ESO Hotel at Cerro Paranal (or Residencia) is the accommodation for
Paranal Observatory
Paranal Observatory is an astronomical observatory operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). It is located in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile on Cerro Paranal at altitude, south of Antofagasta. By total light-collecting area, ...
in Chile since 2002.
[ It is mainly used for the ESO (]European Southern Observatory
The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, commonly referred to as the European Southern Observatory (ESO), is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental research organisation made up of 16 m ...
) scientists and engineers who work there on a roster system. It has been called a "boarding house on Mars", because the desert surroundings are Mars-like, and an "Oasis for astronomers".[ It is not a commercial hotel, and the public cannot book rooms.][Hotel on Mars]
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The architect was the Chilean-born Hernán Marchant, a current Professor and Associate Dean at North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...
, the architecture firm was Auer+Weber+Assoziierte
Auer+Weber+Assoziierte is a German architecture firm, founded and headquartered in Stuttgart and Munich, Germany in 1980. The founders are Fritz Auer (born 24 June 1933), and Carlo Weber (6 April 1934-15 May 2014).
History
The architect's offic ...
of Germany and constructor was Vial y Vives Ltda. of Chile.[ It won the Cityscape Architectural Review Awards in 2005.][ In 2004 it won the new and overall Leaf-Awards.][
Operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), an organization based in ]Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, the VLT (Very Large Telescope
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is an astronomical facility operated since 1998 by the European Southern Observatory, located on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. It consists of four individual telescopes, each equipped with ...
) is reportedly the most powerful telescope based on Earth.
Location
The hotel is at above sea level on Cerro Paranal
Cerro Paranal is a mountain in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile and is the home of the Paranal Observatory. Prior to the construction of the observatory, the summit was a horizontal control point with an elevation of ; now it is above sea ...
. The people there work in extreme climatic conditions including intense sunlight, dryness, high wind speeds and great fluctuations in temperature. To protect against these an artificial oasis was built to allow respite between shifts.
The total area is 10,000 m², with an L-shape of 176 m × 53 m. It has 4 levels, 1,000 m² of gardens, 108 rooms, and 18 offices.[ It includes a restaurant, music room, library, swimming pool, and sauna.][ Its inauguration was in February 2002.][ESO Residencia Inside]
The hotel complex, comprising four levels, fits into an existing depression in the ground. There are views across the desert to the Pacific Ocean from each of the 120 rooms and also from the dining room veranda. Also visible is a slightly raised dome comprising a steel skeleton that measures in diameter.
File:An Oasis for Astronomers.jpeg, The Residencia under construction at the end of 2000.
In popular culture
The hotel's exterior was featured in the 2008 Bond
Bond or bonds may refer to:
Common meanings
* Bond (finance), a type of debt security
* Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States
* Fidelity bond, a type of insurance policy for employers
* Chemical bond, t ...
film ''Quantum of Solace
''Quantum of Solace'' is a 2008 spy thriller film and the twenty-second in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. Directed by Marc Forster and written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, Neal Purvis, Robe ...
'',[ in which the structure was depicted as the "Perla de Las Dunas" fictional eco-hotel in ]Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
. A miniature of the hotel was built by the visual effects team for the shots in which the hotel is destroyed by a fire in the film.
See also
*Paranal Observatory
Paranal Observatory is an astronomical observatory operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). It is located in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile on Cerro Paranal at altitude, south of Antofagasta. By total light-collecting area, ...
*Mars habitat
A Mars habitat is a hypothetical place where humans could live on Mars. Mars habitats would have to contend with surface conditions that include almost no oxygen in the air, extreme cold, low pressure, and high radiation. Alternatively, the habi ...
References
*2003 "Auer+Weber+Architekten Arbeiten 1980–2003 Works", Birkhäuser Publishers, Basel
External links
Paranal Observatory
Tour of the hotel
filmed by Brady Haran
Brady John Haran (born 18 June 1976) is an Australian-British independent filmmaker and video journalist who produces educational videos and documentary films for his YouTube channels, the most notable being ''Computerphile'' and ''Numberph ...
{{European Southern Observatory
European Southern Observatory
Buildings and structures in Antofagasta Region
Auer+Weber+Assoziierte
Hotels in Chile