temporary, mobile structure that can be assembled in a short time by a few people in various locations.
Understanding the potential of each material and how to work with it, the construction of ephemeral or temporary installations opens the door to discussions about implementing structures in multiple diverse environments while considering—or not—the specificities of the site. Now, how is the capacity for assembling a structure and its adaptability to the site planned? Can the use of wood influence its temporality or permanence? Tied to the sense of permanence, Lookout Ñielol in Chile establishes a new vantage point for the city of Temuco, becoming an urban meeting space and a gift to both its inhabitants and the site by modifying its surroundings and transforming the space for contemplation. Meanwhile, the Orchid Pavilion in Mexico also consolidates a permanent, sustainable, and lightweight wooden structure aimed at conserving orchids in the Oaxaca region. The design establishes its own space suitable for the development involving the growth, blooming, and harvesting of orchids, integrating local materials and construction techniques.
On Education and the Training of Future Generations
While teaching and learning methodologies in architecture vary according to each country's regulations, the available or commonly used technologies, local resources and tools, geographic conditions, and more, many universities in Latin America and around the world aim to engage students in the materialization processes of projects during their formative years. The Volcadero Coral Park in Venezuela is an urban intervention that emerged from a participatory design process involving the local community, professors, and students of Architecture and Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee (USA), the Universidad de Oriente (Venezuela), and Arizona State University. As a significant public space in the area, the experience not only helps train future architecture professionals but also empowers vulnerable communities and highlights the transformative impact that education and social responsibility can provide.
Another example is 25 Pavilion in Chile, developed within an academic experience by the teaching team composed of Francisco Calvo, Katherine Cáceres, and Amaya Glaría along with third-year architecture students from UTFSM. The proposal aimed to explore design strategies through the study of wooden construction systems, understood as nodes and vector frameworks capable of being transformed through an iterative logic of repetition and differentiation. On the other hand, Mirador Del Duende in Colombia consolidated the outcome of a construction laboratory conducted in 2023 as part of an inter-semester architecture program. This approach emphasized the practical application of architectural concepts in a specific environment, allowing for the integration of theory and practice in a real context. Designed and built by architecture students, the project created a physical space and a tangible educational legacy that prioritized the efficient use of resources, including the reuse of materials.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: Outdoors and the Built Environment. Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and architecture projects. We invite you to learn more about our ArchDaily Topics. And, as always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.
