The Symmetry Paradox: -33.504838, -70.61981

How to intervene in a memory space that is inaccessible? How can architecture express the memory of a place used for repressive purposes? This is the case of Tres y Cuatro Álamos, a former concentration camp of the civic-military dictatorship that operated between 1974 and 1977 and, after its closure, became a juvenile detention center, preventing access and use as a site of memory.

This project is an example of how to address a common issue for memory sites in Chile: intervening in public space as if it were interior space. Through a symmetry with the perimeter wall of the complex as its axis, the project reflects outward the architectural expression of the primary bodily experiences of Tres y Cuatro Álamos.

Conceptually, the project is situated in the notion of collective memory as a key element within the identity of a group. This is defined by emotions, which the project addresses through its bodily and spatial expression. For this reason, the proposal was developed in collaboration with the community protecting the memory site, employing various strategies of participation and joint design.