Elemental is prominently known for its specialization in projects that work with poor or disaster-ravaged communities. On February 27, 2010, Chile was ravaged by an 8.8 earthquake and tsunami. Aravena created a master plan, Post-tsunami Sustainable Reconstruction Plan (PRES), to rebuild the city of Constitución. He and his team at Elemental completed the plan in 100 days, which includes improved access to public space and was created with the help of the public. The master plan is currently still in progress and has provided many other key public building in the town. One of my favorite aspects of the Post-tsunami Sustainable Reconstruction Plan is a series of coastal lookout points along the promenade to encourage tourism.

The project consists of a series of coastal lookout points along the way from Maule River’s mouth (downtown) to Maguellines Port, in order to reinforce and highlight the natural heritage embodied by the huge rocks of this landscape. The lookout points not only exemplify beauty and reconstruction, but also serve as remembrance for the massive losses of the 2010 tsunami.