Aka Patagonia: Hotel in Puerto Natales

The Aka Patagonia hotel is a tribute to the Chilean landscape with its low-impact design.

A tribute to the landscape

Opened at the end of 2019, the Aka Patagonia hotel is located at the top of the valley, on a rural site north of Puerto Natales, a port city in southern Patagonia.

Designed by the Chilean architecture studio Larrou, the project involves an architecture that emerges from the earth and blends in with nature, splits that rise like mountains, volcanoes and glaciers emerging on the horizon. The structures include wooden huts gathered around a common platform. The elements that make up the huts were prefabricated before being transported and assembled on the plot. Each module was built on a pile foundation with minimal impact on the environment. The cabins have single sloped roofs, forming an irregular and uneven roof pattern. The different volumes are connected by an elevated walkway. The cabins were built with light untreated wood from the native lenga tree, a species of birch tree native to the area. The wood was chosen because it resists well to adverse weather conditions. The weathering of the wood is a key aspect of the project to have it blend in perfectly with the environment.

The hotel has 12 rooms spread over 6 cabins. Each one has large windows offering a breathtaking panoramic view of the surroundings, with the vast fields where sheep come to graze. Inside the rooms, Lenga wood also lines the walls and ceilings. The rooms are simple, decorated with a darker wood bedside and storage tables, with dark metallic wall sconces, white sheets, and decorative textiles. Each room has a private bathroom.

The hotel has a common area with a relaxation lounge and a dining room where breakfast is served.

Aka Patagonia is a beautiful tribute to the surrounding landscape with a sober and subtle architecture.