Top floor of Costenera

On Monday, the group visited La Costenera tower. It is the tallest building in South America and we were able to ride up to the top floor to get fantastic show views of the city and mountains surrounding it. Like the Andes, La Costenera is a signature of Santiago that can be viewed from various parts of the city. While Chicago has the WIllis Tower, Santiago has La Costenera.

 When heading towards the tower, it was clear which direction to head towards because it was so visible from far away. As we finally reached the tower and looked up at it, I realized just how tall it really was.

View of tower from ground

One detail I noticed about the tower and other buildings surrounding it was that the glass exterior had a purer blue tint to it compared to most American buildings. I wondered if it is an ode to the lapis lazuli stone of Chile. After walking past the lower levels of shopping centers, the group made its way to the top floor. I noticed the intricate beam structures holding the glass building together.

As I went to observe further, I noticed that there actually was no roof and was exposed to the sky instead. The top floors, glass enclosure and an open ceiling created ambiguity between being in an indoor or outdoor space. I felt that perhaps it was a way of further attempting to connect the outdoor site to the interior of this skyscraper. To end the day, I watched the sun set past the mountains which was concluded with a round of applause by the visitors.