Cristobal Elgueta

Cristóbal Elgueta Marinovic is a Chilean forest engineer, self-taught landscape gardener and one of the Chilean authors of a current of landscaping called "Ecosystemic Landscaping".

  

His particular vision of the landscape and the way he conceived the study of planting, within its gardens, was born from the observation of the natural landscape of the Mediterranean and semi-arid area of central Chile, his country of origin, which, thanks to the vastness of the territory and the mountain ranges, presents a great variety of climate, ecosystems and therefore very varied and spectacular plant systems, especially in the flowering period.

 

His vision of the landscape considers, in addition to the design of the different spaces, a particular effort in the creation of complex plant communities composed of native and exotic plants, which throughout the year encourage, both for an aesthetic appeal and for a careful sequence of growth, the best conditions for the settlement of wildlife. 

 

Currently, together with his partner Macarena Calvo, he is working in different public spaces of the city of Santiago, building rich and biodiverse vegetable systems, which allow to reduce irrigation to face the longest drought period ever recorded, allowing permanent soil cover, generating an attractive aesthetic that allows citizens to get closer to nature, establishing biological control and beneficial fauna. Ingenious plant techniques reduce construction costs and, above all, minimize maintenance.