Chile’s northern Atacama Desert is one of the hottest, driest, places on earth, and a particular sensitivity to location is required of anyone building here. Scorched by day and chilled by night, the desert plateau is bounded by the rugged cordillera of the Andes to the east. The light is unusually strong, intensified by clear skies and very low humidity. Drawing on semi-vernacular forms and passive methods of environmental control, this Explora Hotel for adventurous travellers is a highly poetic response to light, landscape and climate.

The building’s elements are arranged in the manner of an oasis settlement, with dispersed buildings arranged around outdoor spaces planted with trees such as carob, oak and pepper. Conceived as an elegant, hospitable haven, Explora Hotel is siting on the edge of the town, clearly distinguishes it as an object building in the landscape. It echoes the Pre-Columbian custom of using built structures to mark and define places, so establishing multiple relationships with nature. The long horizontal volumes are minimally articulated with a continuous strip of window, emphasizing the simple, monolithic building form. At present the building can accommodate 100 guests in 50 rooms, but in the future it will be expanded.

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