An award-winning visitor centre completed last year by Oto Arquitectos on the Cape Verde island of Fogo has been destroyed by a volcano .

Fogo Island Natural Park, Cape Verde by OTO Architects

Designed by Lisbon-based Oto Arquitectos as a headquarters and cultural venue for the Parque Natural do Fogo, the constructing was inaugurated in April 2014 and went on to be named cultural creating of the year in Archdaily’s Developing of the 12 months 2015 awards.

Fogo Island Natural Park, Cape Verde by OTO Architects

But it has come to light that the construction only stood for 7 months – it was entirely wrecked when the Pico do Fogo volcano erupted in November.

André Castro Santos, 1 of the 4 founders of the architecture studio, has described the occasion as “traumatic”.

Fogo Island Natural Park, Cape Verde by OTO Architects Parque Normal do Fogo right after the volcanic eruption

“On the very first 3 days the developing resisted and stopped the lava, only the south wall was destroyed,” he informed Dezeen. “But on the fourth day the volcano got stronger and the developing was completely swallowed by lava.”

Fogo Island Natural Park, Cape Verde by OTO Architects Parque Organic do Fogo soon after the volcanic eruption

“It took us seven many years soon after we won the completion and it lived seven months,” added the architect. “We think buildings are permanently but nature is stronger.”


Related story: Large-altitude viewpoint perches more than a volcanic crater lake


Fogo is a single of the most prominent islands of the Cape Verde archipelago and has a population of above forty,000 men and women.

Fogo Island Natural Park, Cape Verde by OTO Architects Parque Normal do Fogo after the volcanic eruption

Pico do Fogo, which has previously erupted in 1995 and 1951, stands at the centre of the island. When it erupted yet again last 12 months, hundreds of folks were forced to evacuate their houses and a regional airport had to be closed.

Fogo Island Natural Park, Cape Verde by OTO Architects

There were no reported casualties, but there was considerable harm to buildings in the Chã das Caldeiras area, as nicely as to the Fogo Organic Park Venue.

Castro Santos said the cultural venue – which featured a library, indoor and outdoor auditoriums and a terrace bar – could be rebuilt in a new area, but it is unclear when this would be and how it would be financed.

Fogo Island Natural Park, Cape Verde by OTO Architects

“The PNF Headquarters was constructed near the villages of Portela and Bangueira – the aim was to create a landmark and support the sustainable growth of Chã das Caldeiras,” stated the architect.

“Now it is all destroyed, if it’s achievable for the population to rebuild all the crops and homes, I feel it will have to be rebuilt near that. If not, maybe outdoors the caldeira, but even so we can’t predict what the volcano will do.”

Fogo Island Natural Park, Cape Verde by OTO Architects

Extremely small of the unique creating is salvageable, but some equipment and vitality methods were removed and could be installed in a new framework.

Photography of the building just before the eruption is by Fernando Guerra.

Dezeen

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