Foster + Partners revealed its design for a masterplan focusing on adaptive reuse and programmatic diversity meant to regenerate the site of a mid-century factory in the heart of Santiago. The practice's first project in Chile proposes the refurbishment of the existing factory building, La Fabrica, while adding a residential development on the adjacent site and introducing timber as a sustainable building material for the extensions.
Once a significant contributor to the country's textile industry, the factory used to provide workers with housing and day-care amenities on the neighbouring sites, thus shaping a community around the facility. The masterplan envisioned by Foster+ Partners seeks to re-establish the connections between life and work through a mixed-use scheme with an ample residential component. The project extends the retail programme to occupy the entire La Fabrica and features a sheltered pedestrian boulevard running through the centre of the building, meant to activate the industrial space. Pedestrian routes with diverse programming activate the site's edges, thus establishing a dialogue with the surrounding neighbourhood.
La Fabrica offers an incredible opportunity to interweave the industrial heritage of the city with the urgent present need to establish a sustainable model of development. The project brings together the revitalisation of a historic landmark, the creation of an exciting mixed-use neighbourhood and the construction one of the largest new mass timber buildings in the region which will form the benchmark for sustainable buildings in the region.- David Summerfield, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners.
The masterplan extends on a neighbouring site with a low rise, high-density residential development, crossed by two tree-lined boulevards, at the intersection of which stands an octagonal square. Smaller courtyards between the residential blocks mark the transition between public and private, while the programmatic diversity can be found here as well along the pedestrian routes lined with shops, cafes and retail functions.
La Fabrica, our first project in Chile, seeks to establish a new approach to sustainable urbanism in Santiago, with lush landscaped civic space. The incredibly rich mix of uses at ground level with a variety of retail and social spaces tie the residences with the rest of the masterplan, creating a complete ensemble that is integrated at every level. The compact and flexible design of the apartments showcases a beautiful palette of natural materials that reflects the sustainable focus of the entire masterplan.- Juan Frigerio, Partner, Foster + Partners
The project builds on the Chilean timber construction tradition using sustainably sourced timber and, according to the designers, will be "the first large-scale timber-framed and cross-laminated timber development in the region."
