In 2020, Trenzando launched the “Ideas for the Rehabilitation of Railway Stations” competition, designed as an opportunity to showcase the richness of this heritage, which includes 170 stations connected to the country's railway network. The open call received around 100 proposals for the rehabilitation of the San Rosendo and Yumbel stations in the Biobío Region, Rungue in the Metropolitan Region, and Ocoa in the Valparaíso Region.
Following the community participation processes, proposal submissions, and the selection of the winners, the Rungue Substation and Ocoa Station projects are entering their technical development phase. The Rungue Substation project is led by architects Ricardo Azocar and Carolina Catrón, while the Ocoa Station project is led by Diego Carreño and Oscar Roa. The former aims to design a public plaza and integrate a commercial pergola, while the latter seeks to restore the station's prominence to promote tourism and create an area to serve as a civic center.
Discover the winning projects below, according to the official Trenzando report:
Ocoa Station – Valparaíso Region
Architects: Diego Carreño and Oscar Roa
Description: A simple and effective project that uses a plaza flanked by two lightweight volumes perpendicular to the street to house support and community programs, highlighting the station building's architectural quality. The project is also notable for its focus on promoting tourism and transforming the site into a small-scale civic center, featuring program elements such as covered corridors with retractable canvas awnings along its perimeter to accommodate market stalls, exhibition areas, meeting rooms, and multipurpose halls, among others.
Rungue Substation – Metropolitan Region
Architects: Ricardo Azocar and Carolina Catrón.
Description: This project highlights the architectural quality of the substation building without obstructing its visual connection to the surroundings, preserving the building's identity and connection with Rungue while proposing a paved plaza as an entrance. It consists of three interventions: first, the restoration of the substation; second, the consolidation of the public plaza; and finally, the addition of a commercial pergola to house a traveling market. The design stands out for its effective response to community needs. Key features include clearing the interior to insert a wooden structure, which adds warmth and creates a material contrast that lends a lightweight character to the building.
Trenzando, a project that seeks to reactivate the national railway heritage, utilizes the available and operational infrastructure across the country through an itinerant architectural device (NAVE TRENZANDO). This mobile unit travels along existing railway lines to activate, restore, and weave Chile, aiming to foster development in non-metropolitan territories, strengthen local identities, and promote access to knowledge and technology exchange. This initiative was made possible through funding from the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage's Cultural Funds, sponsorship from the FEPSA company, and collaboration with the Municipalities of Hijuelas and Til Til.
Learn more about Trenzando at the following link.
This article was written by Victoria Riquelme. The translation is powered by AI.
