SANTO TOMAS CENTRAL HEAD OFFICE

The new owners of the Santo Tomas University were looking for a central site in Santiago to establish its Central House, plus some colleges. They required access to public and private transport, as well as a noticeable presence in the city. They found an ideal site in terms of connection to the busy Vicuña Mackenna Avenue and to Plaza Italia, an important road junction with significant public areas in the capital. However, it was made up by pieces of land owned by various different people. Additionally it had an old 3 level large house declared as “Historic Conservation”, whose facade had to be maintained. This made the management and design of the required program difficult. The general scheme decided to maintain the total of the old large house (and not only its facade as it was required), remodelling it as the Central Office (Building A). Its excellent access patio was also maintained, which would also serve as the entrance to the construction by locating on the site the corner N-P (Building B of 9 floors). The large house also had a back garden that would serve to connect the volumes A and B with a third building of 7 floors, facing the Bustamante Park (Building C). Given the North-west orientation of Building B, a double green skin was proposed in its facades. In order to conserve energy and not distract the attention towards the “Historic Building”, towards the south shade a more closed off facade was utilised. Internally the program was developed around a tall central patio with dynamic routes and sitting areas. The last level designated to directors was designed independently from the rest with its own tree-lined garden. The volume C that faces the east with spectacular views of the Bustamante Park and further away of the Andes Mountain range, has the shape of an ”h” and is open to the before mentioned views. Internally it also has sitting areas and dynamic routes in the tall space of the “h”. The Project did not get built due to the impossibility of obtaining the agreements with the various administrative entities that acted in the area.