The condor valley: La Bodega - Welcome!
Argentina: Summer Studio 2007
The studio explored sustainable architecture for a sensitive natural environment while learning from a local building culture deeply in tune with its natural resources.
The site, known as Condor Valley for the condors that nest in the gorges and mountain ridges that surround it, is comprised of two adjoining estancias, La Bodega and El Tipal, which together cover about 65,000 acres. It is located in the center of Salta, the northernmost province of Argentina, straddling the foothills of the Andes and the edge of the Chaco forest.
The owners, determined to preserve the beauty of this remote land while transforming the ancient languishing ranch into a viable enterprise, have focused on adventure eco-tourism and sustainable agriculture as their main development strategies. Birding, white-water rafting, fishing, horseback riding can range from the bucolic to the extreme, while restoring the ancestral wine-growing identity of La Bodega is a cherished goal. They invited us to visit and sketch ideas to house some of these potential programs.
Hosted and guided by Martin Pekarek, a local anthropologist who manages the ranch, and his team of gauchos, we trekked through ridges and brush, rafted rapids and waded streams to explore sites for possible projects and become familiar with the terrain and ecosystems. We also travelled through the surrounding areas, from the Andes Highlands to the wine country of Cafayate Valley, learning about the culture and more specifically, the local building materials and craft.
We divided our group in teams to design five projects that we identified as having the greatest potential: the restoration and expansion of the colonial house, a two hundred year old structure, as the main lodging; a small winery; a fishing campsite; a horseback riding station with stables; and a condor and wildlife observatory. We then returned to Buenos Aires and spent the final two weeks designing the projects in a charrette mode.
Images
A collection of some of the photos taken at La Bodega and Salta throughout the trip. Click on an image to reveal a larger one.
