Edge Núcleo Ochagavía: the rise of the White Elephant
We have news! We are opening our third location in the White Elephant, the biggest urban recycling project in Chile.
The White Elephant
In march 1971 the government of Salvador Allende began enthusiastically the construction of what was to be the largest and most modern hospital in South America. After just 30 months the military overthrew the government and all operations ceased. Ever since that divisive day Hospital Ochagavía lay dormant — all 84,000m² of it.
For more than 40 years the forsaken hospital played with the expectations and frustrations of the local residents of Pedro Aguirre Cerda. It wasn’t long before Hospital Ochagavía came to be known as the White Elephant, an ugly reminder of the past.
Núcleo Ochagavía
In 2013, Megacentro, a Chilean logistics and storage company, purchased the abandoned hospital with plans for a miraculous revival. The White Elephant, no longer white, but brown with years of decay and rust, began a radical transformation and Núcleo Ochagavía was born.
It wasn’t for nothing that Núcleo Ochagavía was recognized as the best Urban Regeneration project in the first version of Premio Aporte Urbano (PAU), organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism, the Chilean Chamber of Construction and the Association of Architects.
Núcleo Ochagavía launched in September 2016 and is quickly becoming a prime business and logistics hub of southern Santiago. What was once a symbol of desertion is now home to a wide range of diverse companies and services including: Municipality of Pedro Aguirre Cerda, the Civil Registry, a modern health clinic, banks, fitness club, post office, storage units for rent, offices, loading dock for trucks, and much more.
The only way you survive is you continuously transform into something else. It’s this idea of continuous transformation that makes you an innovation company.
— Ginni Rometty, IBM
The transformation of the White Elephant is nothing short of amazing. For more than four decades the hospital haunted local residents; it had become a center for delinquency and addiction and its influence spilled out across the comuna. Its very presence pulled down home values, trust and the overall sense of security.
Núcelo Ochagavía is living proof that anything can transform for the better.
The transformation of the White Elephant is still in its early phases.
Who can say what the long-term impact will be on local and neighbouring residents?
Already home values have increased, people feel safer, and more importantly they feel a sense of ownership and pride regarding the new elephant in town.
Edge and the elephant
Edge Ochagavía is located on the 7th floor of Núcleo Ochagavía and provides stunning panoramic views of Santiago. With a variety of different work space available, members can easily find something that fits their needs and work in comfort, and of course, style.
But why here? Why put an Edge in Pedro Aguirre Cerda?
This is a question we get asked all the time.
Why not?
Why not be a part of a high-impact transformation?
Why not provide high quality work space to areas that everyone else overlooks?
Why not build an incredible work environment in one of the coolest urban projects?
One of the walls in Edge Ochagavía reads the following:
At Edge we believe in helping others get up and get more. This is what truly motivates us.
Come check out the belly of the White Elephant
We just opened and would love to show you around the new elephant.
Book a tour here and one of our Office Managers will gladly receive you.
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