COSMOBOTANICAL MIRROR
COSMOBOTANICAL MIRROR
It is an architectural installation designed to enhance biodiversity in the severely arid urban environment of Santiago, Chile.
The installation consists of a 45-meter-diameter body of water, surrounded by slopes covered with more than 1,500 sacks filled with fertile soil and seeds. The aim is to create an aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem that will host hundreds of animal and plant species. Visitors can observe the surrounding landscape along an 80-meter sloping pathway, as well as a diverse botanical field representing the native flora of northern and central Chile.
The project also serve as a Biodiversity Laboratory – a curatorial space for art and science – developed in collaboration with the Natural Culture area of the Adriana Hoffmann Forest at the Museum Interactivo Mirador, aimed at educating the surrounding communities. The project arises from an interdisciplinary vision that combines architectural, botanical, hydraulic, and landscape knowledge—and, above all, it is creative and collaborative. This space is part of the Safe Site Program (SSC) which protects species classified as critically endangered or vulnerable. As such, the Cosmobotanical Mirror functions as a living collection bank for the preservation of native species with know genetic origin. This initiative stems from the International Conifer Conservation Programme (ICCP) of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, led in Chile by the Fundacion Chilco.
It was designed by GUN Architects and managed by Common Land Studio, with the support of Fundacion Chilco, Acuáticas Vivero, and Vivero Pumahuida. The project was funded by the Public Science Program 2023 of the Chilean Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation.
Located at the Museo Interactivo Mirador, Santiago, Chile.
Architecture
GUN Architects
Jorge Godoy, Lene Nettelbeck, Chloé Borreguero, Jinah Kim, Alma Morcillo Sans, Diego Valenzuela.
Project Management
Common Land Studio
Daniela Salazar
Landscaping
Acuáticas Vivero
Rosemarie Ullrich
Botanical Advisers
Fundacion Chilco, Josefina Hepp and Barbara Greene.
Vivero Pumahuida, Mónica Musalem.
Terófita, Margarita Reyes.
Atmospheric Effects
Antonia Peón-Veiga
Support
Klayer, Agro Almar
Funded by the Public Science Program of the Chilean Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation 2023.
It is an architectural installation designed to enhance biodiversity in the severely arid urban environment of Santiago, Chile.
The installation consists of a 45-meter-diameter body of water, surrounded by slopes covered with more than 1,500 sacks filled with fertile soil and seeds. The aim is to create an aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem that will host hundreds of animal and plant species. Visitors can observe the surrounding landscape along an 80-meter sloping pathway, as well as a diverse botanical field representing the native flora of northern and central Chile.
The project also serve as a Biodiversity Laboratory – a curatorial space for art and science – developed in collaboration with the Natural Culture area of the Adriana Hoffmann Forest at the Museum Interactivo Mirador, aimed at educating the surrounding communities. The project arises from an interdisciplinary vision that combines architectural, botanical, hydraulic, and landscape knowledge—and, above all, it is creative and collaborative. This space is part of the Safe Site Program (SSC) which protects species classified as critically endangered or vulnerable. As such, the Cosmobotanical Mirror functions as a living collection bank for the preservation of native species with know genetic origin. This initiative stems from the International Conifer Conservation Programme (ICCP) of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, led in Chile by the Fundacion Chilco.
It was designed by GUN Architects and managed by Common Land Studio, with the support of Fundacion Chilco, Acuáticas Vivero, and Vivero Pumahuida. The project was funded by the Public Science Program 2023 of the Chilean Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation.
Located at the Museo Interactivo Mirador, Santiago, Chile.