Center for Industrialised Architecture

Many thanks Malaika Byng @malaikabyng and the Financial Times UK for including our work in Venice in your article on “Radical thatching: from humble cottage to striking modern landmark,” a collaboration between PUC @ucatolicaoficial , CINARK @cinark_cph , @aw_artworks ArtWorks and Summary Architects @__summary__ as well as @rcer_uc @estacionatacamauc @pablo_osses_mc @cda_uc @deserta_ecofolie @curatingcontexts @arq_uc @doctoradofadeu @taekkefirmaet and @milt0n0481 @mariaelenaboisier #biennalevenezia2025 #thatching #desertaecofolie #sustainablearchitecture

Beautiful work by beautiful people @cinark_cph @taekkefirmaet @pedroignacio.alonso @curatingcontexts @architect.johannes.schotanus @fadeu.uc

We have successfully ended our Deserta Ecofolie AA VS Programme to the Atacama Desert, in the Atacama UC Fog Oasis Research Station at Alto Patache, with participants: Renata Urrea, Natalia Vargas, Carolina Carrillo, Teo Cartes, Suzy Park, George Togonidze, Sebastián Cárcamo, Catalina Cárcamo, Channy Eu, Cristian Salinas, Hilter Gonzales, Patricio Escobar, Francisca Pimentel, and Julia Dudek, and their final proposals: Experimental station for atmospheric water. Sebastián Cárcamo, Catalina Cárcamo, Channy Eu (Figs. 1 and 2) The Nomadlab. Teo Cartes, Suzy Park, George Togonidze (Figs. 3 and 4) Water Mololith. Francisca Pimentel, Julia Dudek (Figs. 5 and 6) Terraformer. Footprints as eco-technical objects. Cristian Salinas, Hilter Gonzales, Patricio Escobar (Figs. 7 and 8) Symbiotope. Renata Urrea, Natalia Vargas, Carolina Carrillo (Fig.9) Many thanks to all of them, and to the team of tutors and collaborators, Pablo Osses, Pamela Prado, Francisco Chateau, Germán Guzmán, Alberto Prado, Anne Beim, Johannes Schotanus and Thomas Gerner.

Kom til fernisering på udstillingen: Omdannelser af det industrialiserede velfærdsbyggeri! Torsdag den 22. Januar fra kl. 14.00 – 15.00 i foyeren på KABs hovedkontor på Enghave 2450 København SV. Udstillingen kan besøges fra den 22. januar til og med den 5. februar 2026 i KABs åbningstider. Udstillingen er udarbejdet af 5. års studerende på kandidatprogrammet Bosætning, Økologi og Tektonik på Det Kongelige Akademi og sætter fokus på konkret omdannelse. De studerende har arbejdet materialenært og eksperimenterede med nye designstrategier og byggetekniske løsninger i forbindelse med transformationen af Højdevang Sogn Plejehjem, som i dag står til sanering og delvis nedrivning. Udstillingen markerer afslutningen på de studerendes forsknings- og innovationsforløb 2025. Vi håber på at se jer på næste torsdag!

CONFERENCIA Organizada por el Doctorado en Arquitectura, Diseño y Estudios Urbanos UC, the Architectural Association @aavisiting_school y Deserta Ecofolie @deserta_ecofolie ARQUITECTURA BIOGÉNICA Anne Beim / Johannes Schotanus / Thomas Gerner Centro de Arquitectura Industrializada – CINARK Real Academia Danesa de Arquitectura, Copenhague. @cinark_cph @arq_uc @doctoradofadeu Con trabajo desarrollando en Estacion Atacama UC @estacionatacamauc durante workshop Deserta Ecofolie Jueves 15 de enero. 15hrs. Auditorio Fernando Castillo Velasco Escuela de Arquitectura UC Con colaboración del Centro del Desierto de Atacama UC @cda_uc y la Red de Centros y Estaciones Regionales UC @rcer_uc

Lead by Anne Beim, CINARK is currently developing prefabricated biogenic panels, revisiting and improving Danish (and northern European) vernacular building traditions. At the Atacama UC Station, CINARK has been testing local materials such as tola, paja brava, brea, and totora from both the Atacama and the Altiplano, towards the prefabrication of façade panes that are insulating, fireproof, biodegradable and of negative carbon footprint. The international Deserta Ecofolie workshop is a collaboration between the Architectural Association in London, the School of Architecture of the Catholic University in Santiago, the Atacama Desert Center (CDA UC), the Alto Patache Fog Oasis Experimental Station, the UC Network of Regional Centers and Stations (RCER), and CINARK in Copenhagen. @aaschool @deserta_ecofolie @arq_uc @cinark_cph @cda_uc @estacionatacamauc @rcer_uc @hr_t_gerner @geguz90 @curatingcontexts @pablo_osses_mc

We’ve succesfully started our Deserta Ecofolie AA Visiting School to the Atacama Desert @deserta_ecofolie in collaboration with the School of Architecture and the Ph.D Program in Architecture, Design and Urban Studies at the Universidad Católica de Chile @arq_uc @doctoradofadeu well as CINARK from the Royal Danish Academy of Architecture @cinark_cph with the support of the Atacama Desert Center UC @cda_uc , the Atacama UC Fog Oasis Research Station of Alto Patache @estacionatacamauc and the Network of Research Centers and Field Stations RCER UC rcer_uc. To design of a minimal unit of inhabitation to be placed at the Atacama UC Fog Oasis Research Station in Alto Patache. As its name indicates, the site is characterized by the possibility of harvesting water from fog. This condition, together with the very high rate of direct solar radiation —perfect for collecting energy— defines the problem as the possibility to design an off-grid project within enquiries that could extended into the quest for self-sufficient production of food. Programme’s head: Pedro Ignacio Alonso (pedro.alonso [at] aaschool.ac.uk) Guest tutors: Anne Beim, Johannes Schotanus, Thomas Gerner (CINARK Royal Danish Academy of Architecture), Francisco Chateau, Germán Guzmán (Arch.UC), Pamela Prado (Curating Contexts). Advisors: Pablo Osses (Atacama Desert Centre UC), Alberto Prado (Arturo Prat University, Iquique) With special support from the Facultad de Arquitectura, Arte y Diseño Universidad San Sebastián @hr_t_gerner @geguz90 @curatingcontexts @pablo_osses_mc @eauss_santiago @eauss_concepcion @faad_uss All photos by Nicola Rigo @_nicolarigo

Deserte Ecofolie AA Visiting School to the Atacama Desert AA / UC Visiting School 2026 Monday 5th to Monday 12th January 2026 Estación Atacama UC Oasis de Niebla de Alto Patache Programme’s head: Pedro Ignacio Alonso (pedro.alonso [at] aaschool.ac.uk) Guest tutors: Anne Beim, Johannes Schotanus, Thomas Gerner (CINARK Royal Danish Academy of Architecture), Francisco Chateau, Germán Guzmán (Arch.UC), Pamela Prado (Curating Contexts). Advisors: Pablo Osses (Atacama Desert Centre UC), Alberto Prado (Arturo Prat University, Iquique)

As the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale approaches its finissage, we return to Deserta EcoFolie: the 16 m² minimal housing prototype conceived for the Atacama Desert by architects Pedro Ignacio Alonso & Pamela Prado, presented at the Giardino delle Vergini, in the Arsenale of the Biennale. We are sharing a selection of images of the pavilion in Venice, in dialogue with production moments from our workshops, where the entire structure was fully produced, tested and pre-assembled. 🎥 The full video is available on our YouTube channel (link in bio). @deserta_ecofolie @cinark_cph @pedroignacio.alonso @labiennale #bienalvenecia #pedroiganacio

A Biogenic Facade in the Desert @cinark_cph has developed a biogenic prefabricated façade as part of Deserta Ecofolie, a 16 m² off-grid dwelling designed for Chile’s Atacama Desert and currently on display at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, @labiennale . The prototype functions as a self-sufficient ecosystem that collects fog water, generates solar energy, and supports on-site food cultivation, all while maintaining a carbon-negative footprint. At the centre of the project is a façade system made of prefabricated wooden cassettes filled with reed thatch and finished with layers of clay, cork, and eelgrass. These natural materials act as fire retardants and allow the construction to be modular, adaptable, and easy to dismantle. Developed in collaboration with thatchers, engineers, and fire experts, the project explores how traditional craft, ecological awareness, and industrial methods can be combined to create low-impact architecture suited for extreme environments. Image Credit: CINARK @_nicolarigo