Monumento Última Esperanza: Reviving the History of Ancestral Lands

2 July 2022
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In honor of the pioneers and experienced navigators of the region, Monumento Última Esperanza (Last Hope Monument) was recently constructed as the main viewpoint of the Parque Bahía Esperanza, located in Chilean Patagonia.

Monumento Última Esperanza (Last Hope Monument) is a bow of a 40-meter-long wooden boat that stands on the fjords of the park.

Parque Bahía Esperanza is located in Chilean Patagonia, 15 minutes from downtown Puerto Natales and its access is only through navigation. This park, which is characterized by its self-guided trails and its diverse flora and fauna, was developed and is currently managed by Outlife, a company specialized in the design and development of outdoor spaces through the construction of outdoor infrastructure.

After more than three months of work, the construction of Monumento Última Esperanza was completed in June, a milestone represented by the bow of a 40-meter-long wooden ship that today stands on the fjords–characteristic of Patagonia–as main viewpoint of the park.

The architecture and construction of Monumento Última Esperanza seek to value the geography, the unique landscapes, and the history of the park.

The monument also alludes to the discovery of the place because inside the ship there is a room with maps and photos from the time of the discovery, and also, because to reach it, visitors must cross channels and fjords, feeling the strong wind that received the same way the pioneers. Thus, the architecture and construction of Monumento Última Esperanza seek to value the geography, the unique landscapes, and the history of the park.

The Building Process

Outlife specializes in designing and building in remote places, a fact that meant a challenge for the construction of the monument since those who worked on it had to face strong winds, rain, snowfall, Patagonian cold, and more.

“The design of the viewpoint combines prefabricated laminated wood with native lenga wood, generating an assembly with new technologies that enables its rapid construction in a remote place, maintaining the identity of the local construction language. In order to create the structure, we designed small pieces to make it possible to move it along the park's trails. Likewise, these have a shape that adapts to the terrain, such as punctual foundation screw supports, reducing their impact to the minimum possible,” comments Martín Hurtado, a member of the Outlife and monument team of architects.

The bow of a 40-meter-long wooden boat stands on the fjords as the main viewpoint of the park.

Monumento Última Esperanza seeks to be a key landmark in Chilean Patagonia, inviting people to discover and delve into the history of the Última Esperanza Province, to explore as the pioneers did, who arrived in wooden boats to discover fjords and ancestral lands.

More information at www.parquebahiaesperanza.com

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