“The Dragon of Tarapaca” is a new project for Museo Antropologico Regional de Iquique (Regional Museum of Iquique) that will overlook Playa Huayquique.
The 3,760-square-meter structure is created as an extension of the dune that it’s built upon.
Three parallel vertical walls will form the main space and include a garden through the Avenida Tirana sector that will function as a building entrance, complimenting the already existing green space of the Sendero Park.
The project includes exposition and educational spaces, lecture halls, and a room for theater performances and events.
Artefacts will be shown in exhibition spaces that span two levels and run along the length of the building. At one end, an area is going to feature a mirror wall to reflect the surrounding cliffs and dunes.
Locally sourced materials, such as earth-coloured concrete and hardwood timber flooring, are going to be used for the museum to “reference the palette and textures of the surrounding natural landscape”.
During a video conference, Daniel Libeskind said: “Every element of the structure draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape, such as the dune, the mountain, the desert, and the ocean, and comes together in a silent musical composition of proportion, materiality, and light.”