Thanks to sound and collaborative management, there are now two gymnasiums in the Araucanía (a place where nature and recreation meet,) available to provide the local students with an atmosphere of health and wellness: one in the Collín School and another in the Pitrufquén Science High School. The team in charge of their construction came from the Architecture Department of the Ministry of Public Works (MOP,) a state office that designs, builds and manages the public infrastructure of the country.  

The Collín School was built with pine and features a design framed along radial axes with robust construction resulting from the use of laminated timber components. The Pitrufquén School, on the other hand, had a relatively simple installation as the Radiata Pine structure was prefabricated and assembled on site. Both structures provide a rustic, warm, natural and comfortable environment for the students. For Víctor Sanhueza, the civil engineer in charge of the project, building with this type of material gives you a certain freedom and allows you to let your creativity fly because, for example, “it allows you to cover large spaces without the need to include columns or intermediate supports, which is important given the seismic-resistant properties of wood". 

Additionally, using this type of construction in schools provides a certain social equity and can help bridge the educational gap as it allows students to develop in a comfortable environment where they can also get a little closer to nature. An excellent example to follow throughout Chile.