Desert Lodges | Terrantai Lodge in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, | Mathias Klotz

Terrantai was built in San Pedro de Atacama with the materials taken from earth of the surrounding desert. In this way the architect, Matias Klotz, was able to use techniques developed thousands of years ago, with local elders teaching young architects new skills.
The stone used in Terrantai is of a beauty that is awe-inspiring.
The walls consist of individually selected stones placed with care.and adobe prepared under the hot September sun. The roof was preserved from the original house.
We have tried to preserve our heritage in this building, in order to continue the traditions of hospitality in the comfort and spaciousness, peace and tranquility which we offer here. Our visitors will find relaxation in the human spaces, the stone alleyways, patios, terraces, restaurant, and beautiful rooms in this building, designed by an award- winning architect using the skills and wisdom of our ancestors and inspired modern creativity.

Statement By Mathías Klotz
" The Terrantai Project began with the re-use of an old adobe house wich was built over the old urban Shell of San Pedro Atacama. It consisted of a single ground plan with a continuous facade where the public spaces were aranged around three patios and stone passages. It stands next to the square and close to the church, giving architectural connections with the principal monument of the village. The materials chosen were rounded stones, adobe, and local wood, all used with traditional local building methods, and prepared for the desert climate and the heat of the area. The rooms are spacious and they give directly on to the blue sky and the shade of the roble (chilean beech) trees. Terrantai is a sequence of corridors and patios wich allow the traveler to sense the oasis in the middle of a fierce desert ".