Construction Progresses on the Three Projects of the XV TSL Puno in Peru

They say you shouldn't trust the sky of the Peruvian highlands: a clear blue sky can give way to a downpour or a hailstorm in a matter of hours. The students and workshop leaders of the XV TSL Puno—this year's edition of the Latin American Social Workshop, held in Chucuito, Peru—know this all too well. Throughout the week, they have been working to build three projects that will be handed over to the local community.

Landscape, heritage restoration, and public infrastructure are the three themes addressed by the Serpiente, Cóndor, and Puma workshops. Their projects, scattered across different parts of Chucuito, are being built at an elevation of over 3,800 meters (12,400 feet) above sea level. Organized by the Latin American Coordinator of Architecture Students (CLEA) in collaboration with the Peruvian Organization of Architecture Students (OPEA), the workshop will conclude this Sunday, April 1, with the public inauguration of the projects.

Here, we invite you to take a look at the progress of the teams participating in this edition of the TSL, the third to be held in Peru.

Puma Workshop

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The team led by Peruvian architects Lucio Torres, Jorge Villegas, and Narda Castillo is working on restoring a chapel built in the 1960s, which had recently served as an occasional multi-use hall. The start of construction has drawn local residents, who interact with the students while selling refreshments and crafts to participants from all over Latin America.

With only two days left before the scheduled completion, the Puma Workshop is progressing on the stone plinth that will surround the chapel, while inside, a stone-paved floor will permanently replace the dirt ground. "In both areas, we have worked with flagstones brought from a nearby quarry," says Lucio Torres. At the same time, the team removed the chapel's windows and doors for painting and sanding, and removed the roof to replace the corrugated zinc sheets installed over 30 years ago.

Cóndor Workshop

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Public space is the focus of the workshop led by Colombian architects Juliana López and Daniel Buitrago (RUTA 4). Conscious of the deeply rural and ancestral cultural conditions of the site, students and workshop leaders chose to approach public space on a territorial scale, centering their efforts on a trail leading to a viewpoint with stunning views of Lake Titicaca. "We divided the work into three fronts," says Buitrago. "We are mapping the most important points along the route to identify which ones need to be highlighted or better connected," he adds. The team is intervening in three areas: a mural at the entrance of the trail, the threshold of the chapel where the Puma Workshop is working, and a cliffside where a viewpoint is being built for locals and visitors.

At this point in the week, the Cóndor Workshop has completed what they define as the most complex phase: the foundation of the shelter and a small 50-centimeter-high wall, while the stone platforms at the chapel near completion. "We spent a lot of time sourcing all the materials directly from the surrounding environment: stone, soil, straw, and water," notes the co-founder of Ruta 4.

Serpiente Workshop

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Originally envisioned as a playground, the team led by Enrique Villacís (ENSUSITIO, Ecuador) and Jhony Chávez (Peru) has focused its efforts on designing a landscape for transit and gathering. "It is a plot of land that lacks magic, unlike the rest of Chucuito," Villacís explains. "Our task is to create that magic, emphasizing the pathways where people walk, which coincidentally run north-south and east-west," he adds, referring to the stone wall currently under construction.

The project also embraces negative space to reference indigenous cosmology. "We brought elements representing the sacred mountains—the *apus*—arranging them according to the Southern Cross constellation. This way, you can appreciate these gestures from afar, while experiencing the spaces up close," he says.

Follow our special coverage of the XV TSL Puno on ArchDaily.