Formerly known as the Metropolitan Lyceum of Santiago, the Community Center + General Healthcare Clinic (CESFAM) Matta Sur has been converted by Luis Vidal + Architects into a two-building centre that hosts health and community services and gives support to more than 30,000 users per year.
On the same plot, the restored building and the new-build construction have a total built area of 5,500 sqm to serve the people.
The project has consisted of establishing a dialogue between the historic building and the new one, respecting and valuing traditional architecture, while also rejuvenating and promoting the community spirit, through the creation of a public square that articulates both buildings and serves as the heart of the project.
This project is the result of a participatory and binding management model of municipal and community social organizations, the Municipal Health and Community Development Departments, both within the Municipality of Santiago.
Glazed façades and wooden architecture meet where modern architecture meets the traditional one.
Luis Vidal + Architects take advantage of this unique opportunity to create an iconic space in the city where social encounters, clinical care, health education and the promotion of preventative health care merge.
The design of Matta Sur supposes the union of the past, present and future in a way that combines modernity and tradition, technology and sustainability through elements such as wood and light.
In fact, the design team cleaned and painted the existing concrete facades, replaced floor tiles and installed new wooden balustrades. Luis Vidal + Architects took great care to preserve distinctive features of the building, such as the open-air corridors that run along the interior elevation overlooking the courtyard.
Thanks to the work carried out, the Matta Sur Complex has been awarded the First Prize for Public Building (Built) at the Rethinking The Future Awards 2021.
Photography: Aryeh Kornfeld and Luis Vidal + Architects
