Schools for Chile's Education Challenge

Additional Info

Award Winner : ATCO Structures & Logistics Ltd.

Architectural Excellence : After a devastating 8.9 earthquake hit Chile, whole towns were destroyed from both the earthquake and the tsunami that followed. Those hit the hardest were mid and low income families who lost their businesses and means of survival. Tecno Fast ATCO S.A was sought out by organizations focused on reconstruction of the areas most affected by the disaster, including education facilities. Tecno Fast ATCO initiated manufacturing of units to be used as school immediately. In just over a month, 15 schools were manufactured, transported and installed. These schools were built to accommodate approximately 4800 students who otherwise would have had to wait until the following year for their school to be rebuilt. Given the aggressive timeline, designs were kept simple without sacrificing key components requested by the client. Different layouts included two-storey classrooms, kitchens, computer labs and and dining areas.

Cost Energy Effectiveness : Modular buildings were the most logical and preferred product to use for rebuilding the areas in Chile affected by the earthquake. Tecno Fast ATCO S.A. had a short timeline to plan, design, manufacture, transport, and install these schools without compromising quality and customer satisfaction, all while under a tight budget. The schools were designed to be a place students enjoyed attending. Hallways had a polycarbonate translucent sheet to allow as much natural light into the hallways and classrooms while saving on energy.

Design Firm Name : Tecno Fast ATCO S.A.

Occupied Date : 4/12/2010

Production Start Date : 3/5/2010

Project Location City : Santiago

Technical Innovation : Among the areas most affected by the earthquake was the island of Robinson Crusoe - it lost a number of government and private business buildings including the community’s school. With the local ports temporarily shut down and a lack of equipment for transportation on the island, Tecno Fast ATCO S.A, partnered with the Chilean Navy to ensure that the prefabricated modular units to be used as a school could reach its final destination in a timely manner. The Chilean Navy assisted with transporting the units and used onsite equipment to get the units to their final destination.

Total Square Feet : 57845