Past and Future at the Core of the MUT Tobalaba Urban Market in Chile
- Arq. Luisa Afanador
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Author: Luisa Afanador
A restless mind about the city
ARCHITECTS: Territoria and team (KPF, Mobil, Seggiario, Tony Chi, Ray Chen, Agustín Quiroga, Jadue Livingstone, Marcial Cortés-Monroy, and Teresa Matte & Bzero)
PHOTOGRAPHY: Territoria
LOCATION: Santiago, Chile
YEAR: 2023
SQM: 160,000 sqm
The traditional market is the primary form of urban commerce, emerging as a response to social and urban needs, consolidating community relationships within its surroundings. These infrastructures have historically been key spaces for social, cultural, and commercial interaction, representing a meeting point for producers, merchants, and consumers.
However, over time and with the evolution of their building typology, shifting from open plazas to closed buildings, many traditional markets have become immersed in environments that are unaware of their purpose and have been relegated due to a lack of adaptation to the demands of ever-growing cities. This disconnect has led to them being perceived as obsolete or insufficient.
This article focuses on how the Tobalaba Urban Market (MUT) in Chile manages to integrate traditional elements with contemporary strategies, designing a space that rescues essential social and urban relationships while responding to the current needs of cities.
Elements of the Traditional: The MUT as a Public Space
Traditional markets or market squares have been perceived as outdated infrastructure that should be replaced. However, they possess valuable elements that deserve to be preserved and adapted. These markets not only function as spaces for commercial exchange, but also as points of social connection, strengthening the community fabric.
Based on the idea that, in the concept of an urban market, the true attraction for people is public space, the MUT embraces this function by converting a 14,000 m² plot of land into an expanded public space of approximately 20,000 m². This increase in usable space for the community is achieved through a design that integrates plazas, gardens, and pedestrian spaces, connecting the market to its urban environment and reinforcing its role as a hub.
The Tobalaba Urban Market is a mixed-use project located on the Apoquindo block and El Bosque Norte. It is the evolution of the original market concept, maintaining the commercial and cultural exchange. It consists of four office buildings and a market that, across eight levels, integrates cultural spaces, plazas, gardens, commerce, and gastronomy.
In addition, it also captures the human scale of traditional markets by including small, owner-run shops, allowing direct contact between vendors and customers, promoting a more intimate and personalized experience that reinforces the local identity.
Elements of the Contemporary: MUT as a Model of Mixed Use and Sustainable Mobility
The MUT is not a mall, and this is evident in its design and function. One of its strategies is its mixed uses, combining commerce, gastronomy, culture, and recreation in a single space. This diversity of functions is designed to attract a variety of users and ensure the market's vitality.
Sustainable mobility is another central strategy of its design. It features the largest BiciHUB in Latin America, with capacity for 2,000 bicycles, showers, and specialized workshops. It also offers a direct connection to the metro, facilitating access for users from different areas of the city and promoting the use of public transportation. These elements make it a model of urban infrastructure adapted to current sustainability demands.
Another key feature is its configuration as a tiered plaza. This design allows for greater interaction with the urban environment, generating interior borders that encourage street commerce and multiply opportunities for social interaction. This approach contrasts with traditional malls, which tend to be enclosed spaces disconnected from the urban fabric.
Unlike malls or shopping centers, the MUT is deeply connected to its urban environment. Its typology recognizes and reinforces the existing dynamics of the city, promoting balanced pedestrian and vehicular flow. Furthermore, its integration of small local creative industries and neighborhood markets ensures the inclusion of entrepreneurs and local communities, strengthening the regional economy.
Its integration with the city has made the market not only a space that articulates flows, but also an urban destination in the city where people go not only to pass through, but also to spend their leisure time and enjoy themselves. This is one of the greatest signs of the success of a public space: that people want to be there.
This demonstrates that it is possible to modernize an urban market without losing its traditional essence. However, its success also depends on external factors, such as user acceptance, maintaining economic sustainability, and the continued support of public policies that foster its development.
One of the main challenges is ensuring that small businesses can compete with larger commercial formats while maintaining their relevance in a competitive economic environment. This requires constant planning and adaptation to the changing needs of the community.
The Tobalaba Urban Market is a notable example of how traditional markets can evolve to respond to contemporary needs without losing their original function. By integrating contemporary architectural and urban planning elements, the MUT redefines the role of markets not only as spaces for commercial exchange, but also reinforces their role as spaces for social and cultural interaction.
Its multifunctional design and focus on sustainability and inclusion position it as a replicable model for other Latin American cities. This project demonstrates that it is possible to create public spaces that are both functional and meaningful for their communities.
Comments