Rio de Sal / River of Salt

Navn
Karol Kuzniak
Uddannelsesgrad
Kandidat
Fagfelt
Arkitektur
Institut
Bygningskunst og Teknologi
Program
Architecture and Extreme Environments
År
2020

“The River of Salt” describes a unique and slowly fading ecosystem in the city of Antofagasta, Chile. Due to water-heavy mining activities in the region, the river is almost dry. This project restores its natural conditions and provides much needed green space to the otherwise arid city, using pumped hydro scheme and exploring the potential for blending energy infrastructure and the public realm

1
/16
Top reservoir
Hiking path
Viewwing platform
Powerhouse
Urban spring
Community center
Wetlands
Open-air theatre
Skatepark
Park entrance
Hiking building
Pipeline playground
Gardens
Waterfront
Mangrove pier
Kelp forest

Background & Overview

1
/13
Location
Atacama Desert
Salars
Mining activities
Site: Quebrada la Negra
Before & After
Endemic fauna
Antofagasta
Water in the city
Saline water
Mining industry presence
Minera Escondida
Bosque Escondido - community center

SITE: PROBLEMS & POTENTIALS

Saline river flows in the city of Antofagasta, Chile. The river is drying up, due to mining activities in the region. The site is forgotten by the city, despite various recreational, didactic & landscape potentials being present around. The river bed is home to endemic flora & fauna, most notably halophytes (plants that thrive in salt water).

Site: Problems & Potentials

THREE PILLARS OF THE PARK

The main objective is to regreen the river and return to the previous natural conditions with endemic flora and fauna. This is done by using some of the seawater from a pumped hydro energy scheme that works as a giant battery for solar panels of the Atacama. The site is patched with infrastructure, especially recreational activities present around the river bed.

The Idea

Energy storage 

 
1
/5
Solar potential & the need for energy storage
Energy storage
Pumped Hydro
How pumped hydro works
New idea

The industry that once destroyed the river is brought in to provide water for the halophytic vegetation in the form of pumped hydro scheme.

 
Symbiosis

Analyses

 
1
/11
Recreational activities nearby
Pumped hydro around the world
Halophytic plants in the region
Landscape
Landscape elements
Sketch 1
Sketch 2
Building typlogy
Timeline
Analyses
Building interventions

NIGHT

At night water is released from the top reservoir, spinning turbines and producing electricty. Most of the water goes back to the sea through the pipeline, providing water for recreational uses. Some of the water is released to the wetlands storing it for the next day.

DAY

During the day when solar panels work powering the turbines water is pumped up. The water from the wetlands is gradually released throughout the day creating constant stream flow and watering vegetation. Some of the water is pumped for greenery on higher levels of the site and some is used for cooling mist installations along the pipeline.

Connection types
Rammed earth buildings
Microecosystems
Park overview
Top reservoir
Hiking path
Viewing platform
Powerhouse
Urban spring
Community center
Wetlands
Open-air theatre
Skatepark
Park entrance
Hiking building
Pipeline playground
Gardens
Waterfront
Mangrove pier
Kelp forest

Det Kongelige Akademi understøtter FN’s verdensmål

Siden 2017 har Det Kongelige Akademi arbejdet med FN’s verdensmål. Det afspejler sig i forskning, undervisning og afgangsprojekter. Dette projekt har forholdt sig til følgende FN-mål