“For the first time in history it is now possible to take care of everybody at a higher standard of living than any have ever known. Only ten years ago the ‘more with less’ technology reached the point where this could be done. All humanity now has the option to become enduringly successful.”
– R. Buckminster Fuller, 1980

This confident assertion was made in 1980 by the late R. Buckminster Fuller–inventor, architect, engineer, mathematician, poet and cosmologist. As early as 1959, Newsweek reported that Fuller predicted the conquest of poverty by the year 2000.

In 1977, almost twenty years later, the National Academy of Sciences confirmed Fuller’s prediction. Their World Food and Nutrition Study, prepared by 1,500 scientists, concluded, “If there is the political will in this country and abroad… it should be possible to overcome the worst aspects of widespread hunger and malnutrition within one generation.”

Even with tragedies like Ethiopia and Somalia, it is becoming clear that, as Fuller predicted, we have arrived at the possibility of eliminating hunger and poverty in all the world within our lifetime.

Buckminster Fuller was one of our world’s first futurists and global thinkers. His 1927 decision to work always and only for all humanity led him to address the largest global problems of poverty, disease and homelessness. He realized early on that by examining global problems in the context of the whole system—the whole planet—he would have the best chance of identifying large-scale trends that would allow him to anticipate the critical needs of humanity.

Source: Buckminster Fuller Institute

Design:
The architectural solution that we adopted for this place arose from the old photographs of Kawesqar Indians, natives of this part: The huts which they constructed were of an igloo type covered with guanaco skins. Starting with that we realised that the domes could be the answer that we were looking for: they are semi-hemispherical structures formed by a number of isosceles triangles. This allowed the structure, when attacked by tremendous forces such as the not unusual winds of 160km per hour in this area, to receive the attack uniformly on the foundation part, reducing to a minimum the possibility that the structure might collapse. As well as this the round shape of the dome minimized its exposure to the wind. Finally, the semi-hemisphere gave the most internal space in relation to the surface and allowed us to be very efficient in the allocation of space and maintaining heat.

• The concept is being exposed to nature as in a camp tent but with the comfort and sophistication of a four star hotel.
• Designed and built interfering as little as possible with the environment. The whole hotel has been built over lifted wooden platforms eliminating the need of foundations and cement floors. Animals and fresh air circulate underneath;
• Dormitories and common areas are contained on Geodesic domes inspired in the native Alacalufe’s semicircular huts;
• Geodesic form minimizes resistant to strong Patagonean winds and the exchange of temperature with the outdoors;
• Circulation areas consist in raised walkways open to rain, sun, and wind that allow guests to be constantly exposed to the surrounded nature. Not to roof the circulation area allow an important reduction of constructed areas and therefore huge savings on materials;
• Sunlight fills the domes minimizing the use of artificial light;
• Every dome has the necessary privacy for personal introspection;
• 30 people is the maximum concentration accepted at EcoCamp;
• Only renewable energy sources are used. Wind generators provide energy supply for illumination, solar panels heat the compost toilettes and gas supply is used for cooking and refrigeration.
• Insulation is passive and does not require the supply of energy. Domes are coated to minimize temperature exchange;
• Toilettes are designed to separate solid and liquid waste and to make compost on two heated chambers;
• Waste management system consider classification of waste, exportation out of the wilderness area and recycling.

Dormitory Domes:
These domes have vitrified wooden floors and are 2m/6.5ft high with a diameter of 4m/12ft, allowing plenty of space for sleeping comfortably. They are resistant to the strongest Patagonian winds, rains, and snow and come equipped with 2 single beds, fleece sheets, blankets, and feather quilts. There are round windows in the ceiling to observe the stars before falling asleep.

Dining & Living Room Dome:
The EcoCamp core is a giant dining & living room dome, 9m/ 30ft in diameter and 4.5m/13.5ft tall. It is equipped with a resting area, dining room, and kitchen. The space is bright and airy with a big panoramic window that brings dusk and dawn straight into the dining area.

Bathroom Dome:
The same size as the dining dome, this has showers with hot water and compost lavatories as well as washbasins and mirrors.

Power: we use solar panels to recharge the batteries which provide the electricity for the camp radio and the extractors in the bathroom. The light in the individual domes is provided by table lamps with rechargeable batteries. These are recharged at our base in Puerto Natales. Right now we are testing the possibility of installing an eolic generator.

UPGRADED CAMP PEHOE

In some of our camping trips we may also use a portable upgraded camp:it is a comfortable, welcoming camp designed to take up to 20 people. It is a camp which we put up and take down several times and for that reason it is lighter and more portable than the Torres Ecocamp.

Upgraded camp has: A dining dome: of 6 metres in diameter.
Tourist Tents: designed for 4 people but used by only 2. Comfortable and equipped with inflatable mattresses, sleeping bags, and a lining sheet of polar fleece.

Cooking Tent: This is a tent kept exclusively so that the cooks can prepare the dishes which you will enjoy each day. Bathrooms: we use the facilities offered at the camping area where we set up the Upgraded Camp. It usually have hot showers.

CASCADA EXPEDICIONES, Don Carlos 3219, Las Condes – Santiago, CHILE. Phone: (56)(2) 2329878
Fax: (562) 2328954 email: info@cascada-expediciones.com Web: http://www.cascada-expediciones.com

Because sustainable tourism is a matter that interests us all, let us tell you that we are moving our hotel, Patagonia EcoCamp at Torres del Paine, from its original location to an upper hill some 600mts away from its original place. The novelty here is that we are moving the hotel but leaving virtually no tracks behind because of the way we have constructed it. The operation starts in August and will be finished by October 1st. In Chile´s island of Chiloe there is a old tradition of moving houses from one place to another called “Minga”, in this case we are also moving our house, though with less charm than in Chiloe where the whole community participates and oxen traction is used.

EcoCamp Patagonia is the 1st truly “Eco-Hotel” in Patagonia and also the 1st south of the Amazon basin. Its operation started in January 2000, in Torres del Paine NP, with view of the famous granite spires. The need to move it is born on that its initial capacity of 16 guests have increased to 30, which is the maximum capacity recommended on EcoTourism codes as to keep the guests accommodation experience intimate and as to minimize the environmental impact due to circulation of both people and vehicles and due the managements of waste. The new capacity of 12 twin domes and 2 tpl domes would not fit properly with the topography of the existing location and the staff facilities which will grow in surface will not fit in the limited existing place. That´s why we are moving a bit further.

The Torres del Paine National Park, now designated a World Biosphere Reserve, is without doubt one of the most beautiful and enthralling spots in the whole planet. This spectacular park, so remote and mysterious, each year attracts thousands of tourists and adventure seekers of all nationalities. The growth in demand of visitors has not been matched by the equivalent expansion of the infrastructure of hotels and services inside the park. This lack, which has continued for several years, is creating really serious problems in the form of the environmental impact on the park and the quality of tourist services in general.

When we became aware of this problem at Cascada Expediciones a few years ago, we decided to start a serious process of research and study of alternatives to hotels, one which would allow us to create a prototype solution to these kinds of problems in National Parks. The problem was: how to reconcile the care of thefragile environment of a National Park with the need to provide an infrastructure and level of comfort suitable for our visitors? Was it possible to apply the same design criteria as were used in cities in surroundings like a National Park? Would it not be reasonable to ask people visiting these remote places, so pristine and delicate, to direct their energies while they were there to preserving what they saw for others who would come later?

The answer which we arrived at for all this is what we have called the “Ecocamp”: a solution which offers accommodation which is modern, comfortable, transportable and suitable for the rigours of the Patagonian climate; equipped with modern and environmentally friendly systems for the disposal of sewage and rubbish, with an efficient use of energy and the environment and at the same time aesthetically stylish. As well as this, those who visit the ecocamp, our guests, are key actors in our conservation mission: they have accepted the challenge of minimizing the impact of their presence, accepting that they will not have private bathrooms, reducing the use of energy and water and caring for the immediate environment.

We hope that this project, which we have been developing and constructing in the way of a pilot in Torres del Paine, can be taken to other similar places in Chile and will be able thus to respond to the ever increasing interest of visitors in remote places with the care and protection which those places need in order to preserve them for the future.